Beatles’ 1965 Contract To Be Auctioned Off

Here's something really cool.  A 1965 contract between the Beatles and a concert venue.  I say cool because it's always interesting to read today's demands of certain stars.  Some are so absurd, from needing all one color M&M's to new furniture, to an all white dressing room, lots of alcohol, it goes on.  One singer even had it written in his contract that no one was to make eye contact with him when they saw him until he went on stage.   For the Beatles, it was very simple because the band’s demands were few — 150 security guards, electricity and water in their trailer, and clean towels.  That's it!  Now, that's cool!

There was one more thing, though.  The most interesting rider in the contract was that they would not play if the audience was racially segregated in any way.

The contract, slated to be auctioned off September 20, detailed the circumstances under which the Beatles would perform during their date at the Cow Palace, just outside San Francisco.

While the non-segregation clause may seem quaint by today’s standards, it was present in many of the band’s riders and was somewhat ground-breaking during the Civil Rights era.

The band’s working-class background and disdain for non-inclusion was evident even earlier — John Lennon famously told a 1963 audience at London’s Prince of Wales Theater, “For our last number I’d like to ask your help. Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewelry.”

[The Guardian]