Video: '18 agosto 1964 - 1er Tour Norteamerica - San Francisco'

(Tuesday, August 18, 1964, 6:24 p.m. PDT; during The Beatles’ 1964 North American tour) — The Beatles arrived in San Francisco tonight to a frenzied reception from a crowd that, though smaller than expected, was intensely enthusiastic.

An estimated 9,000 fans gathered around a wire mesh fence enclosure in a dusty, windswept field about three-quarters of a mile from the main terminal. The San Mateo sheriff’s office had anticipated a crowd of 50,000 to 100,000.

About a dozen young girls were emotionally overcome and required first aid from members of the San Francisco fire department. None were seriously hurt.

“John waved at me,” one of the girls said from a cot.

Video: '32 DAYS 25 CITIES 32 SHOWS 1964 VOL16' (San Francisco arrival at 1:13-2:42)

The British rock ‘n’ roll quartet entered the enclosure in a limousine that met their plane at a secluded part of the airport.

They jumped onto a three-foot-high platform and waved to the wildly screaming crowd, mostly sub-teen girls.

In 40 seconds, they were back in the limousine and off to the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco, where they would hold a news conference later tonight and then stay overnight before their sold-out appearance at the Cow Palace tomorrow night. It will be the first of 32 shows in 25 cities over 31 days across North America.

“I feel tired,” said Ringo Starr, the group’s drummer. “We’ve been on the plane 15 hours.”

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The fence around the enclosure was only five feet high, and occasionally, a girl would spill over the top, only to be carried outside again by a deputy sheriff. The fence was supposed to be six feet tall, but it was decided that this would obstruct the view of the faithful.

Some fans had arrived at the airport last night, while others began arriving at 6:30 a.m., more than 12 hours before the Beatles’ plane touched down.

The deployment of the Beatles was handled with military precision. A barricade of automobiles lined their path into the enclosure, and they dashed suddenly from the platform at a pre-arranged signal.

Girls tore out clumps of grass where the Beatles had walked, and some had to be restrained from eating it.