50 years ago today was an interesting day for the Beatles. After lunch in Nottingham, they drove to Leicester. Ringo had just gotten his driver's license the day before (although that doesn't make a lot of sense because we know he drove in Liverpool---he was the only drummer with a car to haul the drums around to gigs) and he spent much of his day test driving new cars. He ended up buying his now well-known Facel Vega, which he tested to go up to 140mph!
There were hundreds of fans outside of the De Montfort hall at 3:00pm, when they arrived but they were still able to sneak inside without being noticed. Once inside, they posed for photos backstage.
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They even ran through a few numbers (most likely I feel fine being one of them) on the stage.
Fans reportedly thought that both shows were fab, although there were complaints that Mary Well's microphone was not working during the first show and no one heard her. The ambulance men and the police linked arms in front of the stage as the Beatles came for their part of the show.
One fan, Richard Buxton, who was present at the 2nd show "I was there with my sister and we were upstairs in the balcony. I remember looking down to see Mary Wells. She was terrific. I also remember that Tommy Quickly was on before the Beatles and he was applauded. People liked him and thought the did well. Maybe some of the applause was because of who was to follow. If we had been where we usually were -- in the stalls underneath the overhang of the circle, it would have been claustrophobic with all the screaming."
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The trick of playing the National Anthem at the end of the show to get the Beatles out of the venue didn't exactly work. About 60-70 girls skipped out on the National Anthem and mobbed the Beatles car and began to pound on the windows and on the roof. Another car had to be brought in and the police helped get the Beatles out of the hall and into it. The guy drove back to London for sleep before the ventured on to the next stop.
There were hundreds of fans outside of the De Montfort hall at 3:00pm, when they arrived but they were still able to sneak inside without being noticed. Once inside, they posed for photos backstage.
They even ran through a few numbers (most likely I feel fine being one of them) on the stage.
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| Photo: Dick Arnold, Derby Evening Telegraph. |
Fans reportedly thought that both shows were fab, although there were complaints that Mary Well's microphone was not working during the first show and no one heard her. The ambulance men and the police linked arms in front of the stage as the Beatles came for their part of the show.
One fan, Richard Buxton, who was present at the 2nd show "I was there with my sister and we were upstairs in the balcony. I remember looking down to see Mary Wells. She was terrific. I also remember that Tommy Quickly was on before the Beatles and he was applauded. People liked him and thought the did well. Maybe some of the applause was because of who was to follow. If we had been where we usually were -- in the stalls underneath the overhang of the circle, it would have been claustrophobic with all the screaming."
The trick of playing the National Anthem at the end of the show to get the Beatles out of the venue didn't exactly work. About 60-70 girls skipped out on the National Anthem and mobbed the Beatles car and began to pound on the windows and on the roof. Another car had to be brought in and the police helped get the Beatles out of the hall and into it. The guy drove back to London for sleep before the ventured on to the next stop.