Monday 5 November 1962 | Live performance | Hamburg, Germany | By Beatles Fabdom
On 5 November 1962, The Beatles performed the fifth date of their second residency at Hamburg’s Star-Club. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were five nights into a fortnight of appearances at Große Freiheit 39, returning to the club each evening from 1 to 14 November.
The engagement brought The Beatles back to Hamburg with a changed line-up and a British record in the shops. Ringo had replaced Pete Best earlier that year, and Love Me Do had been released on 5 October. The familiar four Beatles were now working together on the German club circuit that had helped shape the band’s early years.
| Date | Monday 5 November 1962 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Star-Club |
| Historic address | Große Freiheit 39, 22767 Hamburg, Germany |
| Engagement | The Beatles’ second Star-Club residency |
| Position in the run | Fifth of 14 dates |
| Residency dates | 1–14 November 1962 |
| Line-up | John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr |
| Weekly payment | 600 Deutsche Marks per musician |
| Playing schedule | Separate stints each evening; the contract specifies three hours daily, while the concert chronology gives three and a half. |
The fifth night of the November Star-Club residency
The Beatles began this engagement on Thursday 1 November. After the opening weekend, Monday’s performance followed the fourth night on 4 November. Their work continued at the same venue until Wednesday 14 November.
The November booking was shorter than their first Star-Club residency in April and May. Rather than moving between cities, the group remained in Hamburg and supplied music across a series of nightly performances. Breaks separated their stretches on stage, making the working evening different from the brief headline sets associated with their later tours.
By this point, Hamburg was familiar territory. The Beatles had first travelled there in 1960, working at the Indra and Kaiserkeller before subsequent engagements at the Top Ten and Star-Club. The November 1962 return was their second residency at the Star-Club, not their second visit to Hamburg.
Ringo Starr returns to Hamburg as a Beatle
Ringo knew the city from his work with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. During The Beatles’ first Hamburg visit, the Hurricanes had shared the Kaiserkeller programme with them. In November 1962 he returned as their own drummer, joining Lennon, McCartney and Harrison on the Star-Club stage.
| Musician | Role |
|---|---|
| John Lennon | Guitar and vocals |
| Paul McCartney | Bass guitar and vocals |
| George Harrison | Guitar and vocals |
| Ringo Starr | Drums and vocals |
The contrast can be followed across the same calendar date. On 5 November 1960 at the Kaiserkeller, The Beatles had been a five-piece group with Stuart Sutcliffe on bass and Pete Best on drums. McCartney was still a guitarist, while Ringo played with the Hurricanes.
Two years later, McCartney was the bassist and Ringo was behind The Beatles’ drum kit. The Hamburg setting remained, but the band’s personnel and business circumstances had changed. The musicians had also begun recording for EMI under George Martin.
Brian Epstein and the November 1962 contract
The agreement for the November fortnight was signed by manager Brian Epstein and Star-Club owner Manfred Weissleder. A surviving contract, reported when it appeared at auction in 2024, set out the engagement from 1 to 14 November and a weekly payment of 600 Deutsche Marks to each band member.
The fee was per musician per week, not 600DM for the entire group or for the whole visit. The contract required work seven days a week, with performances divided into separate stints and an hour’s break after each performance.
The dated concert chronology describes three and a half hours nightly, producing a total of 49 hours over 14 dates. The surviving contract specifies three hours daily, equivalent to 42 hours. These describe different versions of the working schedule: contractual requirements are not themselves a nightly record of actual playing time.
Epstein’s signature places the booking within the management arrangements that had developed since he first saw the band at the Cavern in 1961. His work now encompassed British engagements, recording opportunities and the continuing Hamburg bookings. Explore Brian Epstein’s story for the wider management history.
Little Richard and Billy Preston at the Star-Club
The Beatles shared bills with Little Richard during the November residency, following their appearances with him in Merseyside the previous month. His singing and stage performance were important influences on McCartney, who later recalled watching him and spending time with him in Hamburg.
Billy Preston was playing keyboards in Little Richard’s band. The Hamburg association brought the teenage musician into contact with The Beatles years before he contributed to their January 1969 recording sessions.
Ringo later remembered watching Little Richard twice nightly for six days and recalled Preston as a remarkable sixteen-year-old musician. That recollection describes the November visit as a whole rather than fixing an encounter or joint performance to this particular Monday.
The Star-Club brought musicians from different touring backgrounds into the same working environment. For The Beatles, the fortnight combined their own extended performances with opportunities to watch an established rock-and-roll star at close quarters.
The Beatles between Love Me Do and their next recording session
Love Me Do had been released in Britain a month before this appearance. The group’s return to Hamburg therefore took place after their debut Parlophone single, but before the intense British touring and chart success of 1963.
The Star-Club engagement remained part of their working life despite the new recording contract. Their German visits had supplied extensive stage experience; now those club duties overlapped with a developing British recording career.
The November fortnight also preceded their return to EMI later that month. Their career was expanding beyond the Hamburg clubs, but on 5 November the immediate job was another evening’s work at Große Freiheit 39.
Astrid Kirchherr’s portrait of the quartet
Kirchherr’s portrait records the four-member group in dark suits, with Ringo standing at the right. Her earlier Hamburg photographs had included Sutcliffe and Best; this image shows the quartet that emerged after the personnel changes of 1961 and 1962.
The band’s official tribute to Astrid Kirchherr celebrates her photographs and her friendship with the musicians. Her portraits remain an important visual record of The Beatles’ Hamburg years.
Complete November 1962 Star-Club itinerary
The second Star-Club residency comprised 14 consecutive dates at the same venue. Monday 5 November was the fifth night.
- Thursday 1 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Friday 2 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Saturday 3 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Sunday 4 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Monday 5 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg, this performance
- Tuesday 6 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Wednesday 7 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Thursday 8 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Friday 9 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Saturday 10 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Sunday 11 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Monday 12 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Tuesday 13 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
- Wednesday 14 November 1962: Star-Club, Hamburg
November and December were separate engagements
The Beatles returned to the Star-Club for another residency in December 1962. The recordings later released on the 1977 Star-Club live album came from that later visit.
The November fortnight and the December engagement are separate parts of the band’s Hamburg history. The famous live tapes therefore do not supply a recording of the 5 November performance.
Star-Club historic site and venue map
The Star-Club stood at Große Freiheit 39, 22767 Hamburg, Germany, in St. Pauli. It was a separate venue from the Kaiserkeller at number 36 and the Indra farther along the same street.
The original club building no longer stands. The memorial area associated with its former courtyard marks the site. The map below targets the historic address.
Open the Star-Club historic address in Google Maps.
Explore The Beatles’ Star-Club designs
The Star Club Hamburg T-shirt features a band portrait and December 1962 lettering, drawing on their later engagement that year.
The Live in Hamburg mug pairs a band photograph with dates from the December visit.
Frequently asked questions
Where did The Beatles perform on 5 November 1962?
They performed at the Star-Club at Große Freiheit 39 in Hamburg, Germany.
Which night of the residency was this?
It was the fifth date of their second Star-Club residency, which ran from 1 to 14 November 1962.
Was Ringo Starr The Beatles’ drummer?
Yes. This was their first Star-Club residency with Ringo as a member of the group, following Pete Best’s departure earlier that year.
How much were The Beatles paid?
The November contract provided 600 Deutsche Marks per musician each week.
Why do accounts mention both 42 and 49 hours?
The contract specifies three hours daily, totalling 42 hours over 14 dates. The concert chronology gives three and a half hours nightly, totalling 49 hours.
Were the famous Star-Club recordings made on 5 November?
No. The recordings later used for the 1977 live album came from the December 1962 engagement.
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