Denver • Wednesday, August 26, 1964

About

From Coloradio Public Radio, August 25, 2014:

The 24 hours The Beatles spent on their only visit as a band to Colorado is remembered today with the enormity that embraced it at the time.  For the Fab Four it was the beginning of a fairly exhausting tour and passed like a blur.  For Denver it introduced the era of Red Rocks as a premiere showcase for rock and roll, and the christening was well worth the $6.60 price tag.

Here’s some forgotten facts and astounding figures from Aug 26, 1964, the day the British Invasion reached the Rockies:

_ Landing time at Stapleton: 1:35 p.m. An estimated 10,000 fans waited.  Said the Rocky Mountain News, At daybreak, officers on 3-wheel motorcycles and solo motorbikes rolled through the heavy wheat stubble of the airport area, flushing Beatle fans like rabbits in the tall grass.

_ The plane: A Lockheed Electra leased by Brian Epstein for a hefty $37,000

_ The downtown traffic jam: A crowd of 5,000 greeted the Beatles at the Brown Palace, the biggest outpouring ever including presidential stays. In the commotion six crowd members and one police officer earned trips to the ER.

_ Beatles room service lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches.

_ Biggest problem for the 27 rookie cops guarding the stage at Red Rocks: Jelly beans.

_ Beatles fee for Red Rocks: $20,000, in a day where the biggest acts made about $5,000 for a performance. […]

_ Tour position, sellout scenario: 6th of 32 shows in 24 cities, and the first of two that weren’t sellouts. Reports are that 7,000 tickets were sold, whereas they had sold out the Hollywood Bowl to 18,700 three nights before. Lack of public transportation for the younger teen audience was blamed. In more recent years these accounts have been called into question because of the lack of ticket takers or gate security in 1964.  Eyewitness reports say they never saw Red Rocks more full than it was on this hot August night. […]

_ Time they took the stage: 9:30 p.m. […]

_ Live recordings: The Red Rocks show never made for an album release, although their Denver press conference was included on this spoken word album (hear the beatles tell all)

_ Honors bestowed in Denver: Beatles made honorary Jaycees, and given vests…

_ Controversy in Denver: Rumors were the Beatles were changing their hotel reservations for an upcoming stop to play the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, because of the hotel’s segregation policy. PS, the Beatles changed their reservations.

_ Scary item: There was a concern in the Beatles organization about death threats.  George Martin wrote about sniper concerns years later.

_ Set list: One of the more confounding pieces of history to go missing. It’s pretty obvious they started with “Twist and Shout,” and it is known they played for just under a half hour.  The exact songs can only be imagined from the 12-song setlist they performed in the same order previously in Las Vegas, Seattle, Vancouver, and Hollywood […]

On April 9, 1967, Paul McCartney, joined by Mal Evans, was in Denver for some holidays. They paid a visit to the Red Rocks Stadium, remembering the 1964 concert.

This afternoon Paul and I went out to Red Rocks Stadium, scene for nostalgia because this was where The Beatles played their Denver concert date nearly three years ago on the first big American tour. Paul signed a lot of autographs and really enjoyed it. There was this fabulous policeman at the Stadium. I heard him say to one of the owners, “l know him and he knows me but he can’t let on.”

Mal Evans – From The Beatles Monthly Book, July 1967

Last updated on March 3, 2023

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

This was the 1st and only concert played at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Setlist for the concert

The setlist for this concert is incomplete, or we have not be able to confirm in an accurate way that this was the setlist. If you have any clue, pls let us know and leave a comment.