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CartBeatles Concert Contract Sells For $23,000
Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:30:11
The Associated Press reports that a contract for a 1965 Beatles concert that states the group will not perform before a segregated audience has sold for more than $23,000! It's a piece o' history on many levels, both musical and cultural.
The Nate D. Sanders auction house of Santa Monica said the contract was auctioned in online bidding that closed Tuesday. The buyer's name was not shared.
Estimates indicated that the contract would fetch around $3,000 to $5,000, so it certainly pulled in way more than expected.
The document lays out the terms for the Beatles' 1965 appearance at San Francisco's Cow Palace.
Among other things, it demands that 150 police officers be brought in to provide security.
The year before, the Beatles threatened to cancel a concert at Florida's Gator Bowl after the band learned the audience was to be segregated. The Fab Four agreed to perform only after officials assured them the crowd would be integrated. How modern of them, especially at the time.
What would you do with an item like this had you won it via auction? It should be a Smithsonian item.
—Amy Sciarretto
09.23.11
