On September 17, 1964, the Beatles made a significant sacrifice for their fans. Amid their inaugural American tour, they gave up a rare day off to perform at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. This was no ordinary performance. Charles O. Finney, the owner of the Kansas City Athletics baseball team, paid the band a record-setting $150,000 for a single performance, a stark contrast to the typical $20,000-$40,000 shows. This act of commitment and dedication from the band made the event even more significant.

Finney wasn’t popular with the locals and hoped the Beatles would change that. He’d become well-known for gimmicks meant to sell baseball tickets — flashy green and gold uniforms, paying players to grow out mustaches, setting sheep loose to graze in the outfield during games, and releasing a robotic rabbit that delivered baseballs to the umpire. People thought his gestures were ridiculous and out-of-touch. Finney desperately tried to change their minds and got the Beatles into the stadium with his money.

Despite the local boycott that left the stadium less than half full, the Beatles remained undeterred. Their shows had consistently sold out during their American tour, but this one was an exception. Local radio hosts had encouraged the boycott to protest Finney’s antics, but the Beatles didn’t let this dampen their spirits. They opened the show with a medley of “Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey” in honor of Kansas City and baseball, showing their resilience and commitment to their performance.