The show that ushered The Beatles in the new era of youth culture and pop music and America was finally initiated into “Beatlemania”. In the year 1964, the boys from Liverpool, England boarded Pan Am Flight 101 bound to New York and wrote a new chapter in the popularity and global domination with their music. It is said that about 4000 fans were waiting for them in JFK Airport but nothing can compare to the number of people that tuned in to see them perform in unforgettable The Ed Sullivan Show. The Beatles charged a hefty amount to appear on the show If you are one of those who believe that The Beatles did the show for free then you are severely disillusioned. Like any of the Tonight shows nowadays, The Ed Sullivan Show was a big deal for any upcoming artists as it helped them garner publicity have was beyond comprehension. So, most bands could not let go of such an opportunity and said yes to the show, but not The Beatles. They asked for air tickets and a princely sum of 10,000 dollars which adds up to 99,000 dollars in today’s money. The show agreed to most of their demands on the condition that the Beatles would make three appearances which they did. It was technically not their American television debut Though the Beatles performed live for the first time on national television, it wasn’t their first appearance on American television. Surprised? In Nov 1963, NBC ran a segment, giving America the taste of Beatlemania. Not only NBC but CBS News also ran a segment covering their musical prowess and talent. There were more than 700 people that had the good fortune of watching The Beatles perform live While almost one-third of America was watching the historic show that skyrocketed the group’s popularity and charisma. But there were also people who had the good fortune witnessing group’s live performance. More than 700 lucky people were selected to see the live performance. You must be wondering why we the word lucky because an unbelievable 50,000 people requested to be on set that day. But they were not able to impress the show’s music director Interestingly, despite being a super success, the show’s musical director was not quite impressed by the talent. Ray Bloch famously said that he would give them just one-year maximum to survive. The Ed Sullivan Show certainty was instrumental in raising the pedestal for the Beatles in the United States.
