The Beatles In Cleveland
Roars By The Shore
"The
Beatles In Cleveland" Author Recounts Two Memorable Fab Four Shows
By John Benson
For decades, Dave Schwensen has made a career out of comedy. First as a talent coordinator at the legendary Improv Comedy Clubs in Hollywood and New York City, and more recently as comedy workshop leader and syndicated comedy columnist, the Vermilion man has always been inspired by laughter.
Yet it's not humor - but awe - that inspired a recent project. And it was a sense of awe experienced more than 40 years ago.
As a 13-year-old, Schwensen attended The Beatles' 1966 concert at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The experience led, ultimately, to his recently published book "The Beatles in Cleveland."
"It was something I talked about, even with comedians who I hung out with," Schwensen said. "I remember sitting around talking to Larry David and Ray Romano about the best concerts we had ever seen, and I could always top them. They'd say Bruce Springsteen and The Doors, and I said, 'Well, I saw The Beatles."
Around the turn of the century, Schwensen added a blurb about his experience with the Fab Four - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr - to his Web site. Soon, he was receiving e-mails from around the globe from fans wanting to learn more about his once-in-a-lifetime show. That's when he had the idea to write a book. His first stop was meeting with local legend Jane Scott, the retired Plain Dealer entertainment writer who had reviewed both of The Beatles' Cleveland concerts (the other was two years earlier). In addition, she interviewed the band in '66.
"I went over to her place with a tape recorder, and for a couple of hours she told me all about it," Schwensen said. "And when she finished, she said, 'You should talk to Norman Wain.' He's the one who booked the Beatles shows and owned WIXY-AM 1260. And then he led me to Jack Armstrong, who was the top DJ and emceed the show."
As Schwensen began his research, he was surprised to find many of the interview subjects wanted to talk about more than the 1966 show.
"I started writing about 1966, but everyone took me back to 1964," Schwensen said. "In 1964, The Beatles came into Public Hall, which sold out immediately. What happened at Public Hall - Cleveland police officers didn't understand what was going on. They didn't understand why these four long-hair guys got more protection than President Kennedy did when he visited Cleveland.
"They thought they had baby-sitting duty for a bunch of teenagers. It was easy overtime. So when The Beatles came out, the police started watching The Beatles - not the kids, who were coming down the mezzanine, jumping over chairs. By the time they realized what's going on, it was too late. The police stopped the show, which ticked off John Lennon. But they came back on and finished the show."
The atmosphere surrounding the 1966 stadium show was completely different. Coming on the heels of Lennon's famous comment about The Beatles being more popular than Jesus, the Aug. 14 concert had an announced attendance of 26,000; however, roughly 20,000 were in the crowd, including a wide-eyed Schwensen.
"I remember it was a lot of screaming, and it had been raining," Schwensen said. "Also, there was a big riot - they had to stop the show."
The author believes his 192-page "The Beatles In Cleveland" takes readers back to a phenomenon that only a small portion of the baby boomer generation ever experienced.
"It's not one of those Beatles history books where at 3:05 p.m., Ringo had a glass of water, and at 4 p.m., they got in the limo," Schwensen said. "It's like going to a Beatles concert, being on stage with them and being in the audience. It is the excitement and adrenaline of seeing The Beatles live."
He quickly added, "The human element is what I get across."
Correspondent@News-Herald.com