Question: Beatles "Bigger Than Jesus" FAQ - The final tour
How did the controversy affect their next tour?
Answer: Although all the band's planned concerts went on as scheduled, the tour turned out to be a miserable one for the Beatles. Although the furor more or less died down after the press conference, diehard Beatle haters phoned death threats in at several stops on the tour. In Memphis on August 14, the entire group flinched when someone threw a lit firecracker on stage; all were sure someone had been shot. Some stations also kept their Beatle ban, especially in Texas, where about two dozen station managers, apparently egged on by listeners, refused to budge.
The controversy is seen as one of if not the deciding factor in the Beatles' decision to stop touring. In his 1978 book Skywriting By Word Of Mouth, John declares, "I always remember to thank Jesus for the end of my touring days; if I hadn't said that the Beatles were 'bigger than Jesus' and upset the very Christian Ku Klux Klan, well, Lord, I might still be up there with all the other performing fleas! God bless America. Thank you, Jesus."
