On Thursday February 6th 1964—the Beatles were preparing to leave London for their first US visit. The following day they were greeted by thousands of young American fans at JFK Airport. Within minutes of their arrival, using their self-effacing wit, they had totally charmed the cynical New York press corps. After that, the rest of the nation was a breeze. On the Sunday evening—they performed live to a record-breaking 73 million viewers on The Ed Sullivan Show. A whopping 40 percent of the population. The world changed.

The Beatles of course achieved their enduring success with a little help from their friends. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of that momentous weekend, we are very proud to present an evening of intimate conversation with some of those friends.