On this day in 1964, The Beatles arrived in California for their first US tour

After the band made their US debut during their two week visit in February to film The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles became the most well-known group in America and many fans wanted to see more. In the 6 months following the airing of the tv appearance, the band had achieved seventeen top 40 singles, including six number ones and so it was decided that a US tour would be next. 

Arriving in California, the band was greeted by an estimated 9000 fans before heading to Daly City in the San Francisco area for the first show. The group played 32 shows in 25 cities over the course of 31 days. The majority of the shows sold out quickly, and the band reportedly made $50,000 minimum per show, accumulating over $1 million throughout the tour.

The tour was characterised by the hordes of screaming fans at every location, necessitating increased security and decoy limousines, plus discreet vehicles for the band to actually travel in, like delivery vans or ambulances. One of the more significant moments of the tour was the opportunity to meet Bob Dylan, who all members of the group were fans of. Dylan later said of the band “Everybody else thought they were for the teenyboppers, that they were gonna pass right away. But it was obvious to me that they had staying power.”