The Beatles concerts in Japan
From June 30 to July 2 of 1966, the Beatles performed five concerts at the Budokan arena in the Japanese capitol of Tokyo. The band’s arrival in Japan, originally due for June 28, was greatly delayed by a hurricane, and they did not land in the country until 3 AM of the following day. All told, the five concerts attracted 25,000 fans, with all shows selling out, and the telecast delivered an astounding 60% television rating. This was reported heavily in the Japanese media, who characterized the unexpected fan frenzy as a “Beatles hurricane,” obviously referring to the weather that preceded their arrival.
The concerts inspired many Japanese youths to pick up a guitar, giving rise to a flourishing band scene the likes of which the country had never seen before. This played a big role in the transformations that the Japanese music scene went through during the 1970s. Incidentally, these concerts marked the first time that the Budokan arena, a venue originally dedicated to traditional martial arts competitions, was used for a musical event. The arena is now considered sacred grounds for rock music.
Set list
1. Rock And Roll Music
2. She’s A Woman
3. If I Needed Someone
4. Day Tripper
5. Baby’s in Black
6. I Feel Fine
7. Yesterday
8. I Wanna Be Your Man
9. Nowhere Man
10. Paperback Writer
11. I’m Down
Author: Tetsuo Hamada
Quotes
Facts
Comments
-
mccartneyharrison9 on 1st Oct 11:
“I like how they have songs that they didn't write in their set list, even though they have millions...”
-
APPLEBONKERS on 22nd Aug 11:
“There ought to be an official Live In Tokyo 1966 CD release.”
-
TheBeatlesPkmnFan42 on 15th May 11:
“I plan on moving to Japan when I grow up. Love their pop-culture there (music, anime, manga, video games). I also like Japanese food. Like rice.... sticky rice.... and melon bread. That's good too. Same w/ sushi.... yum”
-
onemojofilter on 26th Sep 10:
“There were five performances at the Budokan. One on June 30th, 1966, two on July 1st, 1966 and two on July 2nd. The June 30th performance and the first performance from July 1st were both filmed/recorded. If they are wearing black suits in the video, then it is the June 30th performance. If they are wearing white suits, then it is the July 1st concert.”
-
I'mOnlySleeping91 on 21st Aug 10:
“I thought they only recorded the 30th June show at Budokan. The show where they performed with Black suits and red shirts. What was the date of the video taken in the related video section?”
-
Mr.Beatlemaniac on 5th Jul 10:
“the best concert......”
-
Big Dawg on 24th Jun 10:
“I have this concert on cd,my favorie tracks are Nowhere Man,Yesterday & If INeeded Someone.After the concert is the interview.”
-
yesterdayloves on 9th Apr 10:
“I wish i was there :(”
-
johnfan on 4th Jan 10:
“cool, japan is cool...”
-
marydean on 18th Dec 09:
“this was one of the greatest tour that the Beatles made!”
- Sign in or create a free account to comment on this page.
