The Beatles live: Star-Club, Hamburg

Tuesday 22 May 1962 | Live Performance | Hamburg, Germany

On Tuesday 22 May 1962, The Beatles performed at Hamburg's Star-Club for the 39th night of their first residency — with just nine nights remaining before the end of a seven-week engagement that had taken them from the opening night of the club itself to the final stretch of their Hamburg career.

Nine nights to go

By 22 May 1962, The Beatles were in the home straight. The residency — 48 nights in total, with only Good Friday off — would end on 31 May. They would leave Hamburg on 2 June, board a flight back to England, and within days be standing in Abbey Road Studios for their first EMI recording session on 6 June 1962.

The anticipation must have been palpable. Brian Epstein had secured the Parlophone deal in early May. The Hamburg chapter — which had begun in August 1960 with a residency at the Indra — was drawing to a close. The Beatles were about to become something else entirely.

The last weeks of the Pete Best era

22 May 1962 was one of the final Hamburg performances by the Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Pete Best lineup. Within three months, on 16 August 1962, Best would be replaced by Ringo Starr — a decision that had likely already been discussed privately by the band. The Star-Club shows of late May 1962 are among the last documented performances of this lineup anywhere.

What the Star-Club had given them

By the 39th night of this residency, The Beatles had performed approximately 140 hours of live music at the Star-Club alone in 1962 — on top of the hundreds of hours accumulated at the Indra, Kaiserkeller, and Top Ten Club in previous years. The Hamburg circuit had given them something no recording studio could: the ability to hold an audience for hours, to read a room, to turn a rough crowd into a devoted one.

It was this quality — forged on stages like the Star-Club — that would make them unstoppable once the records started coming.

Residency Context

The first Star-Club residency ran from 13 April to 31 May 1962 — 48 nights with only Good Friday, 20 April, as a scheduled break. It was The Beatles' third Hamburg club residency, following the Indra and Kaiserkeller in 1960 and the Top Ten Club in 1961. Two further Star-Club residencies followed in November and December 1962, and a fourth visit in January 1963.

Venue Location

Key Facts: 22 May 1962

• Venue: Star-Club, Grosse Freiheit 39, Hamburg, West Germany
• Residency night: 39th of 48
• Nights remaining: 9
• Day: Tuesday (7pm – 2am)
• Residency end: 31 May 1962
• Departure from Hamburg: 2 June 1962
• First EMI session: 6 June 1962, Abbey Road
• Pete Best replaced: 16 August 1962

Frequently Asked Questions

When did The Beatles play the Star-Club on 22 May 1962?

22 May 1962 was the 39th of 48 nights in The Beatles' first Star-Club residency, with just nine nights remaining before the end of the engagement on 31 May 1962.

What happened after The Beatles left Hamburg in June 1962?

They recorded their first EMI session at Abbey Road Studios on 6 June 1962, producing early takes of Love Me Do and P.S. I Love You. Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr on 16 August 1962, and Love Me Do was released as their debut single on 5 October 1962.

How many hours had The Beatles performed at the Star-Club by 22 May 1962?

Approximately 140 hours across 39 nights — on top of hundreds of hours accumulated at the Indra, Kaiserkeller, and Top Ten Club in previous years.

Was Pete Best still in the band on 22 May 1962?

Yes. Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr on 16 August 1962 — nearly three months after this performance. The late May 1962 Star-Club shows are among the last documented performances of the Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Best lineup.

How many Star-Club residencies did The Beatles complete in total?

Three in 1962 — April–May, November, and December — plus a fourth visit in January 1963.

→ The Beatles' Star-Club debut: 13 April 1962
→ Stuart Sutcliffe dies in Hamburg: 10 April 1962
→ May in Beatles History
→ The Beatles Knowledge Hub

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