In the morning The Beatles were driven in a fleet of Mercedes cars, flanked by police on motorcycles, to Munich railway station. From there a special train took The Beatles from Munich to Essen for two shows at the Grugahalle.
The train had been used in the previous year by Queen Elizabeth II during her royal visit to West Germany. The Beatles were each given a suite of rooms on board, as were their five-man entourage.
They played two concerts at the Grugahalle, during which they performed the same 11 songs: ‘Rock And Roll Music’, ‘She’s A Woman’, ‘If I Needed Someone’, ‘Day Tripper’, ‘Baby’s In Black’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Yesterday’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘Nowhere Man’, ‘Paperback Writer’ and ‘I’m Down’.
Between the two shows The Beatles held a press conference and enjoyed a meal in their dressing room. Following their second performance at the Grugahalle they boarded the train once more to travel to Hamburg, arriving at around 2am.
Also on this day...
- 2022: Paul McCartney live: Glastonbury Festival
- 2015: Paul McCartney live: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
- 2014: Ringo Starr live: Turning Stone Casino, Verona, New York
- 2013: Paul McCartney live: Arena di Verona, Verona, Italy
- 1968: Mixing, editing: Revolution 1, Revolution 9
- 1968: George Harrison produces Jackie Lomax’s Sour Milk Sea
- 1968: Paul McCartney flies from New York to London
- 1967: The Beatles on Our World: All You Need Is Love
- 1964: Live: Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand
- 1963: Live: Astoria Ballroom, Middlesbrough
- 1962: Live: Plaza Ballroom, St Helens
- 1962: Live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1961: Live: Top Ten Club, Hamburg
- 1960: Live: Grosvenor Ballroom, Wallasey
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
To prevent chaos at Essen Central Station, the Beatles were instructed to leave the train at Mülheim/Ruhr Station, where they were picked up by the Mercedes cars. An acquaintance of mine (unfortunately no longer with us) told me some stories from his father who served with the police of Essen City back then. The Essen Police had developed a safety strategy to avoid any troubles in public space with the Fab Four´s notoriety.