THE BEATLES FIRST CONCERT IN THE UNITED STATES, FEBRUARY 1964 The venue was the Urline Ice Arena which is about the largest non government owned space in Washington in 1964.   Most seats cost $2.00  but the front section seats went for $7.00.   Everyone waited for the Beatles and paid very little attention to the warm up acts.  Too bad because they went on to become music legends:  The Ronettes,The Righteous Brothers, and Jackie DeShannon.  When the Beatles hit the stage, the young ladies in the front seats went wild for the short time that the Beatles performed—about twenty-eight minutes. The evening ended with the ladies storming the stage to retrieve some of the Jelly Beans that were thrown to the Beatles.  Many of  the Jelly Beans that didn’t make it to the stage landed on the back of my head.  I felt them for few days. Oh, there were a couple of people who didn’t like the evening.  The first was a pin vendor who ordered “I love Beatles” pins but the pins read “I love Beetles”.  Some policemen could not stand the noise and put bullets in their ears. It was a great evening.  This was long before there were restrictions on where and how long to make pictures—different times. This print was photographed by Dennis Brack.  In 1964 Brack had worked for  the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, but was going to law school in Washington, DC.  He was doing assignments for  THE WASHINGTON POST and a call from Black Star Publishing Company came with the assignment to cover the Beatles.  This was the first of over a fifty years  career with Black Star.  Black Star is a photographers representative  who negotiated a 23 year contract for TIME as a staff photographer plus many annual report and advertising agencies. 

THE BEATLES FIRST CONCERT IN THE UNITED STATES, FEBRUARY 1964

The venue was the Urline Ice Arena which is about the largest non government owned space in Washington in 1964.   Most seats cost $2.00  but the front section seats went for $7.00.   Everyone waited for the Beatles and paid very little attention to the warm up acts.  Too bad because they went on to become music legends:  The Ronettes,The Righteous Brothers, and Jackie DeShannon. 

When the Beatles hit the stage, the young ladies in the front seats went wild for the short time that the Beatles performed—about twenty-eight minutes. The evening ended with the ladies storming the stage to retrieve some of the Jelly Beans that were thrown to the Beatles.  Many of  the Jelly Beans that didn’t make it to the stage landed on the back of my head.  I felt them for few days.

Oh, there were a couple of people who didn’t like the evening.  The first was a pin vendor who ordered “I love Beatles” pins but the pins read “I love Beetles”.  Some policemen could not stand the noise and put bullets in their ears.

It was a great evening.  This was long before there were restrictions on where and how long to make pictures—different times.

This print was photographed by Dennis Brack.  In 1964 Brack had worked for  the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, but was going to law school in Washington, DC.  He was doing assignments for  THE WASHINGTON POST and a call from Black Star Publishing Company came with the assignment to cover the Beatles.  This was the first of over a fifty years  career with Black Star.  Black Star is a photographers representative  who negotiated a 23 year contract for TIME as a staff photographer plus many annual report and advertising agencies.