Talk about a short show!

 

Today's post is about Herman's Hermits first U.S. concert.  You probably haven't heard that much about it because it lasted all of two songs!  The show took place April 16, 1965 at Manville High School, Manville, NJ.  Gene Kaye, disc jockey at WEAB in Allentown, PA hosted concerts in Manville, NJ in the 1960s and had signed the Hermits for a modest fee to perform at Manville High School.  As the date for the show neared, the band's management tried to get out of the contract since their first American single, "I'm Into Something Good" was skyrocketing up the charts and their appearance fee had grown substantially.  Kaye demanded that the band honor their contract and they reluctantly did so.












But as they mounted the stage, the crowd of 2,000 surged forward.  Police and school officials attempted to push them back and the Hermits did manage to get through two songs before the screaming girls burst through the meager security and took the stage grabbing for Peter Noone and any other Hermit they could get their hands on.  Since they weren't all that thrilled about the show to begin with, the band ran off stage and into waiting cars to head towards a more lucrative booking in Bethlehem, PA.  That show took place at the Bandstand, Notre Dame High School.  The reaction was just as volatile as the crowd there also took the stage and and took the band's equipment as souvenirs.

A few days later, Herman and the Hermits are aboard a bus touring the country as part of Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars and by August, they are headlining the Rose Bowl in front of 60,000 fans!