The last of 27 live shows by The Beatles at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, a seaside resort in the town of Wallasey, Merseyside, took place on 14 June 1963.
The venue was capable of holding up to 5,000 people, making it one of the largest venues played by The Beatles at this time. They had first played there in October 1961, at an ‘Operation Big Beat’ event which drew 3,000.
On this evening it was one of Brian Epstein’s Mersey Beat Showcase concerts, in which The Beatles headlined a bill made up of acts managed by Epstein’s NEMS Enterprises.
The ballroom, which was situated beneath the 567-foot New Brighton Tower, was destroyed by fire in 1969. The area has since been redeveloped as River View Park.
At 11.45 after the show, Paul McCartney was stopped by police for driving over the speed limit on Seabank Road in Wallasey, Merseyside. On 26 August 1963 he received a fine and a one-year driving ban.
The Beatles played at the Tower Ballroom on 27 occasions. The other dates were 10 and 24 November; 1, 8, 15 and 26 December 1961; 12, 19 and 26 January; 15, 16 and 23 February; 2 March; 6 April; 21 and 29 June; 13, 21 and 27 July; 17 August; 14 and 21 September; 12 October; 23 November; 1 and 7 December 1962.
Also on this day...
- 2019: Paul McCartney live: Globe Life Park, Arlington
- 2016: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: FM Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, Wilkes-Barre
- 2016: Paul McCartney live: Waldbühne, Berlin
- 2014: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford
- 2013: Paul McCartney live: Bonnaroo Festival
- 2012: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Avalon Theatre, Niagara Falls
- 2011: John Lennon autographed Double Fantasy sells for £23,000
- 2011: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Arēna Rīga, Riga
- 2008: Paul McCartney live: Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kyiv
- 2006: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Casino Rama, Rama
- 2004: Paul McCartney live: Valle Hovin Stadion, Oslo
- 2001: Paul McCartney live: Adopt-A-Minefield Gala, Los Angeles
- 2000: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Mountain Winery, Saratoga
- 1995: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Iwate Kenmin Kaikan, Morioka
- 1976: Wings live: Cow Palace, Daly City
- 1969: Television: John Lennon and Yoko Ono on The David Frost Show
- 1967: Recording: All You Need Is Love
- 1966: Recording: Here, There And Everywhere
- 1965: Recording: I’ve Just Seen A Face, I’m Down, Yesterday
- 1965: US album release: Beatles VI
- 1964: Ringo rejoins The Beatles in Australia
- 1964: Ringo Starr gives a press conference in Sydney, Australia
- 1961: The Beatles live: Top Ten Club, Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
As a teenager, I remember one of the concerts – perhaps the October ’61 concert – and saw just another group of scruffy Liverpool lads, along with several other similar groups. Little did we know what was about to hit the pop music world.