The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)

This was The Beatles’ 118th evening show at the Cavern Club. It was also the 45th and final occasion on which they performed both lunchtime and evening shows at the venue.

They topped a bill which also featured The Fourmost and The Merseybeats. Also due to appear were folk singers Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor, but they couldn’t make it due to snow and sub-zero temperatures.

In December 1962, the folksingers from the Tonight programme, Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor, were booked to appear with The Beatles at the Cavern. I went on stage and said, ‘I have got some dreadful news for you. Because of this terrible weather, one of the acts is not able to appear tonight.’ There were gasps, I was milking it of course, and when I named the act that couldn’t make it, Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor, everyone applauded.

Overall this was The Beatles’ 268th appearance at the cellar venue in Mathew Street, including their lunchtime shows.

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