Wednesday 2 November 1960 | Live performance | Hamburg, Germany | By Beatles Fabdom
On 2 November 1960, The Beatles played the 30th night of their residency at the Kaiserkeller in Hamburg. The club at 36 Große Freiheit was one of the principal venues of their first visit to Germany, where they shared the bill with fellow Liverpool group Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison were joined by bassist Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best. Ringo Starr was also working at the Kaiserkeller, but with the Hurricanes rather than The Beatles. This was the five-piece group’s early Hamburg period, before their British recording breakthrough.
| Date | Wednesday 2 November 1960 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Kaiserkeller |
| Address | Große Freiheit 36, 22767 Hamburg, Germany |
| Residency night | 30th of 56 nights |
| The Beatles | John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best |
| Shared bill | Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, featuring Ringo Starr on drums |
| Performance format | The two groups played alternating sets through the night |
| Residency calendar | 4 October–28 November 1960 |
The 30th night of The Beatles’ Kaiserkeller residency
The 2 November engagement belonged to a continuous run of club appearances rather than a tour moving from town to town. The Beatles returned to the same stage, working alongside another band and playing multiple sets during the night.
The date sits just beyond the halfway point of the 56-night calendar. The residency had begun on 4 October, following the group’s earlier engagement at the Indra Club. By the beginning of November, the musicians were well into the routine of their first Hamburg visit.
Our account of The Beatles at the Kaiserkeller on 28 October 1960 covers the 25th night of the same engagement. Five nights later, the line-up, venue and shared-bill arrangement remained the framework for their work.
A club residency of this kind differed from the later Beatles concert format. There was no single short Beatles appearance following a support act: the groups alternated, returning to the stage as the evening continued. The setting was a working Hamburg nightclub, not the theatre, arena or stadium environment associated with Beatlemania.
From the Indra Club to the Kaiserkeller
The Beatles’ Hamburg story began at the Indra on 17 August 1960. Their move to the Kaiserkeller in October kept them in the Große Freiheit area of St. Pauli, close to the Reeperbahn.
Hamburg’s official visitor information identifies Bruno Koschmider as the club operator who sought English bands through Liverpool contact Allan Williams. The Beatles were part of this exchange between Liverpool musicians and Hamburg nightlife.
The Indra, Kaiserkeller and Star-Club are separate venues and belong to distinct stages of the group’s Hamburg career. The performance on 2 November 1960 took place at the Kaiserkeller. Their later Star-Club appearances should not be substituted for this first-visit engagement.
The surrounding district remains important to the city’s commemoration of The Beatles. Beatles-Platz, at the junction of the Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit, honours the musicians associated with their Hamburg years, including Stuart Sutcliffe and the two drummers, Pete Best and Ringo Starr.
Who was in The Beatles in November 1960?
The five-piece line-up is central to this performance. Stuart Sutcliffe played bass, while Paul McCartney was still a guitarist during this period. Pete Best occupied the drum seat.
| Musician | Role |
|---|---|
| John Lennon | Guitar and vocals |
| Paul McCartney | Guitar and vocals |
| George Harrison | Guitar and vocals |
| Stuart Sutcliffe | Bass guitar |
| Pete Best | Drums |
For readers more familiar with the later quartet, this is an earlier configuration of the band. McCartney’s eventual position on bass and Ringo’s later membership can obscure the roles played by Sutcliffe and Best in the first Hamburg visit.
Read our biographies of Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best for their wider stories and their places in the group’s early development.
Rory Storm and the Hurricanes: Ringo Starr on the shared bill
Rory Storm and the Hurricanes were another Liverpool group working in Hamburg. Their drummer was Ringo Starr, bringing a future Beatle into the same nightly working environment as Lennon, McCartney and Harrison.
For this date, the distinction is straightforward: Best played drums for The Beatles, while Ringo played with the Hurricanes. Sharing a bill did not mean that the two bands became one ensemble.
The arrangement gave both groups a recurring presence through the night. Rather than describing the Hurricanes simply as an opening act, alternating sets better reflects the format of the engagement.
Paul McCartney later recalled seeing Ringo in Hamburg as an already professional-looking musician. That recollection belongs to the wider relationship between the groups, which developed before Ringo became a Beatle.
Hamburg designs from the later Star-Club era
The Star Club Hamburg unisex T-shirt celebrates the group’s later Hamburg association. Its design references December 1962, rather than this Kaiserkeller performance in 1960.
The Kaiserkeller’s place in the first Hamburg visit
The importance of 2 November is its position within sustained club work. It was not an album launch or a recording session, but one of the many nights that made up The Beatles’ first Hamburg engagement.
Hamburg also brought the musicians into contact with friends whose work became closely associated with their early history. The Beatles’ official tribute to Astrid Kirchherr recalls her visits to the clubs with Klaus Voormann and Jürgen Vollmer, and her photographs of the band during their Hamburg days.
Those friendships are part of the wider first-visit story rather than events assigned specifically to this Wednesday night. The dated record for 2 November identifies the performance, its position in the residency and the alternating bill.
Complete Kaiserkeller residency calendar
The 56-night calendar runs from 4 October to 28 November 1960. This date is night 30. The October entries linked below connect to existing articles in this series.
October 1960: nights 1–28
- 4 October 1960
- 5 October 1960
- 6 October 1960
- 7 October 1960
- 8 October 1960
- 9 October 1960
- 10 October 1960
- 11 October 1960
- 12 October 1960
- 13 October 1960
- 14 October 1960
- 15 October 1960
- 16 October 1960
- 17 October 1960
- 18 October 1960
- 19 October 1960
- 20 October 1960
- 21 October 1960
- 22 October 1960
- 23 October 1960
- 24 October 1960
- 25 October 1960
- 26 October 1960
- 27 October 1960
- 28 October 1960
- 29 October 1960
- 30 October 1960
- 31 October 1960
November 1960: nights 29–56
- 1 November 1960
- 2 November 1960: this performance
- 3 November 1960
- 4 November 1960
- 5 November 1960
- 6 November 1960
- 7 November 1960
- 8 November 1960
- 9 November 1960
- 10 November 1960
- 11 November 1960
- 12 November 1960
- 13 November 1960
- 14 November 1960
- 15 November 1960
- 16 November 1960
- 17 November 1960
- 18 November 1960
- 19 November 1960
- 20 November 1960
- 21 November 1960
- 22 November 1960
- 23 November 1960
- 24 November 1960
- 25 November 1960
- 26 November 1960
- 27 November 1960
- 28 November 1960
How the residency ended
The performance calendar ends on 28 November 1960, the 56th night. Paul McCartney and Pete Best were arrested on 29 November as the first Hamburg visit drew to its troubled conclusion.
The arrests belong to the end of the engagement, not to the 2 November performance. Separating those dates keeps this account in its proper position: a Wednesday night early in November, with several more weeks of the Kaiserkeller calendar still to follow.
Kaiserkeller location map: Große Freiheit 36
The historic Kaiserkeller address is Große Freiheit 36, 22767 Hamburg, Germany. The present Große Freiheit 36 venue also lists this address. The map targets the Kaiserkeller site, not simply Hamburg city centre.
Open the Kaiserkeller address in Google Maps.
A Hamburg collectible for Beatles fans
The Beatles Hamburg boxed mug brings together a band photograph and a Live in Hamburg design. The lettering refers to December 1962, another chapter in the group’s association with the city.
Frequently asked questions
Where did The Beatles play on 2 November 1960?
They played at the Kaiserkeller, Große Freiheit 36, in Hamburg, Germany.
Which night of the Kaiserkeller residency was this?
It was the 30th night in the 56-night calendar beginning on 4 October 1960.
Who played drums for The Beatles that night?
Pete Best was The Beatles’ drummer. Ringo Starr was playing with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
Was Stuart Sutcliffe still in The Beatles?
Yes. Stuart Sutcliffe was the bassist in the five-piece line-up, alongside John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best.
How did The Beatles and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes share the bill?
The two Liverpool groups played alternating sets through the night.
When did the Kaiserkeller residency end?
The 56-night performance calendar ends on 28 November 1960. Paul McCartney and Pete Best were arrested the following day, 29 November.
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