The Beatles refused to play to segregated audiences

Showing their support for the US civil rights movement, the Beatles refused to perform to a segregated concert at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida.

As the pressure of The Beatles’ act of defiance threatened to boil over, officials at the concert eventually allowed the segregated audience to merge together.

“We never play to segregated audiences and we aren’t going to start now,” John announced at the top of the show.

“I’d sooner lose our appearance money.”

“Their first controversial political stance didn’t have to do with Vietnam, it had to do with segregation in the South,” director Ron Howard said.

“They found out that one of their concerts in Jacksonville, Florida, was meant to be segregated and they refused to play it that way. They even had in their contract they would not play to segregated audiences. It was a ludicrous idea to them.”

“But it was clear to them and that’s the position they took, and lo and behold, they de-segregated that concert.”

“Often, the world was influencing what the Beatles were going through and the Beatles were influencing the way the world looked at things.”