Aug. 29, 1964 - For the second successive night, bedlam descended upon staid Forest Hills, Queens, when a helicopter carried the Beatles into the hearts of thousands of their shrieking, hysterical fans at Forest Hills Stadium.
To the estimated 18,000-plus teenagers, it was heaven. To about 250 harried policemen and private cops, it was hell. To the ever-popular Beatles, it was money in the bank.
One of the few notes of discord — aside from the ear-piercing shrieks — came during the concert when one young critic tossed a tomato at the bandstand. The ripe red fruit caught Paul McCartney, spattering his fancy outfit.
The quartet was also bombarded with jelly beans, toys, powder puffs, Beatle hats, paper cups, lipsticks, but this wasn’t criticism — it was love.
The happy, boisterous crowd piled through the stadium turnstiles shortly after 6 p.m.
Police and firemen valiantly tried to hold the attendance to the 15,892 maximum decreed by the fire laws in the shell and 1,000 on the courts, but it was useless. At least 3,000 frantic fans streamed onto the courts. They overflowed the stadium’s shell into the aisles and stairs.
The acts that preceded the Beatles were greeted with jeers and shouts of: “Let’s have the Beatles,” “Get off the stage,” and the like. By the time the four heroes marched on at 9:30, the fans were in full roar.
Then the mopheads loosed their mating cry: “I Want To Hold Your Hand.”
The pandemonium didn’t end until the Beatles had sung eight songs and fled to their waiting helicopter for their departure to LaGuardia Field and Atlantic City.
By then, more than a dozen girls had fainted, others had been tossed back to the crowds from the stadium when they attempted to mount the stage, and at least one coed got a bloody nose. There was no official count of casualties, but it was believed they exceeded the 14 who were overcome at the concert last night.
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