Aug. 20, 1964 - Seven thousand yelping, sometimes sweltering teenagers turned out today to hear the Beatles perform in Las Vegas, while their blasé parents retreated to air-conditioned gambling casinos.
The first of two performances at the Convention Center was almost an hour late, after the British singing group delayed departure from the Sahara Hotel with an escort of 100 specially hired guards. Hundreds of youngsters stood in 100-degree heat outside the hotel for four hours or more, waiting for a glimpse of their idols.
The Convention Center was surrounded by a cordon of Clark County and city policemen. One energetic officer even turned back an adult woman reporter, apparently convinced that she was a Beatle fan in disguise who would pay the $25 scalpers were charging for $5.50 tickets.
Following last night’s performance in San Francisco, the Beatles flew straight to Las Vegas, where they arrived at 1 a.m. Their chartered airplane landed at McCarran International Airport, from where they were driven to the Sahara. Two thousand teenaged fans defied the city curfew to see them arrive. The Beatlemaniacs chanted, “We want the Beatles! We want the Beatles! We want Ringo!”
The two shows were at 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., each of which was seen by 8,000 people. Between the two shows, the police department received a bomb warning, but they decided that if they cancelled the second performance, the risk of violence by disappointed fans was too great.
After the second concert, the Beatles were advised to stay away from casinos, as police were concerned that underage fans would be tempted to follow them.
Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s
Comments