The Beatles Landed at This Massachusetts Airport in 1964

On Sunday, August 15, 1965, The Beatles entertained 55,600 screaming fans at Shea Stadium in New York. The concert was the largest that any band had staged to that point.

My friend Debbie Rich from Warwick, Rhode Island, attended the record-breaking show and recalls it as though it were yesterday.

By 1965, the "Fab Four" was well on its way to legendary status, having concluded The Beatles 1964 tour of North America the year before. CBS News says, "All told, the first official tour of North America would have the group play a staggering 32 shows in 26 venues in 24 cities in just 33 days."

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The Beatles played the famed Ed Sullivan Show on CBS twice in 1964, in New York and Miami Beach. They also performed at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and the Washington Coliseum.

The Beatles also played the Boston Garden as part of the 1964 tour.

CBS Boston WBZ-TV 4 reports, "Fourteen thousand people squeezed into the Boston Garden that night. But every baby boomer you meet will say they were there."

The Beatles arrived for the show, but their plane did not land at Boston Logan Airport or T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island. The Beatles landed at Laurance J. Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, 20 miles northwest of Boston.

Channel 4 says John, Paul, George, and Ringo stayed at The Hotel Madison while in Boston.

Boston's four major professional sports teams – the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and Patriots – often use Hanscom Field when traveling.

Opened in 1941, Hanscom was predominantly used for military operations. Today, it is a regional aviation facility whose major users are a mix of corporate aviation, private pilots, flight schools, commuter/commercial air services, charters and light cargo.