Hard Days Hard Nights: From the Beatles to the Doors to the Stones... Insider Stories From a Legendary Concert Promoter

by Pat Dicesare

GREAT MIDWEST SELECTS "HARD DAYS HARD NIGHTS" AS GRAND PRIZE WINNER
CHICAGO_ An illuminating backstage pass to some of the greatest concerts ever held is the grand prize winner of the 2014 Great Midwest Book Festival.

Southern California Book Festival Runner-Up Best Non-Fiction
Readers' Favorite International Book Award, Best Non-Fiction Memoir
Hard Days Hard Nights is the fascinating, behind-the-scenes story of the birth and development of modern rock concerts, as told by one of its most illustrious proponents, Pat DiCesare.
For 36 years, starting with his first show in Youngstown, Ohio with the Four Freshman to his big breakthrough promoting the Beatles concert in Pittsburgh, PA in 1964, through his last major show in 1999, Pat DiCesare ruled the Pittsburgh concert scene.
Virtually every major rock and pop act of the area from the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin to Bruce Springsteen passed through Pittsburgh during these years to perform in concerts produced and promoted by Pat DiCesare.
These are the backstage tales of those shows and how they came to be--the untold story of one of America's most beloved industries.

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2014

Reviews

[Bob Regis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard Days Hard Nights is a great book. I loved this book. The stories about Pat DiCesare bringing the Beatles and all of the great musical acts to Pittsburgh's Civic Arena and other venues are amazing. The story of how Pat's Dad mortgaged the family's house to get Pat the $5,000 Pat needed to book the Beatles, on their first American tour is really heartwarming. I always thought that the job of a concert promoter was to fill all of the seat with people. I never thought about the fact that Pat had to actually make sure that Sly (of the Family Stone) would really show up, or that he had to hope that Janis Joplin would not pass out from alcohol poisoning before doing her show. I love live music, and this book is terrific.

[Beatrice Hogg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having grown up in the Pittsburgh area, I attended a lot of DiCesare/Engler shows. Getting an inside look at the early years of concert promotion was interesting. The book would have been easier to follow if it had been in chronological order. The typos, especially the misspelling of the names of artists, could have been avoided with a good editor.

[Kayla Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about the birth of rock and roll concerts in the Pittsburgh area. Quick and enjoyable read for anyone interested in live music. Loved the stories about the different artists and venues. As a Pittsburgher, it's a very cool history lesson you won't get it school. Would have given this 5 stars except for the fact that it jumps around and repeats a lot of the same things throughout.