In August of 1966 Dave Schwensen, a teenager from Vermilion, Ohio, persuaded his parents to take him to Cleveland Municipal Stadium to see The Beatles.
The experience made such a mark on the young lad that Schwensen, a writer and comedian by trade, has developed a second career as a Beatles historian and produced two books on the subject: “The Beatles in Cleveland” and “The Beatles at Shea Stadium.”
This month he brings his traveling show of Beatles tales and vintage film clips to various spots around Richland County, and he encourages anyone who remembers seeing the Beatles (they played in both Cleveland and Cincinnati on their 1964 and 1966 U.S. tours) to come on out and share their stories.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Dave told me when I spoke with him last week. “It’s not just some author standing at a lectern talking about his book. We play music and show rare clips, I ask people for their memories – I try to bring back the spirit of the sixties. And there’s a lot of memorabilia.
“People bring their kids and grandkids. We get little kids in Beatles t-shirts.”
Before we spoke I’d been watching Ron Howard’s excellent Beatles documentary Eight Days a Week (2016). It focuses on the live tours and has a lot of fascinating performance footage and off-stage moments, demonstrating that the shows were more than just a scream fest.
It also makes you wonder how they managed to smoke so many cigarettes and still sing like they did.
“Yeah, that’s a great documentary,” said Dave, “and there’s some Cleveland footage in there from the 1966 show. In fact I helped the researchers find that for the movie. I show more of it at my program, along with some clips from the ‘64 concert.
“It was harder to record these shows back then. It was more like making a home movie.”
I noted that The Beatles released no live albums during their time together, and suggested that 50 years later, the idea of simply buying a ticket and seeing them perform seems almost mythical.
“Well yeah,” laughed Dave, “and you know, when I got back to school everyone had to stand up and talk about what they did over the summer, and I said I saw The Beatles. Everyone turned round and said ‘WHAT!??’
“Then years later when I was working as a comedian, talking with other performers backstage about concerts we’d seen, they might say Hendrix, or the Doors – but even then – when you said you saw the Beatles, you got the same reaction – ‘WHAT!??’”
I asked if he’d already been a fan when he saw the band in 1966.
“Yep, ever since Feb. 9, 1964,” said Dave. “The Ed Sullivan show.”
To provide some idea of the impact of the Ed Sullivan performances, by April 4 1964 The Beatles occupied all top 5 spots of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
“But when The Beatles came to Cleveland in September ‘64 my folks said I was too young to go,” Dave told me. “And at that show there was – well, I don’t know if you’d call it a riot because they were teenagers – but it got out of hand. The show was stopped at one point, although it did restart.”
As a result all rock ‘n’ roll shows were banned from the city of Cleveland, until The Beatles were allowed back in ‘66 to play the Municipal Stadium.
“And this time I was allowed to go.”
Didn’t that show have to be stopped also?
“Yes,” Dave said. “Well, the deal was the stage would be on second base and the kids would be in the stands. But even so, they were able to get to the stage and again it got out of hand.
“Later I realized Cleveland wasn’t like anywhere else. They didn’t have this problem in New York or Los Angeles. Must be something in the water! Although I guess it was really just down to the security.”
I suggested that a lot of those involved with putting on the show wouldn’t have known what hit them.
“Well, you have to remember,” Dave said, “a lot of the crew, the sound guys too, they were all just local guys. They were making stuff up as they went along. Because The Beatles had a very small touring party. I mean it was a primitive operation compared to what you’d have today.
“When they first played Shea Stadium (in 1965), they were practically inventing stadium rock on the spot. They couldn’t hear themselves. But they were such good musicians they could play without monitors.”
Incredibly, the music at Shea stadium was just going through the regular PA system. I asked Dave how he remembered the sound at Cleveland.
“I personally remember hearing them,” he told me, “and it sounded good to me. Although of course there was a lot of screaming, non-stop. It was like ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ happening right in front of you.
“And then it turned out it was their last tour, although we didn’t know it at the time. Two weeks later in San Francisco it was all over forever.”
“It had gotten dangerous for them, to be honest,” Dave added. “I don’t think it was a lot of fun to be a Beatle at that time.
“But it’s something I’ve never stopped talking about, and that’s really why I decided to put the first book together. And it really has become like a second career, I guess. I go to a lot of conventions.
“And these conventions, they’re like Star Trek conventions or something. People dress up as the band!
“Later this year,” Dave told me, “I’ll be going to England for the first time – to London and Liverpool – and get to meet some of the fans over there.”
You’ll have several chances to hear Dave talk Beatles history, watch some vintage performances and share your own stories at the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library.
All events are free of charge and start at 6 pm. Space is limited so sign-up is required at the branches by calling the numbers shown below. All ages welcome.
The schedule includes: Tuesday, June 6 at the Lexington Branch, 25 Lutz Ave., Lexington. Call 419-884- 2500 to sign up.
Thursday, June 22 at the Main Library, 43 W 3rd St, Mansfield. No sign-up required.
Tuesday, July 11 at the Ontario Branch, 2221 Village Mall Dr, Ontario. 419-529- 4912 to sign up.
Thursday, July 27 at the Plymouth Branch, 29 W Broadway, Plymouth. 419-687- 5655 to sign up.
Find out more at www.beatlesincleveland.com.
For more Beatles fun, come to the Happy Grape, 300 E Main St, Lexington on Wednesday, June 14 at 6 p.m. for “Vinyl Night at the Pub Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band will be the featured album.
