CHUCK GUNDERSON'S MONUMENTAL 2-VOLUME BOOK SET
SOME FUN TONIGHT!
THE BACKSTAGE STORY OF HOW THE BEATLES ROCKED AMERICA:
THE HISTORIC TOURS OF 1964-1966
FOLLOW ME
© 2013 Chuck Gunderson
BOOK A LECTURE!
CHUCK GUNDERSON DELIVERS A RIVETING ONE TO TWO HOUR
MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION ABOUT THE BEATLES'
1964, 1965 OR 1966 NORTH AMERICAN SUMMER TOURS!
LECTURE 1: THE 1964 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Learn how The Beatles changed the rock and roll touring industry with their groundbreaking, earthshaking, moneymaking tour of the United States and Canada where they performed 32 shows in just 33 days! Chuck will cover the intricate role that Beatles manager Brian Epstein played – and the risks and rewards involved in planning this monumental tour. You'll trail the group from coast to coast as Chuck describes in detail the cheeky quotes delivered at the press conferences and the mayhem that followed them to each city. You'll also hear the story about one flamboyant promoter who paid over five times their normal fee to convince them to play in his city. Chuck will describe the venues, examine the contract riders and even discuss the support acts that warmed up the crowd prior to the Beatles' set. Feast your eyes on rare footage, including interviews of the group that changed the face of music forever!
Olympia Stadium, Detroit, September 6, 1964
LECTURE 2: THE 1965 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
This talk begins as the Beatles' plane lands at JFK Airport in New York City, beginning yet another conquest of North America. This time, the Beatles arrive as genuine superstars, with larger stadiums booked to satisfy the ever-growing hordes of fans wanting to see them. Chuck will talk about the massive concert at New York's Shea Stadium, where the group broke all records for both attendance and gross monies earned – a landmark event which ushered in the modern outdoor stadium show. While the 1965 tour was much shorter than the previous tour of America, manager Brian Epstein made as much money for the group in only half the time! Ride along with the band as they encounter an angry police chief in Minneapolis, a dangerous engine fire as their flight approaches Portland, Oregon, and a comely Chicago model-turned-TV hostess called "Winky the Weather Bunny". Learn that while they were the biggest musical act on the planet, they still needed to be herded into the back of a dirty freight truck for the ride back to the airport at the end of the tour. The lecture concludes with
a video of the Shea Stadium performance and the now-road-weary group performing "Help!" – perhaps an omen of things to come.
White Sox Park, Chicago, August 20, 1965
LECTURE 3: THE 1966 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Candlestick Park, San Francisco, August 29, 1966
"We're more popular than Jesus..." With this statement to a reporter in his native England, John Lennon set off a firestorm in the United States.
As the group prepared for what would be their final tour of North America, his seemingly flippant comment offended parents, city officials and religious leaders, all of whom called for a boycott of the group. Manager Brian Epstein flew to the States ahead of the tour to quell the controversy while considering the possibility of canceling the entire tour. Chuck will discuss Lennon's statement and the subsequent apology he made to win back fans and sell tickets. The end of their touring days drew near as the group kicked off the tour in Chicago and played their last-ever live show a mere two weeks later on the cold, windswept stage of San Francisco's Candlestick Park (August 29, 1966). Hear about the death threats, the Ku Klux Klan protests, firecrackers tossed onstage at their feet, and the only rainout in Beatles touring history. As always, rare footage and sound clips will bring this important history alive and help you understand why the Beatles' North American tours held so much importance for all the performers who followed.
LECTURE 4: THE TOUR CITY OF YOUR CHOICE
Did the Beatles play in your city? Did they play in your state? Chuck can customize his lecture to pinpoint specific concerts and cities from any of the group's three North American tours (1964, 1965 or 1966). His lecture can be timed to commemorate the concert's anniversary or simply detail what most people would consider to be a cultural milestone in their local history. While the first three lectures cover entire tours, this one focuses on specific cities and dates, dissecting their visit in vivid detail. You'll hear all about the Beatles' stop in your city – the pre-tour negotiations and planning, the group's airport arrival, their ride to the hotel, the fan frenzy, their trip to the concert venue, the press conference, the concert itself, their escape from the venue and the aftermath of their visit. Chuck's riveting, relatable and entertaining style of storytelling will take audience members back to those moments and put them front and center amid the mayhem that surrounded the Beatles in virtually every tour city. If you see your city in the tour-by-tour listing below, then this may very well be the lecture for your organization or school.
1964 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
San Francisco, August 19
Las Vegas, August 20
Seattle, August 21
Vancouver, August 22
Los Angeles, August 23
Denver, August 26
Cincinnati, August 27
New York, August 28
New York, August 29
Atlantic City, August 30
Philadelphia, September 2
Indianapolis, September 3
Milwaukee, September 4
Chicago, September 5
Detroit, September 6
Toronto, September 7
Montreal, September 8
Jacksonville, September 11
Boston, September 12
Baltimore, September 13
Pittsburgh, September 14
Cleveland, September 15
New Orleans, September 16
Kansas City, September 17
Dallas, September 18
New York, September 20
1965 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Portland, August 22
San Diego, August 28
Los Angeles, August 29
Los Angeles, August 30
San Francisco, August 31
New York, August 15
Toronto, August 17
Atlanta, August 18
Houston, August 19
Chicago, August 20
Minneapolis, August 21
1966 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Chicago, August 12
Detroit, August 13
Cleveland, August 14
Washington, D.C., August 15
Philadelphia, August 16
Toronto, August 17
Boston, August 18
Memphis, August 19
Cincinatti, August 20
Cincinatti, August 21
St. Louis, August 21
New York, August 23
Seattle, August 25
Los Angeles, August 28
San Francisco, August 29
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