Saturday 2 November 1963 | Live performance | Sheffield City Hall | By Beatles Fabdom
On 2 November 1963, The Beatles performed at Sheffield City Hall on the second date of their 1963 Autumn Tour. The engagement followed the tour’s opening in Cheltenham and brought John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr back to a venue they had already visited earlier that year.
The Sheffield performance featured a ten-song set, beginning with “I Saw Her Standing There” and closing with “Twist And Shout”. Between those songs were recent singles, material from their debut album and five tracks that would appear on With The Beatles later in November.
This was the group’s fourth and final appearance of 1963 at City Hall. Their Sheffield story would continue with another visit to the venue in 1964.
| Date | Saturday 2 November 1963 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Sheffield City Hall |
| Address | Barkers Pool, Sheffield, S1 2JA, England |
| Tour | 1963 Autumn Tour |
| Position in tour | Second date |
| Band | John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr |
| Setlist | Ten songs |
| City Hall appearances in 1963 | Fourth and final appearance of the year |
The second date of The Beatles’ 1963 Autumn Tour
The Autumn Tour began at the Odeon in Cheltenham on 1 November 1963. Sheffield followed the next day, with Leeds scheduled for 3 November.
This opening sequence placed City Hall at the beginning of a substantial run of British and Irish engagements. The itinerary continued into December, taking in theatres, cinemas and concert halls before its final date in Southampton on 13 December.
The tour also overlapped with other commitments. On 4 November, two days after Sheffield, The Beatles appeared at the Royal Variety Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London. That appearance was separate from the ordinary tour programme.
The Sheffield date therefore belongs to an especially busy stage in their 1963 schedule: a national tour, major public appearances and the approach of their second British album release.
The Beatles Show: the tour programme
The programme cover supplied for this article is headed The Beatles Show. Its presentation credit reads “Arthur Howes by arrangement with Brian Epstein presents”, with four individual portraits arranged diagonally across the cover.
The design places the four band members prominently while leaving much of the cover uncluttered. Near the bottom, it identifies Johnnie Clapson as company manager for Arthur Howes Ltd.
As an object from the tour, the programme gives a direct visual connection with the presentation of the show. It complements the dated account of the Sheffield engagement without needing to be described as a photograph taken inside City Hall.
Setlist
- I Saw Her Standing There
- From Me To You
- All My Loving
- You Really Got A Hold On Me
- Roll Over Beethoven
- Boys
- Till There Was You
- She Loves You
- Money (That’s What I Want)
- Twist And Shout
A set spanning the first two Beatles albums
The sequence joined several parts of the group’s repertoire. “I Saw Her Standing There”, “Boys” and “Twist And Shout” had appeared on Please Please Me, released in March 1963. “From Me To You” and “She Loves You” represented their British singles.
Five further songs connected the Sheffield set with the forthcoming With The Beatles: “All My Loving”, “You Really Got A Hold On Me”, “Roll Over Beethoven”, “Till There Was You” and “Money (That’s What I Want)”.
The second album was released on 22 November 1963, twenty days after the Sheffield concert. Its music was therefore already part of the live show before audiences could buy the British LP.
The order also gave the set contrasting sounds. The opening “I Saw Her Standing There” was followed by the vocal harmonies of “From Me To You”, while “Till There Was You” provided a different pace before the final stretch of “She Loves You”, “Money” and “Twist And Shout”.
With The Beatles: the album behind five Sheffield songs
The November album provides a particularly close connection between this concert and Beatles collecting. Rather than referring to a later period, its imagery belongs to the same month and the same body of songs represented in the set.
The With The Beatles 8 Track T-shirt combines the familiar album portraits with track lettering in a cartridge-inspired design.
The Beatles’ Sheffield appearances in 1963
City Hall was not a new venue for The Beatles in November. The dated account identifies this as their fourth appearance there during 1963 and their last at the hall that year.
One earlier visit is covered in our article on The Beatles at Sheffield City Hall on 25 May 1963. Reading the two dates together follows their return to the same concert hall across the year.
The group’s Sheffield history also extends beyond City Hall. Our feature on The Beatles’ Azena Ballroom appearance explores another local engagement and its surviving poster connection.
These are separate venues and performances. The 2 November date belongs specifically to City Hall at Barkers Pool, rather than to the Azena Ballroom.
The four Beatles onstage
The Sheffield line-up was John Lennon on guitar and vocals, Paul McCartney on bass and vocals, George Harrison on guitar and vocals, and Ringo Starr on drums and vocals.
The song selection brought several lead voices into the show. Alongside the Lennon–McCartney material, “Roll Over Beethoven” was associated with George’s lead vocal and “Boys” with Ringo’s. The set did not depend on a single frontman for its full running order.
The closing “Twist And Shout” remained a strong link with their debut album and earlier live repertoire, while the forthcoming-album selections kept newer recorded material in the programme.
1963 Autumn Tour: complete venue itinerary
The itinerary below follows the tour from Cheltenham to Southampton. Portsmouth’s original 12 November booking was postponed and performed on 3 December. Separate appearances during breaks in the tour are distinguished afterwards.
- 1 November — Odeon, Cheltenham
- 2 November — City Hall, Sheffield: this performance
- 3 November — Odeon, Leeds
- 5 November — Adelphi, Slough
- 6 November — ABC, Northampton
- 7 November — Adelphi, Dublin
- 8 November — Ritz, Belfast
- 9 November — Granada, East Ham
- 10 November — Hippodrome, Birmingham
- 12 November — Guildhall, Portsmouth: postponed to 3 December
- 13 November — ABC, Plymouth
- 14 November — ABC, Exeter
- 15 November — Colston Hall, Bristol
- 16 November — Winter Gardens, Bournemouth
- 17 November — Coventry Theatre, Coventry
- 19 November — Gaumont, Wolverhampton
- 20 November — ABC, Ardwick, Manchester
- 21 November — ABC, Carlisle
- 22 November — Globe, Stockton-on-Tees
- 23 November — City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne
- 24 November — ABC, Hull
- 26 November — Regal, Cambridge
- 27 November — Rialto, York
- 28 November — ABC, Lincoln
- 29 November — ABC, Huddersfield
- 30 November — Empire, Sunderland
- 1 December — De Montfort Hall, Leicester
- 3 December — Guildhall, Portsmouth: rescheduled performance
- 7 December — Odeon, Liverpool
- 8 December — Odeon, Lewisham
- 9 December — Odeon, Southend-on-Sea
- 10 December — Gaumont, Doncaster
- 11 December — Futurist, Scarborough
- 12 December — Odeon, Nottingham
- 13 December — Gaumont, Southampton
Other appearances during the touring period included the Royal Variety Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, on 4 November; Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on 2 December; and the Empire Theatre, Liverpool, on 7 December, separate from the Odeon tour engagement that day.
City Hall location map: Barkers Pool, Sheffield
Sheffield City Hall’s verified address is Barkers Pool, Sheffield, S1 2JA, England. The venue’s official directions identify City Hall on Barkers Pool, off Holly Street.
The map below targets the hall itself rather than a general Sheffield location.
Open Sheffield City Hall in Google Maps.
Collecting the With The Beatles era
The album’s black-and-white portrait design provides another direct connection with the music heard in Sheffield. The With The Beatles steel wall sign reproduces that cover design as a display piece.
Frequently asked questions
Where did The Beatles play on 2 November 1963?
They performed at Sheffield City Hall, Barkers Pool, Sheffield.
Which tour included the Sheffield performance?
It was the second date of their 1963 Autumn Tour, following Cheltenham on 1 November.
How many songs were in the set?
The set contained ten songs, opening with “I Saw Her Standing There” and ending with “Twist And Shout”.
Was With The Beatles already released?
No. The album was released on 22 November 1963, twenty days after this concert. Five of its songs were included in the Sheffield set.
Was this their first City Hall appearance?
No. It was their fourth and final appearance of 1963 at the venue. They returned again in 1964.
What happened to the Portsmouth tour date?
The scheduled 12 November performance was postponed after Paul McCartney fell ill with gastric flu. It took place on 3 December 1963 instead.
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