15 May in Beatles History

From the Silver Beetles playing a lunchtime session in Liverpool in 1960 to Paul McCartney performing at a 57,000-capacity stadium in Argentina in 2016, the 15th of May has been one of the most eventful dates in Beatles history. This page collects every confirmed event on this date — 17 in total, spanning six decades of Beatles and solo history.

→ May in Beatles History | 14 May | 16 May

Events on 15 May

1960 — The Silver Beetles Live at the Iron Door Club, Liverpool

The Silver Beetles — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore — performed at the Iron Door Club on Temple Street, Liverpool, during one of their regular lunchtime sessions. It was one of the earliest documented performances by the group that would become The Beatles.

1961 — The Beatles Live at the Top Ten Club, Hamburg

The Beatles performed at the Top Ten Club on the Reeperbahn during their 92-night residency — the longest single engagement of their Hamburg years, totalling 503 hours on stage. The lineup was John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best.

1962 — The Beatles Live at the Star-Club, Hamburg

Night 32 of 48 at the Star-Club on the Große Freiheit — The Beatles' first residency at Hamburg's newest and most prestigious rock and roll venue. The lineup was John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best. Stuart Sutcliffe had died five weeks earlier.

1963 — The Beatles Live at the Royalty Theatre, Chester

The Beatles' only appearance at the Royalty Theatre on City Road, Chester. They performed seven songs including 'Some Other Guy' and 'You Really Got a Hold on Me'. Afterwards, Paul McCartney drove the group back to Liverpool and was stopped for speeding at 60mph on the New Chester Road — the first of several driving offences that year.

1967 — Paul McCartney Meets Linda Eastman at the Bag O'Nails

The evening of Brian Epstein's dinner party to celebrate the completion of Sgt Pepper. McCartney went on to the Bag O'Nails in Soho to see Georgie Fame, where he met Linda Eastman for the first time. The group later moved to the Speakeasy on Margaret Street, where everyone at the table heard 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' for the first time.

1968 — The Apple Boutique Mural Is Whitewashed

Workmen began painting over the psychedelic mural on the exterior of The Beatles' Apple Boutique at 94 Baker Street, London — completed by 18 May. The Portman Estate had invoked a covenant requiring the building to be kept in the traditions of a 'high class shopping locality'. The same day, The Fool's five-year contract with Apple was terminated after eight months.

1969 — Paul McCartney Interviewed for BBC Radio Merseyside's Light and Local

McCartney was interviewed by Roy Corlett — a fellow Liverpool Institute pupil — at Rembrandt, the house he had bought for his father Jim in Heswall, Cheshire. Topics included the studio, business pressures, Beatlemania, Magical Mystery Tour, John and Yoko, and the future. McCartney said he "still can't stand business" and didn't want to be playing rock and roll at "sixty with grey hair". Broadcast the following day.

1971 — John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Cannes Film Festival

Lennon and Ono attended the Cannes Film Festival for screenings of Fly and Apotheosis at La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. During the day they lunched at La Colombe d'Or in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, where they were photographed with Jeanne Moreau and Louis Malle. In the evening they attended both film premieres and were interviewed by critic Amos Vogel.

1973 — Wings Live at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth

Night 4 of 18 on the Wings 1973 UK Tour, with Brinsley Schwarz as support. The Beatles had played the same venue on 16 November 1963. Fan accounts published in the Wings Fun Club newsletter describe the audience at 'fever pitch' and Denny Laine's version of 'Say You Don't Mind' making Colin Blundstone's 'look positively anaemic'.

1975 — Paul McCartney Signs New Deal with EMI and Capitol Records

Announced at Cannes, the four-year deal negotiated by Lee Eastman secured a 24% royalty rate (54p per UK album), a $3.3 million advance, ownership of his solo masters, and Capitol's share in Morley Music — including the publishing rights to 'Love Me Do' and 'PS I Love You'. The first release under the deal was Venus and Mars, out two weeks later.

1976 — Wings Live at the Capital Centre, Landover

Night 36 of 65 on the Wings Over the World Tour — the first of two consecutive nights at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. The 29-song set included five Beatles songs performed live for the first time since 1966, and 'Live and Let Die' with full pyrotechnics.

2000 — Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band Live at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie

Show 3 of 32 on the 2000 North American tour, featuring the sixth All-Starr Band: Dave Edmunds, Jack Bruce (Cream), Eric Carmen (Raspberries), Mark Rivera, and Simon Kirke (Free/Bad Company). The 23-song set included four Cream classics from Jack Bruce and closed with 'With a Little Help from My Friends'.

2002 — Paul McCartney Live at the Ice Palace, Tampa

Show 25 of 58 on the Driving World Tour, attended by 16,128 fans. Three performances from this show — 'You Never Give Me Your Money', 'Carry That Weight', and 'Something' (on ukulele, as a tribute to George Harrison) — were released on the live albums Back in the US and Back in the World.

2003 — Paul McCartney Live at the Sportaréna, Budapest

Show 26 of 33 on the Back in the World Tour — the day after Vienna and two days before the first of two outdoor shows at Königsplatz in Munich. The 39-song set included 'Something' on ukulele and 'Here Today' for John Lennon. The same venue hosted Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band on 28 June 2011.

2011 — John Lennon's Handwritten 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' Lyrics Sell for $200,000

Two 1967 lyric sheets — including drawings of 'rocking horse people' and a fragment of 'She's Leaving Home' — sold at Profiles in History in California for $200,000 ($237,000 with fees). The same auction included a 1971 letter from John Lennon to Paul and Linda McCartney, one of the most candid documents of the post-Beatles period.

2015 — Syco Entertainment to Co-Produce Brian Epstein Biopic The Fifth Beatle

Announced at Cannes, Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment and IM Global confirmed they would co-produce a film adaptation of Vivek J. Tiwary's NYT #1 graphic novel about Beatles manager Brian Epstein. The production had secured an unprecedented agreement with Sony/ATV and Apple Corps for twelve Lennon-McCartney songs.

2016 — Paul McCartney Live at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba

Show 10 of the One on One Tour — the first of three South American dates — at the 57,000-capacity stadium named after the 1978 World Cup hero. The 38-song concert included 'Temporary Secretary', 'FourFiveSeconds', and 'Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite!'. The day's soundcheck featured six additional rarities including 'Ram On', 'Miss Ann', and 'Midnight Special'.

Also on This Date

The Beatles performed at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth on 16 November 1963 — the same venue Wings played on 15 May 1973. Paul McCartney returned to the Ice Palace in Tampa on 17 September 2005 and 10 July 2017.