This Is the Biggest Tour Ever
Nothing has ever happened like it before. This is the opinion of astute tradesters about the forthcoming Beatles tour.
Five months before the (Beatles) tour hits the road in August, promoters are selling out their one night stands to the armies of Beatles fans.
In Toronto, The Maple Gardens sold out its tickets to the Beatles September show in just a few hours. In New Orleans mail orders only in five days amounted to a $12,000 advance.
In Detroit, promoter Art Sheridan sold out the Liverpool Lads first show, has half sold the second (Sept 4), and is trying to convince the boys and manager Brian Epstein and GAC to let them do a third show. (P.S. They won’t).
Promoters are finding The Beatles the most saleable item since Elvis Presley. According to GAC spokesmen who are booking the four Liverpool lads, even Elvis didn’t sell out this far in advance.
The way the promoters are pushing the concerts are via a radio spot or two or a newspaper ad or two. And it works. Beatles fans apparently can’t get rid of their money fast enough, and the orders are pouring in.
In New York, where Bill Grumann of Limelight Productions is promoting the show at the Forest Hills L.I. Tennis Stadium August 28-29, reports are that both shows are already sold out too.
Promoters are paying a guarantee of $20,000 for weekday nights and $25,000 for weekend nights or 60 per cent of the net receipts, whichever is greater. These figures mean that a promoter has to gross close to $50,000 to break even.
At first this scared a lot of veteran promoters, who were trepidatious about The Beatles and concerned as to whether they would be as hot in August-September as they have been in January–February–March.
However, now that the lads are proving they can sell out the box office months before they come to town, many vet promoters are screaming for another chance. They are calling GAC and begging for dates. It’s too late for some of them, for most of the dates are filled, from California to New York and including Canada.
There appears to be little doubt today that The Beatles tour will gross over $2 million. For their end The Beatles stand a chance to take out $1 million. Seats are scaled at $3, $4, $5, with most of the orders for the $4 variety.
The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein arrived in New York from London last Friday to look over the tour scene, and to watch another act of his, Gerry and The Pacemakers, on CBS television’s The Ed Sullivan Show. All bookings for The Beatles tour are okayed by him, wherever he is. END
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Information, credit and news source: Music Business; May 9, 1964
