The Beatles had performed at Sunderland's Empire Theatre on one previous occasion: 9 February 1963, on the bottom of the bill of the Helen Shapiro tour, two days before they recorded the bulk of the Please Please Me album.
This time, naturally, they were the main draw for the sell-out crowd. The occasion was the 25th date of their 1963 Autumn Tour, and they performed a 10-song set: I Saw Her Standing There, From Me To You, All My Loving, You Really Got A Hold On Me, Roll Over Beethoven, Boys, Till There Was You, She Loves You, Money (That's What I Want) and Twist And Shout.
The Beatles performed elsewhere in Sunderland on one other date: at the Rink Ballroom on 14 May 1963.
