The Beatles perform at Star-Club in Hamburg, West Germany 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 28 1962)


Video: 'The Beatles - Live at the Star Club December 28th, 1962.'

(Friday, December 28, 1962, evening Central European Time)The Beatles performed tonight during the group’s third and final residency at the Star-Club in Hamburg, West Germany, situated on Große Freiheit off the infamous Reeperbahn.

The Dec. 18-31, 1962, residency saw the rock band from Liverpool, England, perform for a total of 39 hours over 13 days, with a night off on Christmas Eve.

The Beatles had previously appeared at the Star-Club in April-May and November 1962. This time around they each received a fee of 750 DM (£67) per week. They performed for three hours each night, with a night off on Christmas Eve.

The Beatles were reluctant to fulfill this contractual obligation, as their profile in Britain was rapidly ascending. Back home they were enjoying burgeoning chart success, more prestigious live shows, plus television and radio appearances.

Despite the enduring fondness they felt towards Hamburg and its residents, there was little the city could do for their careers now.

Recordings of The Beatles’ performances from this period were released in 1977 on the double album Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962.

The group was taped by the Star-Club’s manager, Adrian Barber, at the request of musician Ted “Kingsize”Taylor. Barber used a Grundig reel-to-reel home tape recorder and a single microphone.

The final track presented from this night is called “Hully Gully” and was performed by Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, mistakenly mentioned as a Beatle recording on some bootlegs.