| Main Performers | Rolf Harris - wobble-board,
Del Shannon,
Matt Monro,
Susan Maughan,
Ottilie Patterson,
Shane Fenton,
George Melly,
Kenny Lynch,
Eric Delaney - vocals |
| Orchestra or Band | The Beatles (George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr),
Shane Fenton and The Fentones (Shane Fenton aka Alvin Stardust - vocal, Jerry Wilcock, Mick Eyre - guitars, Graham George - bass guitar, Tony Hinchcliffe - drums),
Chris Barber and His Band with Ottilie Patterson,
The Springfields (Dusty Springfield - vocal, Tom Springfield, Mike Hurst - vocals, guitars),
The Vernons Girls (Maureen Kennedy, Jean Owen, Frances Lea),
Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor,
BBC 'Jazz Club' All Stars (Danny Moss - tenor sax, Diz Disley - guitar, banjo, Keith Christie - trombone, Lennie Hastings - drums, Mike Cotton - trumpet, Lennie Felix - piano, Tony Coe - clarinet, Jack Fallon - bass guitar),
Gerry and the Pacemakers (Gerry Marsden, Freddie Marsden, Arthur Mack, Les Chadwick, Les Maguire) |
| Set List | Setlist included:
'Please Please Me' (The Beatles),
'Misery' (The Beatles),
'Twist and Shout' (The Beatles),
'From Me To You' (The Beatles),
'Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (Mack The Knife)' (Ensemble) |
| Performance Notes | The event was produced for the BBC Light Programme series and was the third and final Light Programme pop concert.
Debut performance by The Beatles at the Royal Albert Hall.
They were programmed half way down a mixed bill. Introduced by George Melly, the band took to the stage in the first half to perform their hit 'Please Please Me' followed by new composition 'Misery'. They had planned to perform 'From Me To You' coupled with 'Thank You Girl' in the second half, but took the last minute decision to lead with the more up-beat 'Twist and Shout' before segueing into 'From Me To You', taking organisers by surprise in front of an ecstatic audience. The show finale saw The Beatles return to the stage to perform 'Mack the Knife' alongside everyone on the bill.
Most of the second half of the concert was relayed live on the BBCs General Overseas Service (now the BBC World Service) but the overseas link only lasted until 10pm, missing the entire Beatles performance by two minutes.
The show has since become part of Beatles legend, because it was following this performance that Paul McCartney first met future fiancée Jane Asher, who was there covering the concert for the Radio Times, aged just 17 years. After being photographed screaming at the band, she interviewed them, joined them afterwards for drinks and a five year relationship with McCartney ensued.
"I met Jane Asher when she was sent by the Radio Times to cover a concert we were in at the Royal Albert Hall - we had a photo taken with her for the magazine and we all fancied her. We'd thought she was blonde, because we had only ever seen her on black-and-white telly doing Juke Box Jury, but she turned out to be a redhead. So it was: 'Wow, you're a redhead!' I tried pulling her, succeeded, and we were boyfriend and girlfriend for quite a long time."
(Paul McCartney, The Beatles Anthology)
The Rolling Stones were invited backstage for this concert as they had just met The Beatles. The Rolling Stones, '...watched in awe as the Beatles calmly applied their makeup and triggered a riot the instant they walked on stage to a non-stop barrage of bras and undies sailing over the footlights.'
('The Rolling Stones, Fifty Years', C Sandford, 2012) |
| Related Archival Material | Programme (RAHE/1/1963/48)
B&W Photograph of the Beatles taken outside the Hall (RAHE/3/1963/2) |