Live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)

On this day The Beatles’ 92nd evening show at the Cavern Club took place. They headlined a bill which also included The Zenith Six Jazz Band, the Swinging Blue Genes, and Peppy and the New York Twisters.

It was also Ringo Starr’s first Cavern show as a proper member of the group, although he had stood in for them on previous occasions when Pete Best was unable to play.

I wasn’t worried abou the change in drummers as it wasn’t the drummer who made the group for me, but there were girls crying in Mathew Street and saying that they would never support the Cavern again.

There was some animosity directed towards The Beatles for their decision to sack Best.

They were shouting ‘Ringo out, Pete in’ and refusing to let them play. There was a big question as to whether this could be The Beatles’ downfall. Everyone was talking about it. Ritchie was playing in a group that wasn’t taken seriously and suddenly he’s in the biggest thing on Merseyside. He was a very good rock drummer, but there were a lot of better drummers around, like Johnny Hutch.

The fans were vocal in their protests against the sacking. The Beatles responded in their individual ways, and George Harrison received a black eye from one particularly demonstrative audience member.

I was there the day that everyone was going ‘We want Pete.’ Ringo was looking sheepish and McCartney was doing his usual, hands in the air, sorry, but trying to be diplomatic. Lennon couldn’t care less but George Harrison was being sarcastic so he got thumped by Mickey Flynn, who looked like Wayne Rooney.

Overall this was The Beatles’ 217th appearance at the underground Mathew Street venue, including their lunchtime shows.

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