It is a confusing photograph on first impression but with a perfectly logical explanation.
It is of a cinema, one of a national chain ABC (Associated British Cinemas) displaying a banner announcing a tour date for The Beatles.
The date? well, there are two possibilities for this venue, either 24th November 1963 or 16th October 1964.
The place? My home city of Hull, Yorkshire, England.
In that era there were few large concert halls but then again, pop music as we have come to know it today was in its infancy. Perhaps more to the point was that the target audience of teenage consumers was only just starting to develop after the post war austerity and a feeling that your mum and dad's musical tastes were a bit, well, dated. New artistes and the phenomena of groups were emerging and with the need to be a commercial success through record sales it was imperative to just get out there to the public through touring and live shows.
This was of course well before multi media outlets for distribution of singles and albums notwithstanding little opportunity for airplay on very staid and traditional radio frequencies.
Promoters and Band Management began the Pop Package consisting of multiple tour dates involving a frantic criss crossing of the country in order to be seen and heard by as many of the population as possible. The problem was still a shortage of venues to make this logistical effort financially viable.
There were plenty of Variety Theatres nationally but these earned their income from performances from a monday to a saturday giving no vacancy for a pop concert on the premises. One or more bosses of the cinema chains, in the 1960's including Rank Odeon, Rialto, Gaumont, Ritz and ABC saw an opportunity to arrest, even if temporarily, the decline in audiences brought about by the arrival of television in more and more homes. Many cinemas were of early twentieth century or inter war construction with an orchestra pit from the days of silent movies, large stage areas only partly taken up by the cinematic screens and plenty of seats which had increased in the halycyon days of cinema-going in some venues to up to 3000 capacity.
Conversion from cinema to concert hall was fairly straight forward. The Projectionist staff were technically minded and could handle the sound systems and stage lighting. Front of house staff were adept at handling crowds, ticket sales and concessions. The Doorstaff were often formidable figures and could assume a more authoratative bouncer role just by shedding their Commissionaire Uniforms for something more appropriate. Ushers just continued to be helpful but would stand no nonsense. Accommodation for the artistes was often provided in old changing rooms or storage areas which may not have been in use for decades.
The earliest Pop Package is thought to have been Tommy Steele in the mid to late 1950's who toured in cinemas but it was not until the proliferation of pop in the 1960's that the cinema venue really took off. Transatlantic stars including Eddie Cochrane, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis could be seen live on many UK High Streets followed by the emerging talent of The Animals, The Hollies, The Rolling Stones, Sandie Shaw and The Everly Brothers. On one tour Cat Stevens ,Engelbert Humperdinck, The Walker Brothers and Jimmy Hendrix appeared on the same billing. Other performers included PP Arnold, Kenny Lynch, Helen Shapiro and of course, The Beatles.
Cinemas were geared up to twice nightly film shows and so it followed that this could be done for a pop concert. Moneyspinning opportunities were therefore huge. The ABC in Hull had in excess of 2500 seats and in two sessions this not only generated door receipts but could also translate into record sales as those enthused by the bands went to their local record stores in the following days and weeks.
The Beatles arrived in Hull for their second gig at the ABC in October 1964. It was as part of their "A Hard Day's Night" promotion and was to be the fourth and final visit to the city having already appeared at the Majestic Ballroom on Holderness Road in 1962 and 1963. It was 20 dates into a 33 date tour, preceded by Stockton and to be followed by Edinburgh. Beatlemania was in full swing and most performances sold out within hours.
The overriding impression from film footage is of little opportunity to hear the music over the intense, hysterical screaming of the fans. A rare reel to reel tape of the ABC gig was recorded from the orchestra pit with ten tracks in some 24 minutes of play. This bit of memorabilia was put up for Auction at Christies London in 2014 as well as a Reslo Brand microphone and one of John Lennon's guitar picks which was only rediscovered by its owner some 50 years after the ABC concert.
The items achieved a combined sum of £12,750 but I am convinced that the memory of the Beatles in Hull would remain, well, priceless.
(The cinema was demolished ,as became the fate of many similar establishments across the country, to make way for a new shopping centre)
No comments:
Post a Comment