The Beatles live: Star-Club, Hamburg – 20 May 1962
Sunday 20 May 1962 | Live
Star-Club, Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg, Germany
This was The Beatles' 37th of 48 nights at Hamburg's Star-Club, the city's newest and most prestigious rock and roll venue. By May 1962, The Beatles were the most experienced live act on the Hamburg circuit — and were weeks away from the EMI recording session that would change everything.
The Star-Club
The Star-Club had opened on 13 April 1962 — the same night The Beatles began their first residency there. It was located at 39 Grosse Freiheit, a street running off the Reeperbahn in the St Pauli district, and was owned by Manfred Weissleder, a local entrepreneur. The club was larger and better equipped than the Kaiserkeller or the Top Ten Club, with a proper stage, professional lighting, and a capacity of around 2,000. It quickly became the premier rock and roll venue in Hamburg, attracting major American and British acts including Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Ray Charles, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
The Beatles were among the Star-Club's opening acts and were already well known in Hamburg from their previous residencies. Their reputation as a ferocious live band — built across hundreds of hours at the Indra, the Kaiserkeller, and the Top Ten — made them a natural fit for the new venue's ambitions.
The Group in May 1962
The Beatles at this point consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best on drums. They had signed to EMI in London on 9 May 1962 — just days before this residency began — following Brian Epstein's persistent lobbying of record labels throughout late 1961 and early 1962. Their first EMI recording session was scheduled for 6 June 1962 at Abbey Road. Pete Best would be replaced by Ringo Starr in August 1962, before the group's second visit to the Star-Club later that year.
Stuart Sutcliffe, who had remained in Hamburg after the 1961 Top Ten Club residency to study painting and be with Astrid Kirchherr, had died on 10 April 1962 — just three days before The Beatles arrived for this residency. He was 21. The cause was a brain haemorrhage. The group had been told the news on their flight to Hamburg. Kirchherr met them at the airport.
The First Star-Club Residency
This first stint at the Star-Club began on Friday 13 April 1962 and came to a close on 31 May 1962. The Beatles left Hamburg on Saturday 2 June. It was their third residency in a Hamburg club within two years, and followed the Indra and Kaiserkeller (1960) and the Top Ten Club (1961). They played three separate residencies at the Star-Club in 1962 in total, performing for a combined 172 hours in the first residency alone. Their only night off during the first residency was Good Friday, 20 April.
The Star-Club Recordings
The Star-Club is also notable for a set of recordings made during The Beatles' final Hamburg residency in December 1962 — by which point Ringo Starr had replaced Pete Best. These recordings, made on a domestic tape recorder by Ted Taylor, were eventually released commercially in 1977 as The Beatles Live! At the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962. Though of poor audio quality, they provide the most complete surviving document of The Beatles as a live Hamburg act.
Key Facts: 20 May 1962
- Venue: Star-Club, 39 Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg, Germany
- Night: 37 of 48
- Owner: Manfred Weissleder
- Residency: First Star-Club residency (13 April – 31 May 1962)
- Line-up: Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Pete Best
- EMI contract signed: 9 May 1962 (days before this residency)
- First EMI session: 6 June 1962, Abbey Road
- Stuart Sutcliffe died: 10 April 1962, aged 21
- Total hours in first residency: 172
- Only night off: Good Friday, 20 April 1962
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Star-Club open?
The Star-Club opened on 13 April 1962 — the same night The Beatles began their first residency there. It was located at 39 Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg, and owned by Manfred Weissleder.
How many times did The Beatles play the Star-Club?
Three separate residencies in 1962. The first ran from 13 April to 31 May (48 nights); the second and third followed later in the year. By the final residency in December 1962, Ringo Starr had replaced Pete Best on drums.
What happened to Stuart Sutcliffe before this residency?
Stuart Sutcliffe died on 10 April 1962, aged 21, from a brain haemorrhage — three days before The Beatles arrived in Hamburg for this residency. The group were told the news on their flight. Astrid Kirchherr, his fiancée, met them at the airport.
Had The Beatles signed to EMI by this point?
Yes — they signed to EMI on 9 May 1962, just days before this residency began. Their first recording session at Abbey Road was scheduled for 6 June 1962.
Are there recordings of The Beatles at the Star-Club?
Yes — a set of recordings made on a domestic tape recorder during The Beatles' final Star-Club residency in December 1962 were released in 1977 as The Beatles Live! At the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962. Though of poor audio quality, they are the most complete surviving document of The Beatles as a live Hamburg act.
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