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Don Boyd | all galleries >> Galleries >> VIP's Gallery > 1964 - the Beatles arrive in Miami from New York on a National Airlines DC-8 parked at Concourse 3
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13-FEB-1964 Don Boyd

1964 - the Beatles arrive in Miami from New York on a National Airlines DC-8 parked at Concourse 3

Concourse 3, Miami International Airport


The Beatles had just arrived at Miami International Airport on a National Airlines DC-8 flight from New York. Concourse 3 next to the flight became Concourse F in the mid 1970's.

Despite warnings of suspension, death, etc., to the contrary, from all the school administrations, a lot of teens skipped a part day of school to witness their arrival at the airport. I was a junior at Hialeah High School and rode with Steve Boemler, a popular senior, and one of his many girlfriends, in his two-seat MG-A convertible with glass-pack mufflers. The airport was absolute chaos because the ground level airport parking lot was full so the teens abandoned their cars all over driveways, roadways, open grass areas, etc. There weren't enough tow trucks or cops in Dade County to even attempt to keep order. The terminal was full of teens and every rooftop observation deck was packed. We picked Concourse 2 (now Concourse G) because the arrival concourse 3 (now Concourse F) was already full and we knew we could see the DC-8 arrive from our position.

From http://www.beatles-discography.com/index.html :
February 13, 1964: The Beatles flew to Miami to prepare for their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Seven thousand kids were waiting at the airport, and so many chairs were chucked and windows smashed that the clean-up bill was over two grand! The Saturday Evening Post reported: "They were met at the airport by a chimpanzee, four bathing beauties, a four-mile long traffic jam, and 7,000 teenagers." A reporter said "they had a smashing welcome: smashed doors, smashed windows, smashed furniture, a smashed auto roof ... despite the crush of thousands of screaming and singing fans, the young singers with the seaweed hairdos made it through the Miami airport unmolested and were rushed off to Miami Beach in a shiny limousine, flanked by police escorts."

February 16, 1964: The Beatles second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, watched by over 70 million people. This was recorded live at the Deauville Hotel where they were staying. They played 'She Loves You', 'This Boy', 'All My Loving', 'I Saw Her Standing There', 'From Me To You', "Til There Was You', and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'.

The Beatles did a short interview before leaving Miami for the last time and you can hear it at http://www.560.com/assets/multimedia/WQAMBeatles_Interview_1964.mp3


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Don Boyd20-May-2014 02:51
Guest from 19-MAY-2014, thank you for posting and for such an intelligent observation about the Beatles changing our lives after the doom and gloom following JFK's assassination. The recent 50th Anniversary special of the Beatles landing on U. S. shores that was on TV made a comment about the Beatles changing the mood of America's youth and I realized that I had never thought about that aspect of life before. Our housekeeper who helped raise me was a fairly intelligent elderly woman but she really blew it when she proclaimed that the Beatles were a flash in the pan after watching their first appearance on Ed Sullivan and that no one would remember their names a year later. I still love countless Beatle songs on the oldies channels on XM Sirius and Pandora.

Don
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Guest 19-May-2014 16:22
I was at the airport that day.as a 14 year old,I skipped school in Ft.Lauderdale,and rode a Honda 50cc to be part of the welcoming committe.It was a great day,and,Great times-especially after losing our president 2 1/2 months earlier.The Beatles changed our lives.
Don Boyd12-Feb-2014 21:33
Guest, thank you for providing your dad's name and position at the Deauville for the background information on this great event.

Don
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Guest 27-Jan-2012 05:37
my father was the night manager at the Deauville the night they checked in. They stayed in the two story royal suite. His name was Wm. V. Knighton