The Beatles played for just 30 minutes at each show, following sets by support acts such as Brenda Holloway and the King Curtis Band, Cannibal & the Headhunters, and Sounds Incorporated.

[6] The Beatles entourage comprised road managers Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans, Epstein, press officer Tony Barrow, and Alf Bicknell, who usually worked as the band's chauffeur.

[8] The opening show, at Shea Stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, on 15 August was record-breaking and one of the most famous concert events of its era.

"[11] It remained the highest concert attendance in the United States until 1973, when Led Zeppelin played to an audience of 56,000 in Tampa, Florida.

[6] The Beatles were transported to the rooftop Port Authority Heliport at the World's Fair by a New York Airways Boeing Vertol 107-II helicopter, then took a Wells Fargo armoured truck to Shea Stadium.

[14] Concert film footage also shows John Lennon light-heartedly pointing out one such incident as he attempted to talk to the audience in between songs.

[17] The band were astonished at the spectacle of the event, to which Lennon responded by acting in a mock-crazed manner[18] and reducing Harrison to hysterical laughter as they played the closing song, "I'm Down".

[26] The band members typically woke up at 2 pm each day and spent much of their time relaxing by the swimming pool and enjoying a panoramic view of Benedict Canyon.

[25] Soon their address became widely known and the area was besieged by fans, who blocked roads and tried to scale the steep canyon while others rented helicopters to spy from overhead.

[26] The local police department had detailed twelve officers to protect the band during their stay, and this squad was supplemented by security personnel from the company Burns Agency.

[34] The album reflected, variously, the group's exposure to the latest singles from artists signed to the Motown and Stax record labels,[35] the mutually influential relationship the Beatles had forged with the Byrds, and the influence of Dylan, who had urged Lennon to strive for more meaning in his lyrics.

[36] One of the new songs, "Drive My Car", evoked the starlets the Beatles had met at Hollywood parties,[37][38] while Lennon initially based "Run for Your Life" on an early recording of Presley's, "Baby Let's Play House".

After the Beatles had carried out overdubs in a London studio, to cover audio problems throughout the concert recording, the documentary aired on British television in March 1966.

The set list for the shows was as follows (with lead singers noted):[6][41] According to Walter Everett:[6][nb 2] Instruments the Beatles had on the tour, shown here for each member of the group.