31 May in Beatles History

From The Beatles performing at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg in 1961 to Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas in 2024, 31 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 31 May

1961

→ The Beatles live: Top Ten Club, Hamburg – 31 May 1961
The 61st 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 – 31 May 1962
The final night of The Beatles' first residency at Hamburg's Star-Club — the city's newest rock 'n' roll venue. 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, Southend-on-Sea – 31 May 1963
Day 13 of The Beatles' UK tour with Roy Orbison, at the Odeon Cinema in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The seven-song set included 'Twist And Shout', 'Please Please Me', and 'From Me To You'. The venue was demolished in 2004.

1964

→ The Beatles live: Prince Of Wales Theatre, London – 31 May 1964
The fifth of seven Pops Alive! concerts promoted by Brian Epstein at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in London. Two shows were performed, with a bill also featuring Kenny Lynch, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, and the Vernons Girls. Ringo Starr also took delivery of a new Ludwig drum kit (£350) from Drum City that day.

1966

→ Ringo Starr is photographed for The Beatles Book – 31 May 1966
During a break in the Revolver sessions, Ringo Starr was photographed at his Weybridge home Sunny Heights by Leslie Bryce, staff photographer for The Beatles Book magazine.

1967

→ Recording, mixing: It's All Too Much – 31 May 1967
The second session for George Harrison's 'It's All Too Much' at De Lane Lea Studios, London. A reduction mix was created, then Harrison's lead vocals, Lennon and McCartney's backing vocals and handclaps, and cowbell and tambourine were added. George Martin was not present; engineer was Dave Siddle.

1968

→ Recording: Revolution 1 – 31 May 1968
The second White Album session at Abbey Road's Studio Three. Lennon double-tracked his lead vocals, McCartney added bass, a reduction mix (take 19) was created, and backing vocals were recorded by McCartney, Francie Schwartz, and George Harrison, who sang 'shoo-be-doo-wop' during the chorus.

1976

→ US single release: Got To Get You Into My Life – 31 May 1976
The Beatles' 1966 Revolver track was released as a US single by Capitol Records, with 'Helter Skelter' on the B-side, ahead of the Rock 'N' Roll Music compilation. It topped the charts in Canada and spent five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.

→ Wings live: Chicago Stadium, Chicago – 31 May 1976
The 46th night of the Wings Over The World Tour — the first of three consecutive nights at Chicago Stadium. The 29-song set featured Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch, Joe English, and a brass section.

1977

→ US single release: Seaside Woman by Suzy And The Red Stripes – 31 May 1977
Linda McCartney's reggae-influenced 'Seaside Woman', recorded during the Red Rose Speedway sessions in 1972, was released as a US single by Epic Records under the name Suzy And The Red Stripes. It peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1993

→ Paul McCartney live: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City – 31 May 1993
The 30th night of the New World Tour at Arrowhead Stadium, attended by 42,934 fans. Recordings of 'Drive My Car', 'Looking For Changes', 'C’Mon People', and 'Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!' from this show appear on the Paul Is Live album.

1997

→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Rubber Bowl, Akron – 31 May 1997
The 25th 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 23-song set closed with 'With A Little Help From My Friends'.

2000

→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville – 31 May 2000
The 15th show of the sixth All-Starr Band's 32-date North American tour, featuring Dave Edmunds, Jack Bruce, Eric Carmen, Mark Rivera, and Simon Kirke. Special guests included Andy Summers of The Police and country artists Pam Tillis and Kim Carnes.

2022

→ Paul McCartney live: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville – 31 May 2022
The 11th date of the Got Back Tour at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. The 36-song set included 'Blackbird', 'Helter Skelter', 'Golden Slumbers', 'Carry That Weight', and 'The End'.

2023

→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Humphreys Concerts By The Bay, San Diego – 31 May 2023
The 10th show of the 15th All-Starr Band's 43-date North American tour, and the second of two consecutive nights at Humphreys. The 25-song set featured Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Edgar Winter, Hamish Stuart, Warren Ham, and Gregg Bissonette.

2024

→ Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Venetian Theatre, Las Vegas – 31 May 2024
The seventh show of the 15th All-Starr Band's 2024 tour and the fifth of six non-consecutive nights at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas. The 20-song set featured the same lineup as the 2023 tour.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on 31 May in Beatles history?

Key events include The Beatles at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg (1961), the final night of their first Star-Club residency (1962), The Beatles at the Odeon Cinema in Southend-on-Sea during the Roy Orbison tour (1963), two Pops Alive! shows at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in London (1964), the recording of 'It's All Too Much' at De Lane Lea Studios (1967), the second White Album session featuring 'Revolution 1' at Abbey Road (1968), the US single release of 'Got To Get You Into My Life' (1976), Wings at Chicago Stadium (1976), and multiple Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr live shows across the decades.

What happened on 31 May 1961?

The Beatles performed at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg — the 61st night of their 92-night residency. The club was owned by Peter Eckhorn, who paid each Beatle 35DM (£3) per day. By the end of the residency on 1 July 1961, they had performed 503 hours on stage.

What happened on 31 May 1967?

The Beatles held their second session for George Harrison's 'It's All Too Much' at De Lane Lea Studios in London, without producer George Martin. A reduction mix was created, and Harrison's lead vocals, Lennon and McCartney's backing vocals and handclaps, and cowbell and tambourine were overdubbed. Recording was completed on 2 June 1967.

What happened on 31 May 1968?

The Beatles held the second White Album session at Abbey Road's Studio Three. John Lennon double-tracked his lead vocals on 'Revolution 1', Paul McCartney added bass, a reduction mix (take 19) was created, and backing vocals were recorded by McCartney, Francie Schwartz, and George Harrison.

What happened on 31 May 1976?

Two significant events: Capitol Records released 'Got To Get You Into My Life' as a US single (with 'Helter Skelter' on the B-side), and Wings performed the first of three consecutive nights at Chicago Stadium during the Wings Over The World Tour.

What happened on 31 May 1964?

The Beatles performed two shows at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in London as part of the Pops Alive! series promoted by Brian Epstein. The bill also featured Kenny Lynch and Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers. Ringo Starr also collected a new Ludwig drum kit worth £350 from Drum City in London that day.

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