The Beatles In Cleveland
Good Old Days:
Beatles Concert Was Riotous, Author Recalls
By SUE THOENSEN
In 1964, the Beatles were at the height of their fame and banned from performing in Cleveland. In 1966, Dave Schwensen was 13 and owned a ticket to the Beatles’ first outdoor concert of their final tour — at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.
Schwensen, author of two previous books on the comedy industry, tells of two infamous Beatles concerts in his new book, “The Beatles in Cleveland: Memories, Facts and Photos About the Notorious 1964 and 1966 Concerts.” He’ll be sharing memories, rare photos and a 15-minute film at the Borders bookstore in Costa Mesa this weekend.
Schwensen grew up in Cleveland, lived in California for a while and moved back in 1993. While working as the talent booker for The Improv Comedy Club in Los Angeles, he would often talk with the comedians about concerts. It got him thinking.
He’d saved his original ticket stubs from the concert and found the program for it in his parent’s basement. Over the years he picked up bits and pieces of Beatles memorabilia from flea markets and funky record stores in New York and Los Angeles to add to his collection. He finally decided to sit down and record what he remembered.
After finishing his one-page review of the “riotous” 1966 Beatles concert, Schwensen posted it on his website and immediately received a barrage of responses from people who wanted to share their own memories of the Beatles and their concerts. People sent him photos — some never before seen — and film footage, many of them shot while running through the stadium during the 1966 concert.
The first concert in Cleveland took place on Sept. 15, 1964 in the downtown area’s Public Hall. The group had appeared on “The Ed Sullivan show,” and Beatlemania was in full force; but they had been touring all across North America and had no crowd problems. After fans stormed the stage, police were able to get John, Paul, George and Ringo back to their dressing room and the concert was paused. Then the DJs came on stage with the Beatles, who finished and were then banned from Cleveland.
That ban ended in 1966 when a Beatles show in Kentucky was canceled because no venue could hold the expected crowd. But Municipal Stadium could. On Aug. 14, 1966, Schwensen was getting ready for the first outdoor Beatles concert of their final tour. He said he had great seats at a great price — $5.50 for box seats in front, on the upper deck.
That concert has been described as a “full-out riot.”
Schwensen remembers that “one guy jumped over the railing and immediately 2,500 people followed.” At the time, he didn’t even realize that what he was seeing was unusual. “I thought all Beatles concerts were that way,” he said.
Schwensen described the gathering of material and the writing of this book as “40 years in the making,” and that “even though it happened in Cleveland, I found that there are Beatles fans everywhere.”
One of the book’s many contributors is Ron Sweed, who was an 18-year-old kid who worked at a CBS affiliate TV station, took an 8mm home movie camera to the 1966 concert, sat in the press box and filmed it. He was also the only photographer allowed in the Beatles 1966 Cleveland hotel room.
“That’s was the key: to get other peoples’ memories,” Schwensen said. At the same time, he said, today there are teenage, third-generation Beatles fans with whom he talks.
“It was a fun project,” he said. “I had a blast, and I wish I could do it all again.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Dave Schwensen, author of “The Beatles in Cleveland” will discuss and sign his book and screen a rare 15-minute film of the concerts
WHEN: 6:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Borders bookstore, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa
COST: Free
INFO: Call (949) 631-8661 or go to www.beatlesincleveland.com