The Philippines Fiasco
The Beatles get on the wrong side of the Marcos dictatorship.
On the 3rd of July, The Beatles flew into Manila for the Philippines leg of their ill-fated 1966 tour. As George Harrison later commented in Anthology, there were problems from the moment they landed on the tarmac:
The normal proceedings in those days were that we didn’t pull up at an airport and get off the plane like normal people. The plane would land and it would go to the far end of the airfield where we would get off, with our ‘diplomatic bags’ (we carried our shaving gear — and whatever — in little bags). We would then get in a car, bypass passport control and go to the gig. Mal Evans with Brian Epstein and the rest would go and do our passports and all that scene.
But when we got to Manila, a fellow was screaming at us, ‘Leave those bags there! Get in this car!’ We were being bullied …. it was a very negative vibe from the moment we got off the plane, so we were a bit frightened.
The band had another reason to feel very nervous — the ‘little bags’ also contained ‘gear’ that was not used for shaving.
We got in the car, and the guy drove off with us four. Our bags were on the runway and I was thinking, ‘This is it — we’re going to get busted.’
They were then taken, with a military escort, to the Naval Headquarters to do a press-conference before being whisked off again to a reception on a yacht. The atmosphere was anything but relaxing.
It was really humid… and we were all sweating and frightened. We had a whole row of cops with guns lining the deck around this cabin that we were in on the boat.
Only when they were reunited with Brian Epstein were The Beatles finally able to check into their hotel. By this point it was 3.a.m.
Early the next morning government officials arrived at the Manila Hotel, where The Beatles were staying. They delivered an ‘invitation’ to the presidential palace where a children’s party had been arranged. The guest-list included the Marcos children and those of other high ranking officials.
It was made clear to Tony Barrow, The Beatles’ publicist that attendance was not optional:
The officers spoke coldly: ‘This is not a request. We have our orders. The children who wish to meet The Beatles will assemble at eleven.’ Vic
I threw on a shirt and trousers and went to see Brian Epstein, who was having a late breakfast. Epstein refused to compromise: ‘I’m not even going to ask The Beatles about this. Go back and tell these people we’re not coming.’
Meanwhile, three of The Beatles were still sleeping, while Paul had been out sightseeing. According to George Harrison:
The next morning we were woken up by bangs on the door of the hotel, and there was a lot of panic going on outside. Somebody came into the room and said, ‘Come on! You’re supposed to be at the palace. Turn on the television.’
We did, and there it was, live from the palace. There was a huge line of people either side of the long marble corridor, with kids in their best clothing, and the TV commentator saying, ‘And they’re still not here yet. The Beatles are supposed to be here.’
We sat there in amazement, watching ourselves not arriving at the presidential palace.
The Beatles went ahead with their two scheduled gigs: one in the afternoon supposedly for 30,000 and an afternoon concert for 50,000. But as George Harrison puts it in Anthology:
…when we got there it was like the Monterrey Pop Festival. There were about 200,000 people on the site.
The Beatles rushed through both sets, amidst chaotic scenes. In total they spent less than eighty minutes on stage.
The Beatles completed the concerts without major incident. They then returned to their hotel to count down the hours until their departure the following morning. Meanwhile, the public furore over their supposed snub continued to escalate.
That evening, one of their staff, Vic Lewis, was taken to a police station for questioning. His interrogators showed Lewis a Manilla Times headline, accusing The Beatles of “snubbing the First Lady and the three Marcos children."
Escape
Lewis was finally set free at midnight but the following morning there was another ominous sign of official displeasure. Hotel staff refused to offer room service or carry their luggage.
Airport workers were similarly hostile, deliberately turning off escalators as The Beatles approached them. Then things became seriously ugly. Government security staff were waiting near the plane
…thugs, some in military uniform, closed in on our party from all sides. Guns were brandished and fired into the air, makeshift cudgels and coshes were waved in our faces. Brian Epstein was punched in the face and kicked in the groin.
Someone shouted in English, “The Beatles are not special! They’re just ordinary passengers.
John said: ‘Ordinary passengers? Do they get kicked and thumped?’
Even getting aboard the aircraft did not offer sanctuary. An official came aboard, insisting that Epstein pay a mysterious tax bill. Two members of The Beatles management were also ordered back to the terminal building to sort out an immigration technicality.
After 45 minutes on the tarmac, the plane finally took off, to loud cheers from The Beatles entourage.
The Manilla experience clearly left scars. Doubts over security, embarrassment at the poor quality of their live performances and sheer weariness had reached a tipping point.
Epstein, with a sprained ankle and what turned out to be glandular fever, was particularly affected. He felt that he had let ‘the boys’ down.’ He also sensed his own coming redundancy — without touring what would he do?
On August 29 1966, The Beatles played the last date of their US tour — it would prove to be their last ever scheduled concert.
