30 May in Beatles History

From The Silver Beetles performing at the Jacaranda Coffee Bar in Liverpool in 1960 to Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley in 2023, 30 May has been a significant date throughout Beatles history. This page collects every event we have documented for this day, in chronological order.

Events on 30 May

1960

→ The Silver Beetles live: Jacaranda Coffee Bar, Liverpool – 30 May 1960
An early performance by The Silver Beetles — the group that would become The Beatles — at the Jacaranda Coffee Bar on Slater Street in Liverpool, owned by Allan Williams, who would become their first manager.

1961

→ The Beatles live: Top Ten Club, Hamburg – 30 May 1961
The 60th night of The Beatles' 92-night residency at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg — their longest stay in the city. Owned by Peter Eckhorn, the club paid each Beatle 35DM (£3) per day for a gruelling schedule of up to seven hours on stage each night.

1962

→ The Beatles live: Star-Club, Hamburg – 30 May 1962
The penultimate night of The Beatles' first residency at Hamburg's Star-Club. The group spent seven weeks there, notching up 172 hours of stage time over 48 nights before leaving Hamburg on 2 June 1962.

1963

→ The Beatles live: Odeon Cinema, Manchester – 30 May 1963
Day 12 of The Beatles' UK tour with Roy Orbison, at the Odeon Cinema in Manchester. Two shows were performed, with The Beatles closing the bill despite Orbison's star status — such was the scale of Beatlemania by this point.

1964

→ Press conference at NEMS Enterprises – 30 May 1964
The Beatles held a press conference at NEMS Enterprises in London ahead of their forthcoming world tour, which would take them to Denmark, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand.

1966

→ US single release: Paperback Writer – 30 May 1966
Capitol Records released 'Paperback Writer' / 'Rain' as a US single on 30 May 1966. 'Paperback Writer' reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while 'Rain' — recorded at a slower speed and then sped up — is widely regarded as one of The Beatles' most innovative recordings.

1968

→ Recording: Revolution 1 – 30 May 1968
The first White Album recording session at Studio Two, Abbey Road, running from 2.30pm to 2.40am. The Beatles recorded 16 takes of 'Revolution 1', with take 18 running to 10'17" and later providing the raw material for 'Revolution 9'. Producer: George Martin. Engineer: Geoff Emerick.

1969

→ The Beatles release The Ballad of John and Yoko – 30 May 1969
The Beatles released 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' / 'Old Brown Shoe' as a UK single. Recorded by just Lennon and McCartney on 14 April 1969, it reached number one in the UK — their seventeenth chart-topper.

1973

→ US album release: Living In The Material World by George Harrison – 30 May 1973
George Harrison's fourth solo album was released in the US on 30 May 1973. It entered the Billboard chart at number 11 and reached number one the following week, certified gold within two days. The lead single 'Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)' topped the Billboard Hot 100.

1974

→ Recording: Occapella by Ringo Starr – 30 May 1974
The first recording session for Ringo Starr's fourth studio album, Goodnight Vienna, at Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles. The session focused on 'Occapella', written by Allen Toussaint and originally recorded by Lee Dorsey. Producer: Richard Perry. Engineer: Bill Schnee.

1975

→ UK album release: Venus And Mars by Wings – 30 May 1975
Wings' fourth album was released in the UK on 30 May 1975 (US: 27 May). It reached number one in both the UK and US, spent 29 weeks on the UK charts, and was certified platinum on 1 August 1975. The lead single 'Listen To What The Man Said' reached number one in the US.

1997

→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston – 30 May 1997
The 24th show of the fourth All-Starr Band's 30-date US tour, featuring Peter Frampton, Jack Bruce, Gary Brooker, Simon Kirke, and Mark Rivera. The 24-song setlist closed with 'With A Little Help From My Friends'.

2000

→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Wolf Trap, Vienna – 30 May 2000
The 14th show of the sixth All-Starr Band's 32-date North American tour at the Filene Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia. The band featured Dave Edmunds, Jack Bruce, Eric Carmen, Mark Rivera, and Simon Kirke.

2003

→ Paul McCartney live: the Cavern Club, Liverpool – 30 May 2003
McCartney held a private party at the Cavern Club to celebrate the end of his Back In The World Tour. Around 180 friends, family, and road crew attended. The venue had a Moroccan theme, and McCartney joined band Love Train for 'Let It Be' and 'We Are Family'.

2004

→ Paul McCartney live: Estadio de La Peineta, Madrid – 30 May 2004
The third show of the 04 Summer Tour at the Estadio de La Peineta in Madrid. The 36-song setlist included 'Blackbird', 'Eleanor Rigby', 'Band On The Run', 'Live And Let Die', 'Hey Jude', 'Yesterday', and 'The End'.

2012

→ Ringo Starr's childhood home is saved from demolition – 30 May 2012
It was confirmed that Ringo Starr's birthplace at 9 Madryn Street in Dingle, Liverpool, would be saved from demolition following a £2 million government grant. Liverpool Council leader Richard Kemp confirmed that 117 houses in the Welsh Streets would be preserved.

2013

→ Paul McCartney live: BOK Center, Tulsa – 30 May 2013
The tenth show of the Out There Tour and the second of two consecutive nights at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. McCartney dedicated 'I Saw Her Standing There' to a girl celebrating her 17th birthday. The 38-song setlist included 'Golden Slumbers', 'Carry That Weight', and 'The End'.

2016

→ Paul McCartney live: AccorHotels Arena, Paris – 30 May 2016
The 14th show of the One On One Tour at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris. The 39-song setlist included 'A Hard Day's Night', 'Blackbird', 'Eleanor Rigby', 'Something', 'Band On The Run', 'Live And Let Die', 'Hey Jude', and 'The End'.

2018

→ Limited edition Yellow Submarine picture disc single to be released – 30 May 2018
It was announced that The Beatles would release a limited edition 7″ picture disc of 'Yellow Submarine' / 'Eleanor Rigby' on 6 July 2018, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Yellow Submarine film. The sleeve featured images from the 4K restoration of the film.

2019

→ Paul McCartney live: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville – 30 May 2019
The 26th show of the Freshen Up Tour at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, attended by 12,123 fans. The 38-song setlist included 'Blackbird', 'Something', 'Band On The Run', 'Live And Let Die', 'Hey Jude', and 'The End'.

2022

→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: CMAC, Canandaigua – 30 May 2022
The third show of the 15th All-Starr Band's 2022 North American tour at CMAC in Canandaigua, New York. The 25-song setlist featured Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Edgar Winter, Hamish Stuart, Warren Ham, and Gregg Bissonette.

2023

→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Findlay Toyota Center, Prescott Valley – 30 May 2023
The ninth show of the 15th All-Starr Band's 43-date 2023 North American tour at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The same lineup as 2022 performed a 25-song set closing with 'Give Peace A Chance'.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on 30 May in Beatles history?

Key events include The Silver Beetles at the Jacaranda Coffee Bar in Liverpool (1960), The Beatles at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg (1961), the US single release of 'Paperback Writer' (1966), the first White Album recording session at Abbey Road featuring 'Revolution 1' (1968), the release of 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' (1969), the US release of George Harrison's Living In The Material World (1973), the UK release of Wings' Venus And Mars (1975), and multiple Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr live shows across the decades.

What happened on 30 May 1966?

Capitol Records released 'Paperback Writer' / 'Rain' as a US single. 'Paperback Writer' reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while 'Rain' is widely regarded as one of The Beatles' most innovative recordings, featuring backward vocals and a slowed-down recording technique.

What happened on 30 May 1968?

The Beatles held the first White Album recording session at Studio Two, Abbey Road, running from 2.30pm to 2.40am. They recorded 16 takes of 'Revolution 1', with take 18 running to 10'17" and later providing the raw material for 'Revolution 9'.

What happened on 30 May 1969?

The Beatles released 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' / 'Old Brown Shoe' as a UK single. Recorded by just John Lennon and Paul McCartney on 14 April 1969, it reached number one in the UK — their seventeenth chart-topper.

What happened on 30 May 1973?

George Harrison released Living In The Material World in the United States. It entered the Billboard chart at number 11 and reached number one the following week, certified gold within two days of release.

What happened on 30 May 1975?

Wings released Venus And Mars in the United Kingdom. The album reached number one in both the UK and US, spent 29 weeks on the UK charts, and was certified platinum on 1 August 1975.

→ 29 May in Beatles History
→ 31 May in Beatles History
→ May in Beatles History
→ The Beatles Knowledge Hub