Melbourne went berserk when the world’s biggest band came to town
They were at the height of their fame when The Beatles arrived here in Melbourne, and quarter of a million people lined the route from the airport and the Southern Cross Hotel for a just a moment's glimpse of the Fab Four.
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Staid old Melbourne had never seen anything like The Beatles when they jetted into town in June 1964.
The world’s biggest band was riding the crest of an international wave the likes of which had never seen, when they hit town.
They played matinee and evening shows while they were here, but Aussie entrepreneur Kenn Brodziak, who booked them well before June ’64 as relative unknowns, got John, Paul, George and Ringo for a song.
A quarter of a million people lined the route from the airport and the Southern Cross Hotel for a glimpse of the Fab Four.
Ambulance officers had to treat 100 people in the hotel foyer amid the crush outside in Exhibition Street.
Tens of thousands went wild when the band and drummer Jimmy Nicol, who sat in for Ringo Starr for part of the Australian tour, stood on the balcony and waved.
Police were called as eager fans tried to climb the building for a better look.
The throng went berserk yet again when they appeared on the balcony at the Melbourne Town Hall, overlooking Swanston Street and a sea of young devotees.
Paul McCartney jumped on to a piano and, backed by his bandmates, led the Lord Mayor and his family in an impromptu singalong,
The Fab Four charmed everyone, even if they felt a little hemmed in by all the attention.
John Lennon reportedly paced the hotel suite, tired of being trapped inside.
But George Harrison managed to slip away in a borrowed MG sports car for a quick trip to the Dandenongs.
The lads from Liverpool played sold out shows at Festival Hall on June 15, 16 and 17, 1964, with crowds screaming with every note.
The next day, they flew to Sydney and left behind a city that was never quite the same.