The Beatles in Glasgow 1965
The Beatles’ fourth visit to the city in December of 1965 turned out to be their last as a group.
What would turn out to be The Beatles’ final UK tour began in December 1965 with two shows in one night at Glasgow’s Odeon Cinema. Opening in 1934 and closing in 2006, the Odeon was situated at the junction between Renfield Street and West Regent Street in the city centre’s heart. The Beatles had played the Odeon Cinema three times previously. In June 1963 with Roy Orbison, then in their own right when they packed two houses in one night in both April and October of 1964.
Paul McCartney remembered their first appearance in the city when talking with John Dingwall of the Daily Record in 2010.
“The thing with Glasgow was that we were told to watch out. That was the word. People were scared to play Glasgow, so we thought, ‘Nah, it’ll be all right.’ “But we were still a little bit apprehensive and watching out. Then some guy jumped up on the stage at the end of our first Glasgow show with The Beatles. The guy jumps up, and everyone is going, ‘Ah, s***. This is it. He’s going to hit you with a bottle. He’s going to bottle you.’ But then the guy suddenly starts dancing away, and we realised they loved us and it was going to be great.”
