The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)

This was The Beatles’ 67th evening show at the Cavern Club. They topped a bill which also included The Four Jays (later The Fourmost).

This was one of the most fulfilling nights we did at the Cavern. We were chuffed about it: it was the Beatles fan club night and the only bands were The Beatles and The Four Jays. Freda Kelly had asked The Beatles who they wanted and they settled for us. I remember doing ‘Mama Don’t Allow’ with The Beatles. Paul was on piano, John stayed on guitar, I played guitar, we had two drummers with Ringo [sic] and Dave Lovelady, and Brian O’Hara brought out an old violin. George Harrison found an old trumpet and he was blowing that. It sounds good but it was 10 minutes’ worth of crap.

The event was arranged by The Beatles’ Liverpool fan club. The group performed two sets; for the first they wore their old leather jackets and trousers, and changed into their new Beno Dorn suits and ties before the second half.

Brian Epstein hired the Cavern on a Thursday night in April 1962 and it was for The Beatles to thank their fans and they had The Four Jays as their guests. Because it was a special night, they asked me to sing with them and I said no. On the other hand, [Cavern owner] Ray McFall did two songs with them – the Elvis song ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ and the title song of the film Tender Is The Night, which had been recorded by Vic Damone. The Beatles played a few chords behind him and the audience dutifully applauded. He had a good voice and he did well.

The Beatles performed their song ‘The Pinwheel Twist’, written on 22 March after the group shared a bill with American act Peppy and the New York Twisters. Paul McCartney played drums on the song, while Pete Best twisted on the floor in front of the stage with his girlfriend Kathy, who later became his wife.

Overall this was The Beatles’ 168th appearance at the underground Mathew Street venue, including their lunchtime shows. The Cavern’s owner also had a guest spot on stage, singing two songs with The Beatles.

It was good fun but I should have stuck to the one song that they knew. The second song was an unwise choice, but how could they refuse me? I owned the club.

The precise number of The Beatles’ Cavern performances is not known, although they played at least 155 lunchtime and 125 evening shows between 9 February 1961 and 3 August 1963.

#OTD 05APR1962 George with his @GretschUSA #DuoJet at a special #BeatlesFanClub 'going-away' show @cavernliverpool before their upcoming #Hamburg trip. @thebeatles came onstage first in their black leather outfits, and after a break they changed to their new #BenoDorn suits. pic.twitter.com/yZrue0Dso3

— George Harrison (@GeorgeHarrison) April 5, 2018