The Beatles performed two shows on this day at the Teatro Adriano in Piazza Cavour in Rome, and two more on the following day. It was the group’s only visit to the Italian capital.
The concerts took place on each of the days at 4.30pm and 9.30pm. Originally just this day’s performances had been booked, but the next day’s were added later on. Despite this, none of The Beatles’ four Rome shows was more than half full.
Throughout their European Tour in June and July 1965 The Beatles’ set comprised 12 songs: ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘She’s A Woman’, ‘I’m A Loser’, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘Baby’s In Black’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, ‘Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby’, ‘Rock And Roll Music’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Ticket To Ride’ and ‘Long Tall Sally’.
Parts of both this day’s performances, recorded by members of the audience, have been circulated on bootlegs, although the quality is less than perfect.
After the second show Paul McCartney met playwright Noël Coward, who had attended the concert. The encounter took place at the Parco dei Principi hotel.
The noise was deafening throughout and I couldn’t hear a word they sang or a note they played. I went backstage and was met by Brian Epstein, who told me they had gone back to the hotel and would I go there. I was told The Beatles refused to see me. I thought this graceless in the extreme, but decided to play it with firmness and dignity. I told Wendy [Hanson, Epstein’s assistant] to go and fetch me one of them and she finally reappeared with Paul McCartney. The poor boy was quite amiable and I sent messages of congratulations to his colleagues, although the message I would have liked to have sent them was that they were bad-mannered little s***s.
Noel Coward was a very overrated artist. I’m so glad the Beatles offended him and Imelda Marcos
I just watched the great Paul blues rocker She’s A Woman from this concert on YouTube and you could hear them pretty well, like their concert in I think Denmark the same year which is also on YouTube. It’s amazing they always sounded as good as they did live on such cr*ppy, limited, primitive sound and recording systems they had back then. But they really were so great they would have even sounded good playing out of a cave!
I agree, She´s a woman, in this live version, is adorned with some very tasty fills by George. More of interest can be heard at the very beginning, before they start playing, when you hear the first two bars of Mr tambourine man, Byrds´ version no less! As George can be seen fiddling about with the amp settings, and it is a bright guitar sound, my guess is John is the one doing it.
I keep reading that the Beatles played a gig at the Per Club in Rome at this time….and they later posed in a fountain….Since I don’t see it here, I am not buying it. Any insight?
It’s a mistake… they visited The Piper Club – a dance hall/disco club, near Piazza Buenos Aires, and may well have “washed” in the nearby Fontana del Ranes (= Frog Fountain). They were staying at the Parco de Principe Hotel not far away. The video above is NOT from their 4 concerts at the Teatro Adriano, but in the Velodrome Vigarello in Milan.
It’s true that they visited the Piper Club, accompanied by the Italian journalist Gianni Mina’, but they went away because the place was too crowdy, so they went to another venue, Club 84 in via Veneto (you may have heard of that street on “La Dolce Vita”) to losten to a concert by the singer Fred Bongusto. Their “bath” in the Fontana Delle Rane, nearby the Piper Club, is currently a myth and may perhaps be confirmed by Gianni Mina’.