5. Forest Hills Stadium
On August 28 and 29, 1964, the Beatles gave two performances at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens to 16,000 fans. After arriving at JFK Airport at 3 a.m., the Beatles were driven to the Delmonico Hotel on Park Avenue. It was alerted that a fan had pulled Ringo’s St. Christopher medal from his neck, which was later found and returned. To get to the stadium, they took a private helicopter, but the pilot did not have permission to take off. Thus, the Beatles arrived later than expected and took to the stage at 9:50 p.m.
The Beatles performed the standard 12-song set they used for the U.S. tour, including “Twist and Shout,” “She Loves You,” and “A Hard Day’s Night.” The performance was completely sold out, with extra seats added, and the audience was kept from the stage by an eight-foot barbed wire fence.