Friday Marks 50th Anniversary of Minnesota Beatles Concert
The Beatles took the Midwest by storm on August 21, 1965, when they performed at Old Met Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. Twenty-five thousand fans flocked to the Twin Cities area for the concert, which took place during the height of Beatlemania.
The Beatles held a press conference at the Minnesota Room at the stadium before the show. Over 150 reporters attended the conference. The Beatles were asked questions such as, “Who of you is the best actor?” John answered, “Ringo.” Questions about the end of The Beatles’ record contract were brought up, to which John answered, “I don’t know! I don’t even remember signing it.”
According to Beatlesinterviews.org, a local guitar shop gave George Harrison a Rickenbacker 360 electric 12-string guitar by B-Sharp Music.
The night of the concert, law enforcement officials swept through the hotel where John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison were staying, the Leamington Motor Inn, forcing partying fans and underage girls off the property. A verbal scuffle broke out between the Beatles and their entourage, and one member of the group told the police officer, Donald Dwyer, that they would never play in the state again. Whether on purpose or just overlooked, the promise held true, and the August 21 show turned out to be the one and only Beatles performance in Minnesota. When asked about his fan status, Dwyer explained that while he had heard the Beatles music around his house, he was not personally a fan.
The Star Tribune reports that 3,000 fans showed up at the airport for the Beatles’ arrival.
Ticket prices for the Beatles performance ranged between $2.50 and $5.50. The Beatles were paid $50,000 for the show.
The Beatles managed to fit 11 songs into their set, which lasted about 30 minutes. The set list included “She’s a Woman,” “I Feel Fine,” “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” “Ticket to Ride,” “Everybody’s Tryin’ to be My Baby,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Baby’s in Black,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Help!,” and “I’m Down.”
In 2010 on the 45th anniversary, Minnesota Public Radio interviewed fans who had attended the Beatles concert, and they reminisced about the time the world-famous Beatles showed up in America’s heartland to sweep them off their feet. The fans still held dearly to their mementos from the show. The stadium where the Beatles performance took place was demolished in 1985 to make way for the Mall of America.
August 2015 marks another anniversary in Beatles history: Michael Jackson purchased the Beatles catalog 30 years ago.
[Featured Image courtesy of Wikimedia]
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