Shortly after recording their radio session for the BBC’s On The Scene, The Beatles drove to West Croydon for a concert at the ABC Cinema. It was part of their tour with Chris Montez and Tommy Roe.
The Beatles performed a six-song setlist on this tour: ‘Love Me Do’, ‘Misery’, ‘A Taste Of Honey’, ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’, ‘Please Please Me’ and ‘I Saw Her Standing There’.
This was The Beatles’ only performance at the ABC cinema. The building opened in March 1936 as the Savoy. It closed for reconstruction in July 1958, opening later that year as the ABC.
The cinema had 2,118 seats and hosted shows by a number of music stars, including Billy Fury, Cliff Richard, Gene Pitney and the Everly Brothers.
The building was renamed Cannon in 1986 and Safari in the 1990s. It closed in 2004 and was demolished the following year.
I worked there in 1971 🙂