Plans for an immersive Beatles experience in Liverpool city centre, due to open in 2028, include a move for The Beatles Story Museum from the Royal Albert Dock to the former St John's market hall. The new site will sit alongside an immersive Yellow Submarine attraction hosted in St Johns Beacon tower. The Beatles Story will come under Apple Corps' control, becoming the company's first official fan experience in Liverpool. Apple Corps Ltd was founded in 1968 to oversee The Beatles' creative and business interests.
The experience will use immersive technology, original artefacts and reconstructed sets from Sir Sam Mendes' Beatles biopics. Visitors will journey through the world that created The Beatles, from post-war Liverpool, through the band members' formative years and Beatlemania, to their international fame.
The Cavern and Abbey Road
The Cavern Club became a globally famous pop destination in early 1960. On November 9, 1961, Brian Epstein first saw The Beatles during a lunchtime session, leading to him becoming their manager. The band's first performance at the venue took place on February 9, 1961, with John Lennon and Paul McCartney on vocals and rhythm guitar, George Harrison on lead guitar, Stuart Sutcliffe on bass and Pete Best on drums. They were paid £5 for the gig. Between 1961 and 1963, the band performed 292 times at the club, with their final gig on August 3, 1963.
From 1962 to 1970, The Beatles recorded almost all of their music at Abbey Road Studios, originally EMI Studios, with producer George Martin. While Let It Be was the final studio album released, Abbey Road was their last collection of recordings. The album's sleeve, photographed on August 8, 1969, shows the four walking across a zebra crossing.
Shea Stadium and Savile Row
On August 15, 1965, The Beatles became the first rock band to play a major outdoor stadium. A then-record crowd of 55,600 to 56,000 fans attended Shea Stadium in New York. The 30-minute performance grossed $304,000, but the amplifiers were drowned out by screaming fans. According to The New York Times, the collective scream represented "the classic Greek meaning of the word pandemonium – the region of all demons".
Number 3 Savile Row in London served as Apple Corps' headquarters from 1968 to 1972, with Apple Studio in the basement. On January 30, 1969, The Beatles gave their final public live performance together on the building's roof. The 42-minute gig was filmed and featured in the Let It Be film and Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary.
Hamburg, Ed Sullivan and Homecoming
The Beatles arrived in Hamburg in August 1960. At their first gig at The Indra Club, the manager told them to "Mach Shau", meaning to let themselves go and make a show. They were later moved to The Kaiserkeller, then offered the Top Ten Club by November 1960. The Kaiserkeller's owner reported George to the police for working underage, and he was deported. Paul and Pete were arrested in Hamburg on a charge of arson, cautioned and deported.
The Beatles made their US television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, watched by an estimated 73 to 75 million viewers. They arrived in New York on Pan Am Flight 101 on February 7, 1964, greeted by 4,000 fans and 200 journalists. They performed five songs: All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There and I Want To Hold Your Hand. The studio audience comprised 750 ticket holders out of 50,000 applicants.
On July 10, 1964, The Beatles returned to Liverpool for the northern premiere of A Hard Day's Night. They were greeted at Speke Airport by 3,000 fans, with an estimated 200,000 people lining the route to Liverpool Town Hall. The band stepped onto the balcony with Lord Mayor Louis Caplan, and each received a key to the city. Just before 9pm, they left for the Odeon Cinema for the charity premiere.
