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Ticket To Ride: Inside the Beatles' 1964 Tour that Changed the World
It was 40 years ago -- more or less -- that a 22year-old broadcast journalist from Florida was invited by manager Brian Epstein to travel with the Beatles to every stop on their first North American tours. The only American reporter in the official press party, Larry Kane obtained exclusive, revealing interviews with John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Fortunately, Kane saved his original notes and tapes, and shares them here for the first time. That material provides the basis for his intimate look back at the phenomenon of the Fab Four, and insights into the humor and personality of each group member. Ticket to Ride , illustrated with more than 30 photographs, captures a rare time in history, gracefully melding the story of the Beatles revolution with the changing tenor of the country. Hear John Lennon's early public criticism of the Vietnam War, and learn about the night the Beatles met Bob Dylan. "We had a crazy party the night we met [Dylan]," Paul recounts. I thought I got the meaning to life that night. Ticket to Ride includes a 60minute audio CD featuring rare interviews.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published August 3, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
June 12, 2022
The “ticket to ride” that got journalist Larry Kane a place within the press corps covering the Beatles’ 1964 and 1965 tours of North America was a well-designed business card that caught the attention of the band’s manager, Brian Epstein. And because of that fortunate bit of happenstance, Kane found himself witnessing musical and pop-culture history, as he chronicles in his 2003 book Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles’ 1964 and 1965 Tours That Changed the World.
Today, Kane is known as a leading figure among Philadelphia journalists; but he was living and working in Miami when the aforementioned business card caught Brian Epstein’s eye and inaugurated the chain of events that introduced him to John, Paul, George, and Ringo at the time when Beatlemania was sweeping much of the world. As the only American correspondent invited to join the press corps that followed the Beatles across the continent, Kane had a unique first-hand view of the Beatles and their fans in that extraordinary historical moment.
Sometimes, the fans’ ingenuity in seeking out their rock idols could be amusing – as when, at Toronto in 1964 and Minneapolis in 1965, a couple of enterprising young women got onto the Beatles’ hotel floor by dressing in stolen housekeepers’ uniforms. Sometimes, the fans’ antics could be bizarre – for instance, the episode at Chicago’s Comiskey Park in 1965 when Kane saw “an amazing solo act: a fan streaking naked across the field in a solitary act of passion” (p. 205). And at other times, the fans’ behaviour could be frightening, as Kane learned in Denver in August of 1964, when a group of fans mistook the press-corps car for the Beatles’ limousine, surrounded the car, and began climbing onto its roof:
I knew we were in big trouble when the upholstery of the car’s ceiling [started] getting lower, closing in on my face. By sheer force, the eager crowd, jumping on and pressing against the roof of the car, was pushing the metal roof into a dent that evolved into a sort of sinkhole, which was getting bigger and deeper by the second. And though this crowd consisted of mere teenagers, it was truly terrifying. As I looked up, the fabric lining of the car’s interior was now closing in on our heads….Claustrophobia set in. We were hostages, victims of the wrath and fury of an obsessed band of fanatics… (pp. 49-50)
Fortunately, Kane and his fellow journalists survived this brush with “the realistic possibility of injury or ‘death by Beatles fan’” (p. 49); but this episode certainly reinforced his sense that he was witnessing something unique.
One of the pleasures of reading Ticket to Ride is hearing Kane recount how his sense of the Beatles and their significance changed. At first, he seems to have thought that the band’s popularity was just an example of media hype – the way jaded modern listeners might think about whatever boy-band du jour is currently drawing crowds of screaming teenage-girl fans. Only gradually did Kane realize that he was dealing with four exceptionally talented young men.
One also gets a sense of the differences in the Beatles’ on-stage performing style – “While John Lennon made weird, gyrating gestures with his face and body, sometimes mimicking the look of a wild-eyed crazy person”, Paul McCartney “would look left and right, and wink to a face in the crowd. It was a sexy form of eye candy” (pp. 102-03) – and also of how the Beatles behaved off-stage.
The Fab Four knew very well, as Brian Epstein often stated, how important their fan clubs had been in supporting them early in their career, and therefore the Beatles were solicitous in making sure their fans knew that that support was appreciated. “While John had episodes of limited patience, Paul was the master host, providing a welcome that made the extremely nervous fans at home and comfortable. In Baltimore, I watched three girls and a boy leave the dressing room and, in the hall outside, break into tears. They were tears of relief and joy” (p. 107).
But what about “sex and drugs and rock-and-roll”? This is, after all, a rock band – the rock band – on tour. Kane reports that the Beatles were never lacking for female company, but is careful to note that “with rare exception, the boys were discreet” (p. 152), and adds that “While the Beatles did entertain women on the 1964 tour, what was absent – at least on the surface – was overt drug use” (p. 153). On the one occasion when a Beatle did seem ready to indulge in public drug use, at San Francisco in 1965, Kane noted how quickly the band’s protective manager stepped in to avert a potentially troubling situation:
In a corner, John sat quietly and reached into his jacket for his cigarettes. He pulled out a thinner cigarette from his pack, a marijuana joint, and thumbed his lighter to start it. But before he was able to light the joint, Brian Epstein took a quick detour away from chatting with me and a few others, walked over to John, and glowered at him, shaking his head. John slipped the object of his desire into his jacket pocket, pulled out a legal smoke from his pack, and lit up. (p. 154)
Overall, the impression of the Beatles that emerges from the pages of Kane’s Ticket to Ride is strongly positive. The concluding chapters of the book emphasize Kane’s ongoing friendship with the members of the band, and express his grief at the deaths of John Lennon in 1980 and George Harrison in 2001. John comes across as intelligent, of course, but also as much nicer than he’s often given credit for being. Paul’s charisma and warm-heartedness come through, along with George’s quiet spirituality and Ringo’s workaday nice-guy qualities. Ticket to Ride provides a fun opportunity for a Beatles fan, or for any student of popular culture, to “ride along” on one of the most notable tours in the history of popular music.
Today, Kane is known as a leading figure among Philadelphia journalists; but he was living and working in Miami when the aforementioned business card caught Brian Epstein’s eye and inaugurated the chain of events that introduced him to John, Paul, George, and Ringo at the time when Beatlemania was sweeping much of the world. As the only American correspondent invited to join the press corps that followed the Beatles across the continent, Kane had a unique first-hand view of the Beatles and their fans in that extraordinary historical moment.
Sometimes, the fans’ ingenuity in seeking out their rock idols could be amusing – as when, at Toronto in 1964 and Minneapolis in 1965, a couple of enterprising young women got onto the Beatles’ hotel floor by dressing in stolen housekeepers’ uniforms. Sometimes, the fans’ antics could be bizarre – for instance, the episode at Chicago’s Comiskey Park in 1965 when Kane saw “an amazing solo act: a fan streaking naked across the field in a solitary act of passion” (p. 205). And at other times, the fans’ behaviour could be frightening, as Kane learned in Denver in August of 1964, when a group of fans mistook the press-corps car for the Beatles’ limousine, surrounded the car, and began climbing onto its roof:
I knew we were in big trouble when the upholstery of the car’s ceiling [started] getting lower, closing in on my face. By sheer force, the eager crowd, jumping on and pressing against the roof of the car, was pushing the metal roof into a dent that evolved into a sort of sinkhole, which was getting bigger and deeper by the second. And though this crowd consisted of mere teenagers, it was truly terrifying. As I looked up, the fabric lining of the car’s interior was now closing in on our heads….Claustrophobia set in. We were hostages, victims of the wrath and fury of an obsessed band of fanatics… (pp. 49-50)
Fortunately, Kane and his fellow journalists survived this brush with “the realistic possibility of injury or ‘death by Beatles fan’” (p. 49); but this episode certainly reinforced his sense that he was witnessing something unique.
One of the pleasures of reading Ticket to Ride is hearing Kane recount how his sense of the Beatles and their significance changed. At first, he seems to have thought that the band’s popularity was just an example of media hype – the way jaded modern listeners might think about whatever boy-band du jour is currently drawing crowds of screaming teenage-girl fans. Only gradually did Kane realize that he was dealing with four exceptionally talented young men.
One also gets a sense of the differences in the Beatles’ on-stage performing style – “While John Lennon made weird, gyrating gestures with his face and body, sometimes mimicking the look of a wild-eyed crazy person”, Paul McCartney “would look left and right, and wink to a face in the crowd. It was a sexy form of eye candy” (pp. 102-03) – and also of how the Beatles behaved off-stage.
The Fab Four knew very well, as Brian Epstein often stated, how important their fan clubs had been in supporting them early in their career, and therefore the Beatles were solicitous in making sure their fans knew that that support was appreciated. “While John had episodes of limited patience, Paul was the master host, providing a welcome that made the extremely nervous fans at home and comfortable. In Baltimore, I watched three girls and a boy leave the dressing room and, in the hall outside, break into tears. They were tears of relief and joy” (p. 107).
But what about “sex and drugs and rock-and-roll”? This is, after all, a rock band – the rock band – on tour. Kane reports that the Beatles were never lacking for female company, but is careful to note that “with rare exception, the boys were discreet” (p. 152), and adds that “While the Beatles did entertain women on the 1964 tour, what was absent – at least on the surface – was overt drug use” (p. 153). On the one occasion when a Beatle did seem ready to indulge in public drug use, at San Francisco in 1965, Kane noted how quickly the band’s protective manager stepped in to avert a potentially troubling situation:
In a corner, John sat quietly and reached into his jacket for his cigarettes. He pulled out a thinner cigarette from his pack, a marijuana joint, and thumbed his lighter to start it. But before he was able to light the joint, Brian Epstein took a quick detour away from chatting with me and a few others, walked over to John, and glowered at him, shaking his head. John slipped the object of his desire into his jacket pocket, pulled out a legal smoke from his pack, and lit up. (p. 154)
Overall, the impression of the Beatles that emerges from the pages of Kane’s Ticket to Ride is strongly positive. The concluding chapters of the book emphasize Kane’s ongoing friendship with the members of the band, and express his grief at the deaths of John Lennon in 1980 and George Harrison in 2001. John comes across as intelligent, of course, but also as much nicer than he’s often given credit for being. Paul’s charisma and warm-heartedness come through, along with George’s quiet spirituality and Ringo’s workaday nice-guy qualities. Ticket to Ride provides a fun opportunity for a Beatles fan, or for any student of popular culture, to “ride along” on one of the most notable tours in the history of popular music.
September 8, 2020
I saw the Beatles on their second 1964 tour, and I got this book to see what the author had to say about "my" concert. It turns out--very little. But after reading about the mayhem that happened at other venues, I guess I should be happy that Pittsburgh was one of the more well behaved concert crowds. If I close my eyes, I can still see it all perfectly, although I had totally forgotten who the opening acts were. So it was nice to have my memory jogged that way. I never understood the frenzy that some fans showed--the ripping of shirts, the pulling of hair, the overturning of vehicles, and the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. I never even got the screaming while they were singing. I wanted to HEAR them, and luckily, at the concert I went to you could (even the author said so). I also never realized how often the Beatles' lives were in danger on that tour, whether from stampeding fans or security that wasn't there. It's no wonder they only toured for 3 years. It was fun to see how the author turned from a skeptic about their music and them as human beings into an appreciator of their musical power and magic and liking them as individuals. I loved the Beatles from the very first time I heard them. I love them still. They remain after all these years my favorite band. Just hearing a song from this era brings a smile to my face. I was privileged to be able to see them and a memory that I cherish to this day. He talked about Paul winking at the crowd--I remember that. He talked about George doing his little dance--I remember that. He talked about Ringo's smile lighting up his face as he banged away at his drums--I remember that. He talked about how the songs sounded like the records--I remember that too. I appreciate this book for bringing back those wonderful memories.(I wonder if I should write to the author and tell him about my father who stood out back of the Civic Arena, waiting for his daughters to come out and watching the Beatles run past him on their way out of the arena--close enough to touch them--and not giving a hoot!)
September 19, 2011
Larry Kane is a Philadelphia news institution...always straightforward, honest and to the point. And that's the problem with his remembrances of following the wave of Beatlemania that hit America.
Kane is such an upstanding journalist in the old-school way, that there's very little content to really savor within each stop on both tours.
You get the sense there's too much he's leaving out, things that would add so much spice to a great tale, because he was trained to keep a lot of things seen and heard off the record and under wraps. Most of what's here is old hat to casual Beatles historians, but told from the perspective of a young, but totally square, news man.
Needless to say, I was very disappointed in the writings of a man who knew these guys like very few outsiders did.
Kane is such an upstanding journalist in the old-school way, that there's very little content to really savor within each stop on both tours.
You get the sense there's too much he's leaving out, things that would add so much spice to a great tale, because he was trained to keep a lot of things seen and heard off the record and under wraps. Most of what's here is old hat to casual Beatles historians, but told from the perspective of a young, but totally square, news man.
Needless to say, I was very disappointed in the writings of a man who knew these guys like very few outsiders did.
September 20, 2020
Kane traveled with the Beatles on their first two American tours as a young reporter and had a number of intimate, revealing conversations with them… but this book is less about them than about Kane’s own experiences and the truly awesome, harrowing mechanics of mounting a large-scale rock tour, of which these two jaunts were among the first. This is well-trodden ground but it’s interesting to get the story from another angle, and engaging and vivid, but also a bit fluffy, with some of the most intriguing stuff reserved for a brief epilogue.
March 8, 2017
I feel like subtitling this book "A Nerd's Eye View of the Beatles." Larry Kane was a 22 year old radio reporter who stumbled into an amazing opportunity--touring with the official press for the Beatles' 1964 and 1965 tours of the United States and Canada. He was never exactly pals with John, Paul, George and Ringo, but he did get to interview them a lot, and was on the plane with them as they traveled between tour stops. A lot of the book focuses on problems with security, crazed crying teenagers rushing the stage, mobbing limousines, etc. Kane was featured in the Ron Howard documentary that came out in 2016 so I wasn't given a lot of new insights, but it was still a fun little trip into an era that I unfortunately was too young to experience fully at the time.
June 28, 2021
It's hard not to be jealous of Larry Kane, who was lucky enough to travel with the Beatles on their American tours of 1964 and 1965. He's not the best writer, and some of this gets repetitive, but Kane had a rare up-close view of the Beatles at the height of their fame. They were still regarded as a phenomena, rather than the artists we now know them to have been. They were exciting and new at a time the world, especially Americans, needed them. Extra points to Kane for trying to explain how Dallas, Watts, Vietnam, etc., contributed to a hunger for the joy the Beatles provided with their music, humor and personalities.
May 18, 2021
I fell in love with Larry Kane's book and devoured it in one sitting...and then read it again. What I liked most is that Larry is a serious journalist who didn't want to join the Beatles press corps - a reluctant hero - and then he proceeded to paint a glowing and lively picture of the Beatles, their fans, their entourage, and the places and happenings...weaving it together skillfully and thoughtfully.
I wish there were more stars to rate this book. If you want to feel like you were there...this is the book for you!
I wish there were more stars to rate this book. If you want to feel like you were there...this is the book for you!
November 19, 2023
Excellent book about the Beatles 64 & 65 tours of the US.
Larry was with them for the entirety of both tours and interacted with the Beatles and their support crew on a daily basis.
This is truly one of the best books on a time and a group of young men who definitely helped changed the world.
A must read for any fan of The Beatles, and of contemopary twentieth century history.
Highly recommended.
Larry was with them for the entirety of both tours and interacted with the Beatles and their support crew on a daily basis.
This is truly one of the best books on a time and a group of young men who definitely helped changed the world.
A must read for any fan of The Beatles, and of contemopary twentieth century history.
Highly recommended.
November 8, 2020
Nothing really new here, and as with Kane's other book about the early days of the Beatles (When They Were Boys) there's far too much of the author intermixed in the narrative.
September 4, 2018
Larry Kane was a -- by comparison -- near prudish spectator to The Beatles' '64 - '65 U.S. tours. So, nothing really salacious here, but a sober look at "the boys" encountering hysterical fans and immense fame. Highlights include tales of creatively determined young girls wanting to meet the group; multiple times in purloined housekeeping uniforms. There is a shifting view of John Lennon from an impolitic young man of crude outbursts to a deeper, more nuanced appreciation of the effective leader of the group encroaching on Brian Epstein's managerial realm. Oh yeah, and Epstein makes a pass at Kane who was only on the first tour because of Epstein's misjudged understanding of his position in radio.
As a bonus, there is about an hour of archive audio interviews done then by Kane. Some of them are in collage form that could fit right at the end of "Revolution 9."
As a bonus, there is about an hour of archive audio interviews done then by Kane. Some of them are in collage form that could fit right at the end of "Revolution 9."
January 6, 2025
Seeing Beatlemania on documentaries or in pictures is one thing. Reading first hand experience from someone who wasn’t originally a Beatles fan is other. The events Larry describes is almost feels like a horror movie with the boarder line crowd crushes, people trying to break into your vehicles and finding strangers in your hotel room.
Larry Kane’s experience witnessing the mass hysteria of the Beatles was very interesting to read and shows how intense the love of the fans were back then.
Larry Kane’s experience witnessing the mass hysteria of the Beatles was very interesting to read and shows how intense the love of the fans were back then.
September 28, 2023
This was a pretty awful book. Was it a book about The Beatles or a book about Larry Kane. Poorly written, way too much repetition and way too much crap that most fans could care less about. It couldn't hold my interest no matter how much I tried. I could not bear to read anymore, and I almost feel like putting it in the trash.
October 10, 2023
Excellent book about Larry Kane's interactions with all the moving parts in & around the Beatles, while on their 1st & 2nd American tours. Nice insight into their early personalities.
A lot of inside stories about what went on during the tours, which has not been previously reported. Great book for Beatles' fans.
A lot of inside stories about what went on during the tours, which has not been previously reported. Great book for Beatles' fans.
December 30, 2024
This first-hand, behind-the-scenes account of The Beatles first two North American tours is a lot of fun. Larry Kane was a radio newsman assigned to cover the chaotic tour who, despite early scepticism, grew to admire the 'mop tops'. The world of The Beatles at the time (tickets were $4.50) is so different from today, it seems almost impossible that the world was like this in my lifetime.
September 26, 2018
Kane is a newsman in Philly. He was on the tours of The Beatles 64-65, so he had a first hand account of the early Beatles. He also wrote a book abt Lennon himself, Lennon Revealed, which I read first. It's pretty good, too.
What I liked abt the book is finding out what the early Beatles were like. They fit in with what i think abt them. He interviewed them and interviews are interspersed throughout the book. (Also, the cd).
Also, the reminisces abt the teens who saw the concerts and how magical it was for them. The Lennon book has this too. I like to be reminded what they were and how they changed rock and roll..Kane became a fan too and began to appreciate them. There are myriad Beatles' books. This was a nice one to spend time with..I still love the Beatles as a band. Enough gossip, but not too so.
4 stars.
What I liked abt the book is finding out what the early Beatles were like. They fit in with what i think abt them. He interviewed them and interviews are interspersed throughout the book. (Also, the cd).
Also, the reminisces abt the teens who saw the concerts and how magical it was for them. The Lennon book has this too. I like to be reminded what they were and how they changed rock and roll..Kane became a fan too and began to appreciate them. There are myriad Beatles' books. This was a nice one to spend time with..I still love the Beatles as a band. Enough gossip, but not too so.
4 stars.
July 29, 2020
This book had a lot of interesting stories from Larry Kane. I'm not a big Beatles fan, but the encounters with Beatles fans or other celebrities or the Beatles themselves are very interesting and a cool insight for anyone interested in the sixties or music in general.
November 7, 2020
Larry Kane had the opportunity to travel with the Beatles on their 1964 and 1965 U.S. tours. This is a great insight into the Beatles behind the scenes, and how they adjusted to fame, the pressures of touring, and traveling around America. If you are a Beatles fan, read this.
August 3, 2021
Good insight on what it was like behind the scenes of touring and performing. The author was able to walk the fine line between a salacious tell-all and a white-washed account. He said just enough of what needed to be said to give an accurate but refined account.
December 10, 2021
A very intimate look at the Beatles on tour in America. I thought this was interesting and I'd say I learned a few things and got a closer look at the touring years from someone who was there. I'll give this on a B+.
October 24, 2022
Whether you have any interest at all in The Beatles or you think you know everything about them, this book is for you. The book is, primarily, about their first tour in the US. It’s gripping, interesting, and revealing. Highly recommended. An oldie but a goodie.
November 22, 2023
What a great inside story from someone who was there reporting on 2 historic Beatles tours. A great compendiun with Geoff Emerick's book "Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles" and Sir George Martin's book "All You Need Is Ears".
July 26, 2025
I can see why Larry Kane is such an esteemed journalist. This book was compelling and full of unique insights. It was incredibly readable, and honestly at times felt like I was just chatting with a friend about his crazy adventures.
So great, so fun, I’ll probably read it again.
So great, so fun, I’ll probably read it again.
February 11, 2019
Excellent book, great stories and a great CD included
April 4, 2022
Too repetitive for me. Part two of three was the best.
August 6, 2022
Having been a Johnny-come-lately Beatles fan, I missed the hoopla of their firs tour to America. I enjoyed the intimate story of the events!
January 19, 2023
Interesting subject but the writing was too repetitive
January 24, 2023
Brilliant 🥰🎶 I’m obsessed.
January 15, 2024
#6 of 120 books during 2024
November 10, 2024
Loved this one. Feels like being on tour with The Beatles and being part of the incrowd.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews