Photographer Mike Mitchell just made your concert photography blog that much more irrelevant by flipping some shots of the Beatles' first American gig for an incredible $362,000 at a Christie's auction. The negatives of the shots were digitally restored after being in storage for nearly 50 years.
The BBC reports that Mitchell took the shots in at the group's North American debut in Washington, DC on February 11, 1964. At the time, the photographer was 18 years old.
Among the photographs are a backlit shot of the band taken from behind (see above), which sold for $68,500, and a shot of Ringo Starr singing lead vocals while drumming, which sold for $8,125.
Christie's representative Cathy Elkies admitted she wasn't surprised that these shots went for so much, saying, "Beatles fans are fierce. To uncover this trove of images that's never been published will really excite people."
Footage of the performance is available below.
The BBC reports that Mitchell took the shots in at the group's North American debut in Washington, DC on February 11, 1964. At the time, the photographer was 18 years old.
Among the photographs are a backlit shot of the band taken from behind (see above), which sold for $68,500, and a shot of Ringo Starr singing lead vocals while drumming, which sold for $8,125.
Christie's representative Cathy Elkies admitted she wasn't surprised that these shots went for so much, saying, "Beatles fans are fierce. To uncover this trove of images that's never been published will really excite people."
Footage of the performance is available below.
