Washington Coliseum, 1941-1985
Introduction
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Images
Washington Coliseum in 2006
In concert on February 11, 1964
Beatles, John, Paul, George, and Ringo posing in front of the Capitol building
People outside the Washington Coliseum waiting to enter
Marker recognizing the Beatles' performance in DC
Backstory and Context
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The Beatles were formed in 1957 with John Lennon and Paul McCartney. George Harrison, the lead guitarist, was added to the band in late 1957, and drummer Ringo Starr replaced original drummer Pete Best in 1961. With the direction of producer George Martin, the Beatles scored a UK hit with their single Please Please Me. Through 1963, the Beatles national UK fame grew becoming a sensation, prompting British news media to coin the term Beatlemania for the frenzy the Beatles caused.
When coming to the US in 1964, the Beatles were treated with similar frenzies, with massive crowds of mostly teenage girls following the Beatles wherever they went. On February 9, the Beatles made their US debut performing on the Ed Sullivan show drawing 73 million viewers. The Beatles were scheduled to get to DC National Airport to perform on the 11th, however, due to a snowstorm, the Beatles instead took a train. Arriving at Union Station at 3:09 pm on the 11th, police officers had to force back mobs swarming to see the Beatles. Reportedly, one girl told a police officer "You can't throw her out, she's the President of the Beatles Fan Club" as they got pushed back. The Beatles were escorted to the Shoreham Hotel, where they had booked out the entire 7th floor for privacy.
That evening, the Beatles performed at the Washington Coliseum. The building was constructed in 1941 by the owner of the Washington hockey team, the Lions as a stadium for the team named Uline Ice Arena. In 1959, it was purchased by a jeweler and named the Washington Coliseum. The owner of the Coliseum apparently knew little about the Beatles and doubted they could sell a full house and insisted on having opening acts.
The Caravelles, Tommy Roe, and the Chiffons opened the night, and all 8000 seats in the stadium were filled. It was the largest audience the Beatles had played for to date, the previous record being 2000. Through the night, the audience was often so loud, one police officer put .38 caliber bullets in his ears as ears plugs. And through the night, the Beatles only had two mics and three Vox amplifiers. In addition, throughout the performance, the Beatles had to rotate the direction they were facing as the arena had seats on all four sides. This caused significant problems for Ringo as his drums were mounted on a riser. As they performed, the Beatles were often pelted with jelly beans as audiences had learned they like jelly beans. Harrison, the lead guitarist recalled "It was terrible. They hurt. They don't have soft jelly babies in America, but hard jellybeans like bullets."
The Beatles played 12 songs:
- Roll Over Beethoven
- From Me to You
- I Saw Her Standing There
- This Boy
- All My Loving
- I Wanna Be Your Man
- Please Please Me
- Till There Was You
- She Loves You
- I Want to Hold Your Hand
- Twist and Shout
- Long Tall Sally
Sources
James E. Miller, "The Beatles," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, last modified November 13, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Beatles.
Washington Coliseum, Atlas Obscura. Accessed January 3rd 2021. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/washington-coliseum-1
Kiger, Patrick. Beatlemania Begins in DC, Boundary Stones. February 10th 2014. Accessed January 3rd 2021. https://boundarystones.weta.org/2014/02/10/beatlemania-begins-dc
Kiger, Patrick. The Beatles Storm Washington, Boundary Stones. February 11th 2014. Accessed January 3rd 2021. https://boundarystones.weta.org/2014/02/11/beatles-storm-washington
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