The Beatles live: Kaiserkeller, Hamburg – without George Harrison

Although their lead guitarist George Harrison had been deported from Germany the previous day, The Beatles were still expected to perform at Bruno Koschmider’s Kaiserkeller club.

This was the 50th night of The Beatles’ residency at the Kaiserkeller. A work sheet from the Hamburg club has survived, detailing the hours in which the group performed at this stage. They worked from 7.30-9pm; 9.30-11pm, 11.30pm-1am, and 1.30-2am every night of the week.

Despite the demands on their time, The Beatles were despondent that Harrison wasn’t with them. They fulfilled their contractual obligations, but spent as little time as possible in the Kaiserkeller. They preferred to socialise in the nearby Top Ten Club, where owner Peter Eckhorn had promised them better accommodation and playing facilities.

The group’s line-up for the remainder of their Kaiserkeller shows was: John Lennon and Paul McCartney on guitars, Stuart Sutcliffe on bass guitar, and Pete Best on drums.

The Beatles played for a total of 56 nights at the Kaiserkeller, which was situated at 36 Große Freiheit, Hamburg. They shared a bill with another Liverpool group, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, playing alternative shifts through the night.

The residency ended after Paul McCartney and Pete Best were arrested on 29 November 1960.