Fans of The Beatles have been sharing their memories of the one time the Fab Four played in Norwich as a memento from the gig prepares to go under the hammer.
On Friday, May 17, 1963, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr performed at the Grosvenor Rooms on Prince of Wales Road in the city. It was the only time they performed in the (I Feel) Fine city.
This week, a flier from the concert signed by all four Beatles is set to be auctioned off, after an American collector decided to place it in the hand of Merseyside-based Omega Auction.
And news of the auction has prompted fond memories for Beatlemaniacs who attended the show, which saw the band perform hits including Please Please Me and From Me To You.
Mary Jeeves said: “The Beatles were amazing. My friend Sandra and I went to their dressing room. My memory is Paul and John were very chatty and friendly. George was much quieter but lovely.
“At the end I got their autographs.”
John Parramint, who now lives in St Cesaire, France, said: “I was there that night along with a few hundred others. I’d also gone along to see a workmate Trevor Preston, I think his name was. He played bass in the Hucklebucks.
“From memory I recall John Lennon and Paul McCartney making the short walk unhindered from Norwich railway station to the Grosvenor while George and Ringo arrived in a van.
“The next day at work all my workmate Trevor could talk about was that the Beatles smoked cheap [cigarettes].
“They closed the show with Twist and Shout which they also did at Great Yarmouth Regal a few months later. A night to remember.”
Glenys Ives-Keeler added: “I was there with my [then-boyfriend] that night and it was certainly a night to remember. The atmosphere was electric.
“I clearly recall John announcing, in his distinctive accent ‘and now for our next number. It’s our new record called From Me to You’.”
“I understand they went over the road to the chip shop after the concert.”
The flier will be auctioned off on Tuesday, March 24, with a starting price of £7,000.
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