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From 1961 to 1966, the English rock band the Beatles performed all over the Western world. They began performing live as The Beatles on 15 August 1960 at The Jacaranda in Liverpool and continued in various clubs during their visit to Hamburg, West Germany, until 1962, with a line-up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best. Following Sutcliffe's departure (and subsequent death of a brain haemorrhage), the Beatles continued performing throughout 1962, most notably at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, where they were discovered by Brian Epstein and George Martin. After firing Best and hiring Ringo Starr, the Beatles performed a series of concert tours throughout the UK in 1963, before they left for the US in early 1964. As Beatlemania and the British Invasion came into full force, they began a world tour and continued to perform in the UK and US throughout 1965, including a well-known performance at Shea Stadium in New York City.

In 1966, following a controversial tour of Germany, Japan and the Philippines and a tour of the US (which was plagued with backlash due to Lennon's "more popular than Jesus" comment), the Beatles ceased performing live due to being fed up with touring and became a studio-only band. Their last commercial performance was at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on 29 August. It marked the end of a four-year period dominated by almost nonstop touring that included over 1,400 concert appearances internationally. The group made no more public appearances until 30 January 1969, when they performed an unannounced rooftop concert at their Apple Corps headquarters in London. Numerous documentaries about their live performances have been made before and after their break-up, including The Beatles at Shea Stadium (1965) and The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016).

Below is a list of all known live performances the Beatles undertook during their career as a band. Any appearances with members that differ from the best-known line-up (Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr) are marked accordingly.

List of live performances

1960

The band played a farewell show at The Jacaranda in Liverpool before driving to Hamburg from outside the venue the next day. The show was the band's first live performance after changing their name from The Silver Beetles to The Beatles, it was also Pete Best's first live performance with the band. The full line-up was John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best.

1961

At the beginning of 1961, The Beatles' lineup was John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best. Sutcliffe left the band in June or July 1961; McCartney switches from rhythm guitar and piano to bass after Sutcliffe leaves.

1962

All 1962 live performances listed include Pete Best up until 15 August 1962. Ringo Starr joins officially as of 18 August.

1963

1964

1965

1966

1969

See also

• The Beat Ballad Show Tour, May 1960
• The Beatles' 1964 North American tour
• The Beatles' 1965 US tour
• The Beatles' 1966 US tour
• Outline of the Beatles
• The Beatles timeline

Notes

1. The evening performance was originally cancelled, but went ahead after all.
2. The Cincinnati show had been scheduled for 20 August but was postponed due to rain.

Summary

Between February 1961 and August 1963, the Beatles made a total of at least 275 appearances at the Cavern, more than any other venue.

References

Citations

1. Miles 1997, pp. 293–295.
2. Gould 2007, pp. 5–6, 249, 281, 347.
3. Miles 1997, p. 65, 74-75.
4. The Beatles in Aldershot on The Mersey Beat website
5. The Beatles at the Palais Ballroom in Aldershot – The Beatles Bible website
6. Howard N. Cole, The Story of Aldershot: a History of the Civil and Military Towns, Southern Books, Aldershot (1980) p. 300
7. "Sir Paul McCartney speaks of Stroud Beatles gig | Stroud News". This is Gloucestershire. 27 November 2009. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
8. "Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Review Today: NEWS | Lydney owed Beatles gig?". Theforestreview.co.uk. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
9. pressandjournal.co.uk > article "That time The Beatles played at the Beach Ballroom… And were booed off stage" (November 23, 2015)
10. Lewisohn 1996, pp. 98–102.
11. • Horsley, Jonathan (4 April 2023). "One of the earliest live recordings of the Beatles emerges 60 years later, but will we ever get to hear it?". MusicRadar. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
    • "The Beatles at Stowe School, Hugh Laurie on Agatha Christie". Front Row (radio programme). BBC Radio 4 - BBC Sounds. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
    • Thorpe, Vanessa (9 April 2023). "Please Please Us: Lost tape of Beatles school gig could be saved for the nation". The Observer theguardian.com. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
    • "The Beatles: How a schoolboy made the band's earliest known UK concert recording". BBC News. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
12. Ogier, Jean-Michel; Denis, P. (15 January 2019). "The Beatles: 15 janvier 1964, leur premier concert en France au Cyrano de Versailles avant l'Olympia" [The Beatles: 15 January 1964, their first concert in France at the Cyrano in Versailles before the Olympia]. France Info (in French). Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
13. "The Beatles Bible – Television: Treslong, Hillegom, Netherlands". 5 June 1964.
14. Miles 2001, pp. 234–236.
15. Everett 1999, p. 68.

Sources

• Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-512941-5.
• Gould, Jonathan (2007). Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-35338-2.
• Lewisohn, Mark (1996). The Complete Beatles Chronicle. London: Bounty Books. ISBN 978-1-85152-975-9.
• Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-0-8050-5249-7.
• Miles, Barry (2001). The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-8308-9.

• The Beatles concert tours
• 1960s in music
• 1960s-related lists
• Lists of concerts and performances