August 30, 1964: Three days after the Democratic National Convention concluded at Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, The Beatles played the same venue. It ends an extraordinary week at the Jersey Shore.
The Beatles' opening acts were The Righteous Brothers, Jackie DeShannon, The Bill Black Combo and The Exciters. Ticket prices were $2.50, $3.50 and $5.50. (In 2022 money: $23.88, $33.44 and $52.55 -- by the standards of today's ticket prices, a bargain.)
The Righteous Brothers were a month away from recording the song that would make them legend, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." DeShannon was 7 months away from recording the song that would make her legend, "What the World Needs Now Is Love."
Bill Black had been Elvis Presley's bass fiddle player, but was suffering from a brain tumor, was too ill to tour with his Combo any longer, and died 14 months later, only 39 years old. The Exciters had already recorded the 2 songs that made them legend: "Tell Him," a Number 4 in 1963, and "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," which only reached Number 78 for them, but hit Number 1 for the British group Manfred Mann.
As usual, The Beatles rushed through their set, playing 10 songs in 31 minutes: Paul McCartney singing lead on his song "I Saw Her Standing There," John Lennon singing lead on the combined John and Paul song "I Want to Hold Your Hand," Paul singing his song "All My Loving," John and Paul singing their combined song "She Loves You," Paul singing Meredith Willson's "Till There Was You," George Harrison singing Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven," Paul singing his "Can't Buy Me Love," John singing his "This Boy," John singing The Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout," and Paul singing Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally."
Left to right: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon
The Beatles gave a concert in the State of New Jersey. To my dismay, Elvis Presley never did. Early in his career, venues the size of those he usually played, such as Symphony Hall in Newark and the War Memorial Auditorium in Trenton, weren't willing to host him. By the time he was playing Las Vegas and professional sports arenas in the last few years of his life, the only building in New Jersey big enough to hold him would have been the Convention Hall. The Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway opened a few weeks after he died; the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, 4 years later.
Built in 1929, Convention Hall was renamed Boardwalk Hall in 2001, following a renovation.
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August 30, 1964 was a Sunday. These baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-3 at Yankee Stadium. Rookie Mel Stottlemyre outpitched Bob Heffner, and helped his own cause by going 1-for-3. Johnny Blanchard and Héctor López hit home runs. Mickey Mantle went 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Roger Maris did not play.
* The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs, 7-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Larry Jackson outpitched Dennis Ribant. Billy Williams hit a home run. Ernie Banks went 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs.
* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-0 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Unusually for that era, it took 3 South Sider pitchers to pitch a 5-hit shutout: Joe Horlen, 4 hits over 7 innings; Gary Peters, a hit in the 8th; and Hoyt Wilhelm, none in the 9th. Robin Roberts, nearing the end of the line of a great career, was the losing pitcher. Former Yankee Bill "Moose" Skowron hit a home run. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Donn Clendenon hit a home run. Roberto Clemente went 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Willie Stargell did not play.
* A doubleheader was split at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The Houston Colt .45s won the opener, 8-5. Pete Rose singled as a pinch-hitter. The Cincinnati Reds won the nightcap, 7-6. After going 0-for-4 in the opener, Vada Pinson went 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Rose did not play. Over the 2 games, Frank Robinson went 5-for-8 with 2 RBIs, including doubling Pinson home with the winning run in the nightcap. The Colt .45s became the Houston Astros the next season.
* A doubleheader was split at Milwaukee County Stadium. The San Francisco Giants beat the Milwaukee Braves in the 1st game, 13-10. Warren Spahn, 43 years old, pitched the last inning and 1/3rd, scoreless.
The Braves won the 2nd game, 7-4, scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Willie McCovey only appeared as a pinch-hitter in each game, with an RBI single in the 1st game.
Over the 2 games, for the Giants, Willie Mays went 0-for-4 with a walk. Orlando Cepeda went 3-for-8 with a walk and 3 RBIs. Hal Lanier went 4-for-8 with an RBI. Jim Ray Hart went 3-for-5 with home runs in both games, a walk, and 6 RBIs. And José Pagán went 1-for-6 with a walk and 3 RBIs.
For the Braves, Hank Aaron went 4-for-8 with a home run, 2 walks, and 5 RBIs. Eddie Mathews went 2-for-8 with a home run, 2 walks and 2 RBIs. Joe Torre went 4-for-8 with a walk and an RBI. Gene Oliver went 2-for-8 with a home run, a walk, and 4 RBIs. And Rico Carty went 6-for-8 with home runs in both games and 3 RBIs. Aaron's homer was the 385th of his career; Mathews', his 441st.
* The Minnesota Twins, who had been the old Washington Senators, beat the new Washington Senators, who eventually became the Texas Rangers, 5-4 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Don Mincher and Tony Oliva hit home runs, but Harmon Killebrew went 0-for-4.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-1 at the 1st Busch Stadium (formerly the last Sportsman's Park) in St. Louis.
* A doubleheader was split at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. The Kansas City Athletics won the 1st game, 9-3. The Cleveland Indians won the 2nd game, 6-5.
* And the Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-4 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where the Angels were groundsharing with the Dodgers while waiting for their stadium in Anaheim to be built. Al Kaline went 0-for-4 with a walk.
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