The Snub Heard ‘Round the World
The Beatles arrived in Manila on July 3, 1966, exhausted from a grueling world tour. Unbeknownst to them, the local promoter had committed the band to a breakfast reception at Malacañang Palace hosted by the First Lady, Imelda Marcos. Following a strict policy of declining official political functions, the band’s manager, Brian Epstein, had already turned down the request.
The trouble began when the palace sent a military escort to wake the sleeping band members at their hotel the next morning. When they refused to leave their beds, they didn’t realize they were “snubbing” a dictatorship that controlled every newspaper and television station in the country. By the time they woke up, the narrative was set: The Beatles had insulted the Filipino people.
The Gauntlet at the Airport
The retaliation was swift and terrifying. The government-run media incited a national fury. When the band attempted to leave the country the following day, they found that their police protection had vanished. They were forced to find their own way to the airport through a city that now viewed them as enemies.
At the terminal, the scene turned into a war zone:
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The Sabotage: The airport escalators were turned off, forcing the band and their roadies to haul heavy amplifiers and luggage up several flights of stairs by hand.
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The Mob: An angry crowd of “thugs” and security personnel began shoving, kicking, and spitting on the group. Road manager Mal Evans was knocked to the ground and kicked in the ribs, while Brian Epstein was punched in the face.
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The Extortion: Before their plane was allowed to take off, authorities boarded the aircraft and forced Epstein to hand over the tour’s entire profit—roughly $80,000—in a “tax” dispute.
The Breaking Point
The trauma of being “nearly killed by the government,” as George Harrison later put it, changed the band forever. As they finally took off, Paul McCartney recalled the group literally kissing the seats of the plane in relief.
This incident, combined with the “Bigger than Jesus” controversy in America just weeks later, was the final nail in the coffin for their live career. The Beatles decided then and there that they could no longer guarantee their own safety on the road. By August of that year, they retired from touring permanently, retreating into the studio to create Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. They never returned to the Philippines.