Sid Bernstein
PMP Network Presents
Sid Bernstein, a legendary music promoter, reflects on his career. He shares anecdotes about bringing The Beatles to the U.S. and organizing a large-scale music festival in 1994. Bernstein details the challenges and triumphs of these major events.
Sid Bernstein
About Sid Bernstein
Sid Bernstein was an American music promoter who brought The Beatles to Carnegie Hall in February 1964 and staged their groundbreaking Shea Stadium concert in August 1965, the first concert held in a stadium. He also brought the Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, the Moody Blues, and the Kinks to America, and organized concerts for Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Judy Garland, and Frank Sinatra. He authored books including "It's Sid Bernstein Calling" and "Not Just the Beatles."
In this interview
- Recalls organizing a large-scale music festival in summer 1994 at the Concord hotel
- Describes volunteers calling with generators, nails, and boards to help build the stage
- Recounts how his four sons and their friends organized crews for stage and lighting
- Notes over 100,000 people attended the festival, which ran six days instead of three
“People were coming from the other festival 50 miles away and saying, this is the real spirit of Woodstock.”— Sid Bernstein, in this interview
Since this interview
Sid Bernstein died on August 21, 2013 in Manhattan at the age of 95.


