Thursday, March 23, 1972, after school
Across the United States and Canada millions of teenagers apply for jobs as soon as school is out so they can afford tickets to the upcoming Beatles concerts and, for a lot of them, the road trips and motel rooms that will be required to get to the concerts.
Some businesses reported lines of kids that afternoon turning in applications.
While I think that scenario is kind of far fetched, it certainly isn't outside of the realm of reality as according to the notes on the back of the
Meet The Beatles album: "In Portsmouth, the queue started 90 hours before the box office opened. Teenagers brought food, drink, blankets and transistor radios, and two determined 16-year-old girls spent four night outside to hold their place in the queue." Also, I can imagine that by this point, The Beatles' audience has matured quite a bit. Still, thanks for the post.
And now, on with the show:
March 23, 1972 - The Beatles' taped announcement airs on TV stations across the US during the afternoon. The announcement elicits excited reactions from both fans and the record buying public at large on both sides of the Atlantic. One fan says during an interview aired on WBBM-TV in Chicago: "I've... We've been waiting for this for a long time. I knew they couldn't hide in the studio forever." The taped announcement makes it way to many other countries in the coming days.
March 27, 1972 - Apple releases the official list of dates for the upcoming world tour, officially known as the
All Things Must Pass Tour. However, most people refer to it as
The Beatles Comeback Tour. The Beatles will open up the tour in the UK, at Wembley Stadium in London on April 18. After that, the group will play dates at various other UK venues, followed by dates in West Germany, France, US, Canada, Australia, and Japan.
Note: Anyone interested in me making an actual list?
March 31, 1972 - "It Don't Come Easy" b/w "All Things Must Pass" is released in the UK as Apple R 5944. This is the second time a song with Ringo on lead vocals as been the A-Side of a Beatles single. The song reaches the #1 spot on the UK Singles chart and stays there for four weeks. This is their 19th #1 UK single and their first in two and a half years. That same day, the American venues on the The Beatles' upcoming tour report that tickets to the concerts have been selling at a very high rate. Some concert dates have already been sold out.
April 4, 1972 - "It Don't Come Easy" b/w "All Things Must Pass" is released in the US as Apple 3295. The record makes it to the #1 spot on all three music trade charts, making this their 24th #1 US single.
April 10, 1972 - The Beatles rehearse for their concert tour at Wembley Stadium in London. John says at one point "Holy hell, we got amplifiers everywhere!"
Note: Any ideas as to what the setlist should be?
April 17, 1972 - Before heading out on tour, The Beatles sign Queen to Apple Records.