The Beatles' 1964 world tour
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- Asia
- Europe
- Oceania
| Tour by the Beatles | |
 Poster to the concerts in Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Location |
|
|---|---|
| Start date | 4 June 1964 |
| End date | 16 August 1964 |
| Legs | 2 |
| No. of shows | 30 |
| The Beatles concert chronology | |
The Beatles 1964 world tour was the first world tour of the English rock band the Beatles, launched after their 1964 UK tour. The reception was enthusiastic; The Spectator described it as "hysterical". It was followed by their North American tour in August of that year.
Jimmie Nicol temporarily replaces Ringo Starr
Negotiations for an Australasian tour started in October 1963, and their manager, Brian Epstein, signed in January 1964 (a month before the Beatles' American tour). The weekly cost increased from £1500 to £2500, plus airfares and excess baggage for drums and amps. The negotiations between Robert Kerridge of Kerridge Odeon in Auckland, Kenn Brodziak of Aztec Service's in Melbourne, their London agent Cyril Berlin of The Grade Organisation and Epstein were by telegram (many reproduced in the 2024 book).
The Beatles were stated to have made £250,000 from their Australasian tour.[1]
On the morning of 3 June 1964, the day before the tour was to begin, Ringo Starr, the band's drummer, fell ill during a photo session. He fainted and was taken to hospital with a strong fever, where he was diagnosed with severe tonsillitis and hospitalised for a few days in London.[2] The Beatles, especially George Harrison, wanted to postpone the tour, but Epstein and the record producer George Martin decided to temporarily replace Starr with Jimmie Nicol.[3] When Starr heard this, he was convinced he was about to be permanently replaced.
During rehearsals, when the Beatles asked Nicol how he was doing, his answer was always "It's getting better"; this phrase later inspired Paul McCartney's song "Getting Better" from the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Years later, Nicols said that he would have done the tour for free, but Epstein offered him £2,500 per performance and a £2,500 bonus. "I couldn't sleep that night, I was one of the fucking Beatles!" he said in a 1988 interview.[citation needed]
The tour began on 4 June 1964 in Copenhagen, Denmark; Nicol played eight shows across five cities until Starr rejoined the band in Melbourne, Australia, on 14 June.[4] Nicol, a very shy person, did not say goodbye to the group and left at night while they were sleeping. At the airport, Epstein gave him £500 and a gold watch with the inscription "From The Beatles and Brian Epstein to Jimmie - with appreciation and gratitude". On the return journey on the plane he was very sad, feeling "like a bastard child rejected by his new family".[5]
Tour dates
Typical set list
The typical set list for the shows was as follows (with lead singers noted):
- "I Saw Her Standing There" (Paul McCartney)
- "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (John Lennon and Paul McCartney) or "You Can't Do That" (John Lennon)[8]
- "All My Loving" (Paul McCartney)
- "She Loves You" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison)
- "Till There Was You" (Paul McCartney)
- "Roll Over Beethoven" (George Harrison)
- "Can't Buy Me Love" (Paul McCartney)
- "This Boy" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison)
- "Twist and Shout" (John Lennon)
- "Long Tall Sally" (Paul McCartney)
