The Beatles’ February 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show is, rightly, hailed as a seismic moment in the annals of rock ‘n roll history.
But the remainder of that pivotal year is no less impactful, as illustrated by a pair of new, archival releases, and a reminder that Dallas was fortunate to play a small role in the Beatles’ U.S. invasion.
The Fab Four descended upon Dallas on Sept. 18, 1964, where they played the Dallas Memorial Auditorium (now part of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center) at 8:30 p.m. for an audience of 10,000 fans. This date was the next-to-last of the 1964 tour, with a Sept. 20 date in New York City being the final live performance of the year for the Beatles.
Prior to the show, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr met with local reporters, and it’s worth watching their exchange below, if only to marvel at how radically different pop stars and the press interact six decades later.
The set list itself was a mere dozen songs — probably barely an hour in total — but even that brief encounter remains seared in the minds of the fans in attendance.
“I was only five years old at the time, but was already a huge Beatles fan,” Keith Durrett wrote in 2015. “The main thing I remember about the concert was that I could barely hear the music over all the incessant screaming of teenage girls. I remember that the show seemed to be over really quickly too … but I feel incredibly fortunate to have attended the show.”
Whether you were on hand for that landmark performance or merely love the Beatles, this year offers multiple opportunities to travel back in time and appreciate anew the galvanizing joy four men from Liverpool brought America — and the world.
The recently released vinyl box set The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono is a lavish (suggested retail price is $299.98) eight-LP set which collects all of the records compiled by Capitol Records and United Artists from January 1964 to March 1965.
Pressed on 180-gram audiophile-grade vinyl, with lacquers cut by Kevin Reeves in adherence to the original first pressings, the songs leap out of the speakers, finely detailed and plenty punchy. It’s thrilling to hear the early classics — “She Loves You,” “Love Me Do” or “Can’t Buy Me Love” — as if for the first time. The set also includes new essays from Beatles historian and author Bruce Spizer.
Fans can also travel back to the fateful year of 1964 via a new documentary, premiering on Disney Plus on Nov. 29. Beatles ’64, directed by David Tedeschi and produced by Martin Scorsese, draws upon never-before-seen footage of the band making its maiden voyage to America, captured by David and Albert Maysles.
Restored visually and sonically in 4K, and featuring new interviews with McCartney and Starr, it’s one more reminder of the lasting impact four young men from Liverpool had upon popular music — and the world.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
