Highlights of The Beatles 1964 Australian tour has been released by EMI Records.
It was 50 years ago when The Beatles were invited to Australia. They touched down in Sydney on June 11, 1964 and spent 13 days in the country and played 20 shows in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. It was their only Australian tour.
Manager Brian Epstein promised he would bring the band back to Australia if they could maintain their current popularity. However, by 1966 they quit touring and never played live in public again expect for the Apple rooftop appearance for the Let It Be film.
The footage shows the fans, the band and the press conference. Hundreds of thousands Australians lined the streets to see The Beatles. Australian fans were intense. 300,000 people turned up in Adelaide alone. It was the biggest crowd the Beatles ever had.
John Lennon was asked what he expected to find in Australia. His response, “Australians”.
