Friday 12 June 1964 | Live Performance | Centennial Hall, Adelaide, South Australia
On Friday 12 June 1964, The Beatles performed two shows at Centennial Hall in Adelaide, South Australia — the first concerts of their Australian leg of the 1964 world tour. The day before, they had landed on Australian soil for the first time, arriving in Sydney on 11 June. On the morning of 12 June they flew from Sydney to Adelaide in a chartered Ansett ANA jet, touching down at 11.57am.
What awaited them in Adelaide was one of the most extraordinary public receptions in the history of popular music. An estimated 300,000 people lined the route between Adelaide Airport and the city centre — a figure that represented more than half the city's entire population. More than 30,000 surrounded the Town Hall, where The Beatles met the city's mayor, James Campbell Irwin, along with council members and their families. Over 50,000 applications had been made for tickets to Centennial Hall, which had just 3,000 seats.
The Adelaide Motorcade
The journey from Adelaide Airport to the city centre along Anzac Highway became one of the defining images of Beatlemania at its global peak. Derek Taylor, The Beatles' press officer, later described the scene in his memoir Fifty Years Adrift:
Nearly 250,000 people lined the Anzac Highway in Adelaide from the charming airport to the city centre. I told the writer Al Aronowitz all about it for the Saturday Evening Post a few weeks later. 'It was like the Messiah come to Australia,' I said, understating as best I could. 'Cripples threw away their sticks and blind men leapt for joy.' The only thing left for The Boys after this tour, I told him, would be a 'healing tour' of the world. It was like that. There were so many people of all ages and types reeling and a-rocking with joy that it felt as good as good can be. And if it felt good to the fans, it felt even better to us. I was called into The Beatles' open car for the trip from the airport, and the journey was long and joyful and somehow humbling. You shoulda been there, John said on postcards later, and maybe some of you were. In the open car, George, now wide awake and full of delight, pointed in disbelief at the ribbons of people stretching as far behind and ahead as the eye could see. I had some difficulty in believing I was really here, a material witness to this unprecedented public love affair. How the hell, I wondered, do I come to be in Australia in a Victory Parade with the Most Famous People on Earth? Was this what I had always wanted? Yes. Oh, yes. Definitely.
— Derek Taylor, Fifty Years Adrift
Paul McCartney recalled the Town Hall reception — and an inadvertent cultural faux pas — in The Beatles Anthology:
Three hundred thousand people welcomed us to Adelaide. It was like a heroes' welcome. George waved too. That was the kind of place where we would go to the town hall and they would all be there in the centre of the city. If it had happened suddenly, overnight, it might have gone to our heads; but we had come up bit by bit, so it didn't (not too much). We were just very pleased that everyone had turned out. We were still close enough to our Liverpool roots to know how it would feel, and what it would mean, if we had showed up in the middle of town to see a group; so we could feel it in their spirit. I think we quite enjoyed it all. It can get a bit wearing, but it certainly wasn't then. We came in from the airport – it was the same in Liverpool for the première of A Hard Day's Night, with the whole city centre full of people – and the crowds were lining the route and we were giving them the thumbs up. And then we went to the Adelaide town hall with the Lord Mayor there, and gave the thumbs up again. In Liverpool it was OK, because everyone understands the thumbs up – but in Australia it's a dirty sign.
— Paul McCartney, The Beatles Anthology
George Harrison also recalled the motorcade in Fifty Years Adrift:
We sat up on the back of our cars and all the people were out of their homes and hospitals, and then we went into the square. We got onto the Lord Mayor's mantelpiece and waved at the whole crowd. It looked like something out of Dodge City, dirt roads and a Rock Ridge façade, or that's what it seemed like to me. It was like 'The Sheriff's coming, ding, ding, ding.' I've got photos, which I took from sitting up on the back of our car in the J. F. Kennedy position in the cavalcade.
— George Harrison, Fifty Years Adrift
At the Town Hall, The Beatles were presented with toy koala bears. John Lennon told the assembled reception: "Wherever we go, anywhere in the world, this reception which Adelaide has given us will stick in our memories."
Bob Francis and 5AD Radio
The group was shadowed throughout their Adelaide visit by local DJ Bob Francis from radio station 5AD, who interviewed them in a range of locations including the Town Hall balcony. Francis also booked the suite next to theirs at the Hotel South Australia, from where he gave listeners hourly updates on The Beatles' activities — a measure of the extraordinary public appetite for any information about the group.
Ringo Starr's Journey to Australia
Ringo Starr was absent from the opening dates of the Australian tour, having been taken ill with tonsillitis and pharyngitis just days before the group's departure from London. His place had been taken by stand-in drummer Jimmie Nicol, who had joined the tour in Denmark on 4 June.
On 12 June, while The Beatles were performing in Adelaide, Ringo was making his way to Australia via San Francisco, Honolulu, and Fiji, accompanied by Brian Epstein. The journey was not without incident: Starr left his passport in London, delaying the first flight. He was eventually allowed to board without it. The passport was found, sent to London Airport, forwarded to San Francisco, and reunited with its owner during his stopover on 13 June. Ringo rejoined the tour in Melbourne on 15 June, at which point Jimmie Nicol's brief and remarkable stint as a Beatle came to an end.
The Centennial Hall Concerts
The Beatles performed two shows on 12 June at Centennial Hall, with two further shows scheduled for 13 June. The compère was Alan Field, and the support acts were Sounds Incorporated, Johnny Devlin, Johnny Chester, and The Phantoms.
The Beatles performed the same ten-song set at all their Adelaide shows:
- 'I Saw Her Standing There'
- 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'
- 'All My Loving'
- 'She Loves You'
- 'Till There Was You'
- 'Roll Over Beethoven'
- 'Can't Buy Me Love'
- 'This Boy'
- 'Twist and Shout'
- 'Long Tall Sally'
George Harrison recalled a tense moment with stand-in drummer Jimmie Nicol during the Adelaide shows:
I always remember the one gig in particular, I think it was in Melbourne [sic], doing the count-in to 'She Loves You', which was One, Two, dum be dum, 'She Loves You', with the down beat coming on 'Loves'. I looked at Jimmie [Nicol] and said, 'OK?' and he said, 'Yeah.' Right, then… 'One, Two' and he froze and sort of had a quick brain-fade. Panicky, he lashed out and went 'crash' – and somehow the song got going.
— George Harrison, Fifty Years Adrift
The Radio Broadcast and Recording
Brian Epstein sold the rights for one of the 12 June shows to be recorded for radio broadcast. Titled Beatles Show, it was transmitted on 15 June 1964 with sponsorship from Surf detergent.
The Adelaide concerts were also recorded for possible release as an album. Derek Taylor recalled being driven to a studio to hear and approve the recording:
I recall being driven to a studio to hear and approve the recording: to my uncritical ears, the tapes sounded all right and I gave them the provisional approval I'd been authorized to give. It was a weighty responsibility for someone so recently converted to popular music, and I was far too quickly and easily pleased. Whatever The Beatles sang was perfect to my ears. The Boys themselves later described the tapes as 'crap' (or one of its many synonyms) and they were never officially released, though no doubt they have turned up since as valued bootleg.
— Derek Taylor, Fifty Years Adrift
The Evening Reception
That evening, a society event was held in The Beatles' honour in the Adelaide Hills. The Beatles and Jimmie Nicol declined to attend, instead holding a private party in their hotel suite.
Centennial Hall
Centennial Hall was a 1930s Art Deco building that served as one of Adelaide's principal entertainment venues for decades. Demolition of the hall began on 18 July 2007. In its place was built the Adelaide Showgrounds, a multi-purpose exhibition hall.
The Beatles in June 1964
- John Lennon — vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
- Paul McCartney — vocals, bass guitar
- George Harrison — lead guitar, vocals
- Jimmie Nicol — drums (standing in for Ringo Starr)
Key Facts: 12 June 1964
- Date: Friday 12 June 1964
- Venue: Centennial Hall, Adelaide, South Australia
- Shows: Two (plus two more on 13 June)
- Capacity: 3,000 seats
- Ticket applications: Over 50,000
- Motorcade crowd: Estimated 300,000
- Drummer: Jimmie Nicol (standing in for Ringo Starr)
- Compère: Alan Field
- Support acts: Sounds Incorporated, Johnny Devlin, Johnny Chester, The Phantoms
- Radio broadcast: Beatles Show, transmitted 15 June 1964 (sponsored by Surf detergent)
- Current UK single: 'Can't Buy Me Love' / 'You Can't Do That'
- Current UK album: A Hard Day's Night (released 10 July 1964)
Frequently Asked Questions
Did The Beatles play in Adelaide?
Yes — The Beatles performed four shows at Centennial Hall in Adelaide on 12 and 13 June 1964, during the Australian leg of their 1964 world tour. The Adelaide concerts were among the most attended of their entire touring career, with an estimated 300,000 people lining the streets to welcome them.
How many people came to see The Beatles in Adelaide in 1964?
An estimated 300,000 people lined the route from Adelaide Airport to the city centre on 12 June 1964 — more than half the city's entire population at the time. Over 50,000 applications were made for tickets to Centennial Hall, which had just 3,000 seats.
Was Ringo Starr at the Adelaide concerts?
No — Ringo Starr was absent from the Adelaide shows due to illness. His place was taken by stand-in drummer Jimmie Nicol, who had joined the tour in Denmark on 4 June. Ringo rejoined the tour in Melbourne on 15 June 1964.
Who was Jimmie Nicol?
Jimmie Nicol was a British session drummer who stood in for Ringo Starr during the opening dates of The Beatles' 1964 world tour, from Denmark on 4 June to Melbourne on 15 June. He performed with the group in Denmark, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Australia before Ringo recovered from illness and rejoined the tour.
What did The Beatles play in Adelaide in 1964?
The Beatles performed the same ten-song set at all their Adelaide shows: 'I Saw Her Standing There', 'I Want to Hold Your Hand', 'All My Loving', 'She Loves You', 'Till There Was You', 'Roll Over Beethoven', 'Can't Buy Me Love', 'This Boy', 'Twist and Shout', and 'Long Tall Sally'.
Were the Adelaide Beatles concerts recorded?
Yes — the Adelaide concerts were recorded for possible album release, and one show was broadcast on Australian radio on 15 June 1964 as Beatles Show, sponsored by Surf detergent. The Beatles themselves reportedly described the recording tapes as unsatisfactory, and they were never officially released.
What happened to Centennial Hall in Adelaide?
Centennial Hall, the 1930s Art Deco venue where The Beatles performed in 1964, was demolished beginning 18 July 2007. The Adelaide Showgrounds, a multi-purpose exhibition hall, was built on the site.
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