SURE, THERE HAD been major rock ’n’ roll shows in Seattle before The Beatles arrived here back in the summer of 1964 – Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent at the Orpheum Theatre, and Elvis Presley at Sicks’ Stadium in 1957 come to mind – but the Fab Four’s initial appearance at the Seattle Center Coliseum was undeniably historic. The Coliseum itself had served as the “Washington State Pavilion” during 1962’s Century 21 Exposition – the Seattle World’s Fair – but the bigbeat concerts held during that expo had occurred in other venues (including the Arena where Fats Domino, James Brown, Ray Charles, the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, and Ricky Nelson all performed). Then, after The Beatles began scoring international radio-play in late-1963, it became apparent that the sheer size of their emerging fan-base would require a larger venue for their upcoming tour-date. Thus the Coliseum made its debut as a concert hall by hosting a crowd of 14,300 screaming teenagers on August 21, 1964 – the date that marked the building's beginnings as the site of a multi-decade run of concert performances by the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll. Here’s a photo of how it all began...