The Beatles' 1966 US tour
The Beatles staged their third and final concert tour of North America in August 1966. It consisted of 18 performances, with 16 shows in United States venues and two in Canada. The tour was plagued with backlash regarding the controversy of John Lennon's remark about the Beatles being "more popular than Jesus", death threats, and the band's own dissatisfaction with the noise levels and their ability to perform live. Their speaking out against the Vietnam War added further controversy to the visit.
Cover of the tour programme
The Beatles, with disc jockey Jim Stagg (front row, second from left), in August 1966. Stagg was part of the press corps attached to the tour, reporting for WCFL Chicago.
Candlestick Park, the last stop of the tour
"More popular than Jesus" is part of a remark made by John Lennon of the Beatles in a March 1966 interview in which he argued that the public were more infatuated with the band than with Jesus, and that Christianity was declining to the extent that it might be outlasted by rock music. His opinions drew little controversy when originally published in the London newspaper The Evening Standard, but drew angry reactions from Evangelical Christian communities when republished in the United States that July.
Evangelical Christians in Waycross, Georgia burning Beatles records in August 1966 after John Lennon's famous claim that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus"
John Lennon speaking to reporters in September 1964
The September 1966 "Shout-Out" issue of Datebook magazine that sparked the controversy
The Beatles with disc jockey Jim Stagg of the Chicago station WCFL in August 1966