Sept. 6, 1964 - The Beatles not only captured the hearts of thousands of teenagers at Detroit’s Olympia Stadium tonight, they left the city $60,000 richer — for two 20-minute performances.
They arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport at 1 a.m. this morning and were whisked to their suite at the Whittier Hotel.
At the Olympia, thousands of youngsters and their parents lined up just to catch a fleeting glimpse of the British rock ’n’ roll stars.
A 300-man contingent of police and private guards were also lined up.
When the Beatles got on stage, hundreds, possibly thousands of flashguns went off from the seats, creating an eerie glow throughout the stadium.
The Beatles began to sing immediately, but they could hardly be heard. This didn’t bother the fans. All they wanted to do was look, cry, scream, and moan.
During the performance, the noise was too much for one guard. He slipped two bullets out of his cartridge belt and plugged his ears.
One 14-year-old girl was dragged away screaming and crying, “No, no, no — I love them!” It took four policemen to subdue her.
That scene was multiplied many times over.
After the concert, Beatle Paul McCartney told reporters: “It’s all very flattering. We got a very nice reception here. But how can I say that I like Detroit? I haven’t seen it.”
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