The Beatles performed on this day in 1963 at the Portsmouth Guildhall in Portsmouth, England.
The Beatles were at this point touring along with singers Tommy Roe and Chris Montez. Surprisingly to a modern reader, the Fab Four were not the headlining act; in fact, as tickets from other concerts show, they didn’t even show up on the ticket! Instead, Roe and Montez were the main attractions. Each one had had a top 10 hit on the US Billboard chart in 1962, Roe with “Sheila” and Montez with “Let’s Dance”.
At the time, Beatlemania was in its infancy; the group’s first album had been released only around a week prior to this concert. By the end of the year, it would be in full swing.
There is no known recording of this particular concert.
This was the first time the Beatles performed at the Portsmouth Guildhall. The group performed there later that year in December; by this time they were the main attraction. I talk more about the venue here.
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