Video: 'The Beatles - Live at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis (August 19, 1966 / Afternoon Performance)'

(Thursday, August 19, 1966, approximately 5:30 p.m. CDT) — The Beatles performed the first of two shows today at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis on the eighth stop of The Beatles’ 1966 US tour.

The Memphis performances came as the band’s final American tour was being overshadowed by controversy over John Lennon’s remark that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.”

Although Lennon and the other Beatles had sought to clarify and downplay the comments in press conferences and interviews, opposition to the band had spread across the country, with protests, radio boycotts and record burnings reported in several cities.

Video: 'The Beatles: Live In Memphis (August 19th, 1966) (Early Show)'

The backlash was particularly pronounced in the American Bible Belt. In Memphis, the Rev. Jimmy Stroad organized a rally outside the Coliseum, while six members of the Ku Klux Klan picketed the venue in full robes.

The Beatles were scheduled to hold a news conference and perform a second show at the Coliseum later tonight.