The Beatles hit Melbourne 60 years ago this week. As part of their first world tour – and only time they performed in Australia – they played three concerts at Festival Hall between June 15 and June 17 in 1964.
The Beatles performed six concerts at the Sydney Stadium in Rushcutters Bay. During their stay in Melbourne, crowds spilled out from the 45,000 (at the time) capacity Festival Hall for three nights in a row. During the entire course of the world tour, crowds sometimes topped six figures.
“They hit Festival Hall and played magnificent shows,” Beatles historian Greg Armstrong told Ross and Russ.
Sixty years after Beatlemania captivated Adelaide, fans have hosted a special event at the city's town hall to relive the once-in-a-lifetime experience of the Beatles' 1964 tour.
Archival footage showcased the hysteria that gripped the nation as the Fab Four arrived on the tour, with 300,000 people hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary band.
Today, the Lady Beatles took the stage at Town Hall, recreating the Beatles' iconic performance at Wayville's Centennial Hall, performing the band's 1964 setlist.
Hundreds of fans like Chris Pitcher relived the memories of that moment in history.
He reminisced about the electric atmosphere and phenomenal crowds during the original concert.
"It was electric, yeah, it was just so exciting 'cause the crowds were absolutely phenomenal," Pitcher said.
Jan Cocks-Salvemini, then just 14, had the unique privilege of being the first fan to greet the Beatles as they stepped off the plane.
"I had my little camera and I took my photo, and it's of Paul and John both looking at me," she recalled.
"I was the first Beatle fan at the Adelaide Airport to actually say hello to the Beatles."
Today's event also marked the launch of a book documenting the Beatles' Australasian tour, featuring Cocks-Salvemini's story alongside others who witnessed this historic moment.
It has been written by authors Andy Neill and Greg Armstrong.
"A lot of it was actually done here in Adelaide at the State Library of South Australia and other archives," Neill said.
Armstrong said Adelaide "helped put the Beatles on the map", saying the swathe of South Australians was the biggest crowd to greet the Beatles anywhere.
"It does form part of the Beatles history," he said.
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