DAVE SCHWENSEN

Take a pop culture journey back to Yesterday and a decade of change. John F. Kennedy was President, Mercury Astronauts were rocket jockeys launched into space, and school children were taught to hide under their desks in case Cold War tension ended with "The Big One." The electricity generated by the first wave of 1950's rock'n roll had dimmed and The Baby Boomer Generation needed a soundtrack of its own.

 

Following JFK's assassination in Dallas, they found it only 79 days later when television host Ed Sullivan introduced John, Paul, George and Ringo - four long haired lads from England called The Beatles. For teenagers, their world moved from black and white to color, and nothing would ever be the same again.

 

Beatlemania swept across North America as a generation fell under the influence of the group's music, style and personalities. Music, fashion and attitudes changed almost overnight. Hair was longer, skirts were shorter, and the generation gap grew wider as the youth of America began questioning authority and making up their own rules. Top 40 Radio changed from "pop" to "rock" and terms such as "neat" and "cool" evolved into "fab" and "groovy." By the end of the decade Baby Boomers had become The Flower Power Generation and The Woodstock Generation. The effects are still being felt today.

 The Concert Experience! - Performances by The Beatles filled arenas with screams of delight and excitement - and in most cities, full-blown fan hysteria. As a young fan, author Dave Schwensen witnessed these events when his parents took him to see The Beatles. More than four decades later and author of the books The Beatles At Shea Stadium and The Beatles In Cleveland, he's combined his memories, rare films, research, and interviews with Beatles insiders and fans to detail what it was like to see the group in concert at the height of their popularity.

 

Step back into the 1960's to experience the spark that ignited a generation that changed the world. Feel the excitement through first-hand memories and rare films that take you behind the scenes and on stage for two of the wildest, out of control concerts in Beatles and rock'n roll history. The program includes an opening film featuring news events and popular music leading up to the Beatles' debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, author presentation, two rare concert films, photos, memorabilia, and of course - FAB music.

 

The presentation can be customized to a time length that fits your programming schedule and specific departments or events by placing an emphasis on audience interests. Focus points include music from the 1960's, pop culture / history, the influence The Beatles had on American teenagers and the concert experience.

 

The program includes three films, pre-show music, and an insightful and fun journey down the long and winding road to the '60s and Beatlemania.

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