Carnegie Hall
881 7th Avenue, between West 56th and West 57th Streets, New York, NY USA
Tel: 1-212-247-7800
The magnificent Concert Hall consists of three separate auditoriums. The Stern Auditorium, The Perelman Stage, and the Weill Recital Hall. It has a total seating capacity of 3,671.
It has played host to an array of presentations, ranging from operatic, to orchestral to modern day popular entertainment of many stripes.
The Management were originally not prepared to book Rock’n’Roll acts, but made an exception when Bill Hailey appeared at a benefit in 1955.
Then along came Sid Bernstein, who convinced the officials that allowing the Beatles to perform there would further international understanding between the United States and Great Britain, and he won them over. The Beatles played 2 shows there during their first trip to the United States on February 12, 1964. Having just returned from their appearance at Washington, DC’s Coliseum, the Beatles sold out both shows, with a band called The Briarwoods opening for them. Producer George Martin had planned to record the concerts for a future live album, although he was denied permission, despite Capitol Records’ efforts, by the American Federation of Musicians. Much to John Lennon’s annoyance, there were LOTS of VIPs seated ON THE STAGE during the performance – New York Society made sure their children literally had a front row seat.
After that, it was game on for the rockers to get on board, and since then, they have been a staple of the shows. They also relented and allowed blues, country, and jazz artists to join their rosta. Rumor is that a pedestrian on Fifty-seventh Street, Manhattan, stopped Jascha Heifetz and inquired, “Could you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” “Yes,” said Heifetz. “Practice!”
This has also been attributed to others, such as Jack Benny over the years.
Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/hfzmGTG8rdHpC62a8
Visit their website: http://www.carnegiehall.org/
