14 January 1963
Concert:
Civic Hall, Whitby Road, Ellesmere Port, Wirral, Cheshire
A Wolverham Welfare Association Dance, attended by 700 people.
"I'm barely 15 years, never been to a gig (a dance in those days!) and I've been invited by my friend Angela to a "do" to raise funds for the Carnival Queen in the Civic Hall at Ellesmere Port. "It's brilliant new group from Liverpool," she tells me. 'The Beatles, with an A."
Along I go in my best - a straight skirt, daringly short, and a very prim white blouse with a high neck. The atmosphere is amazing and the performance electric.
The show finishes and we're waiting for Angela's mum to clear up and take us home when we're called over. "You can go backstage if you want to . . ." Wow! By now we're all in a frenzy and a little nervous but that disappears as soon as we walk into the dressing room. Four exuberant, noisy boys larking about and writing on the mirrors. It didn't matter who was who, they were all friendly, chatty and wild.
The only number I remember is Please Please Me but that started me on the collection - all my pocket money that year was spent on new releases. Most of my time that should have been spent revising for GCEs was spent listening to the records. Maybe that's why I can remember most of the words to the early hits but very little about the Battle of Hastings!
Lee Lucks"
Source: http://myrubber-soul.blogspot.com/2009/09/beatles-what-they-were-like-at.html
"MY brother was the
keyboard player in the
Whitby Ward Trio.
His band played support
for the Beatles at the civic
hall gig.
I was backstage but was
only five at the time, so it
was all very boring to me!
My brother's name was
Roger Parrott. He
emigrated to Australia in
1970 but remained in the
music business in one form
or another virtually all his
career.
Denise Minshull,
Ellesmere Port
MY friend Barbara Dickson and I had some great
times following the Beatles before they became
really big, in fact we were responsible for them
playing Ellesmere Port Civic Hall.
We knew the lads really well from the Cavern
Club, so we contacted the manager of the Civic
Hall and encouraged him to book them.
We'd always have a chat with Paul, John and
the band and have a bit of a laugh after the gigs
but before they went onstage at the civic hall Paul
came and invited us back stage with them. It was
a really good gig.
They even offered to play at my 21st birthday
party but I said no because I was only having it at
my brother's house in Blacon!
I've still got signed records now. They were nice
lads and they deserved their success.
They were truly great days.
Patricia Greenhalgh, Ellesmere Port
GOING to see the Beatles at the Civic Hall was
one of our first serious dates - my wife and I got
married the year after. We then brought up
three children here and I have some very happy
memories associated with Ellesmere Port.
Terry O'Donnell, Ellesmere Port"
Source: The Messenger, Winter 2008
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