The
Beatles at The Empire Theatre, Liverpool
Here I am in central Liverpool
outside the prestigious Empire Theatre. The lads played as The Beatles five
times though their memories of the place weren't positive: in the late fifties
they'd had performed three times as The Quarrymen and failed to find success.
Even when they played here as The Beatles for the first time in October 1962
they were only known about around Merseyside. They weren't the main act and were
part of a promotion set up by NEMS Enterprises ran by their manager Brian
Epstein promotion and there were eight singers/bands were split two concerts starting
at 5.40pm and 8pm. Brian Epstein had only seen The Beatles at The Cavern and
signed them up a year earlier; also Ringo had only
been with the band for about four months.
As the years passed the band grew more successful
and were known across the Britain and then the western world. By the time they
did their final two performances at the Empire Theatre in December 1965 they
could have sold out many times over. More than 40,000 applications were made
for tickets. At the time nobody knew these two concerts would be the last in
Liverpool. The next year The Beatles were fed up with travelling and gave up touring
forever. The lads invited many friends and relatives to see their final performances.
They performed 11 songs: ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘She’s A Woman’, ‘If I Needed Someone’,
‘Act Naturally’, ‘Nowhere Man’, ‘Baby’s In Black’, ‘Help!’, ‘We Can Work It
Out’, ‘Yesterday’, ‘Day Tripper’ and ‘I’m Down’.
I had a day in Liverpool when the country was
rising out of the lockdown and it was strangely quiet. I had a sandwich
opposite the theatre at St George's hall and disturbed two girls sat alone
kissing. They looked to be about 16 years old (and a little sheepish when I
stumbled upon them.) I left them to it and consumed food on a bench in St
John's gardens. I'd never known the city be so hushed and full of echoes. The
last time it was so quiet was in World War 2 when it was bombed.
Harold and Louise Harrison (and
Pattie Boyd) attending the Empire theatre on Sunday 5th December 1965 to see
the final performance...
