Las Vegas Sun

April 24, 2024

Different scene for Beatles in 1964

It sounds like a match made in heaven -- The Beatles in Las Vegas -- but the band's 1964 visit to town barely created a stir for the Fab Four themselves.

According to reports, John, Paul, George and Ringo saw little other than McCarran Field (as McCarran International Airport was known in those days), their room at the Sahara and the Convention Center, site of their two Aug. 20 performances.

The band is believed to have been paid $25,000 for the two shows, with tickets priced between $2.20 and $5.50. More than 8,400 fans were said to be in attendance at each concert. Each set lasted less than 30 minutes.

Reportedly, though the band did not visit a casino, several slot machines were brought into the quartet's room for their personal amusement.

During a press conference prior to the early show, a reporter asked the group if they had indeed stayed put the night before.

"We didn't slip out anywhere," Ringo responded. "We just sat in our room and laughed at each other."

Photos from the Las Vegas concerts were used on the covers of The Beatles' "Eight Days a Week" and "I Feel Fine" singles.

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