You have to see it to believe it, because it is not the kind of thing you believe by hearing.
These conclusions are not sociological, they are medical. When you plug over 10,000 young female larynxes into the Beatles' circuit, you produce a vibration that causes a disease called labyrinthitis, which is an inflammation of the inner ear that sometimes results in loss of balance. It is an ailment that seems to effect only those age 15, and that is why all the adults leaving the International Ampitheatre Friday seemed to be listing.
I am what is laughingly known as an adult, and that is why I am writing you at this angle. If you have trouble reading it, rotate the page thirty-five degrees to the right.
In the interests of equilibrium, you should know this is a review of The BEatles who gave two concerts Friday at the International Ampitheatre. The gross was $136,000.
In my memory, it is the only even I have reported upon by using paper and pencil to ask questions. I wrote a note to a fireman, "How many firemen?" Over the din, he took my pencil and wrote "100 firemen." I got my hot dog by pointing to it.
What did they sing? Well it was all over and the diminuendo left only the sounds of a few sobs. I got my answers from three fourteen-year-olds-Kathy, Sue and Pat. They said the Beatles sang "Rock 'N Roll Music," "She's A Woman," "If I Needed Someone," "Day Tripper," "Baby's In Black," "I Feel Fine," "Yesterday," "I Wanna Be Your Man," "Nowhere Man," "Paperback Writer," and "Long Tall Sally." How they know is one of the miracles of the five senses. Three shrewd young ladies they were. They expressed the belief that a concert such as this promotes record sales.Because, if you can't hear it, you go out and buy it and listen to it at home.
And, one of the girls had the final say on John Lennon's now notorious remarks.
"I'm a minister's daughter and I go to church three times a week and I love The Beatles. I think what they meant was they may be more popular than Jesus but they are not better than Jesus."
Strictly as a production, the concert was rather haphazard, except in matters of security. Two hundred Andy Frain ushers were inside along with 100 firemen and 84 Burns detectives. They formed a solid line in front of the stage and countered hysteria by flashing lights into the anguished, screaming faces.
The stage was far too small to accommodate the amplification apparently necessary for this 20th century sound.
There was a tense gap between the acts that preceded the headliners and The Beatles themselves. And, The Beatles' stage manager got very red in the face as he moved the amplfiers and machines around. Even when they were hooked up, they didn't always work. In moment of adjustment, John Lennon did a little dance that created a response that must have been heard by all the cattle for blocks around.
The reaction to The Beatles' appearance was tumultuous, a word that seems a total understatement. If this is what happen when The Beatles are banned, what do you suppose would happen if they were abolished?
The Beatles were preceded by The Remains, The Ronettes, The Cyrkle, and Bobby Hebb- who presented a cheerful two hours of insanity before the main bout. One final note. Do The Beatles have a new sound? It's a purely academic question.
Article was originally printed in the Chicago Sun Times.
