
Adelaide shed its prim image in 1964 as 300,000 fans greeted the Beatlesโspurred by DJ Bob Francisโs petitionโin a frenzy so wild even Lennon called it their best reception ever.

It was November 4, 1963, and Londonโs Prince of Wales Theatre was buzzing. The Royal Variety Performance, that stately British showcase, was in full swing. Londonโs cultural pulse was racing, charged by a new phenomenon: Beatlemania. But inside, the atmosphere felt more upper-crust than countercultureโa space typically reserved for polite applause and tasteful applause for…