Beatles' First Gig

[Rocker949]

Just noticed that the Beatles played their first gig in Hamburg, Germany on this day in 1960. Prior to playing a gig at the Indra Club in Hamburg on August 17 of that year, they had called themselves the Silver Beetles. At that time the band consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best, and Stuart Sutcliffe. Most likely to them it was just another gig, just like most gigs are to us. I'm sure not one of them had any idea anyone in the world would still be talking about the gig in 2010.

[AcidFripp]

It's actaully quite mind-blowing, isn't it? They probably never even imagined how huge they'd get.

[Rocker949]

Originally Posted by AcidFripp

It's actaully quite mind-blowing, isn't it? They probably never even imagined how huge they'd get.

I did read somewhere that John said at one point that they actually did know they'd become successful one way or another. However, there is no way anyone on earth could anticipate the magnitude of that success.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by Rocker949

I did read somewhere that John said at one point that they actually did know they'd become successful one way or another. However, there is no way anyone on earth could anticipate the magnitude of that success.

which gig was the first where the teen aged girls started losing their minds every time one of them shook his hair....

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Rocker949

Just noticed that the Beatles played their first gig in Hamburg, Germany on this day in 1960. Prior to playing a gig at the Indra Club in Hamburg on August 17 of that year, they had called themselves the Silver Beetles. At that time the band consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best, and Stuart Sutcliffe. Most likely to them it was just another gig, just like most gigs are to us. I'm sure not one of them had any idea anyone in the world would still be talking about the gig in 2010.

Cool! If you've watched the Beatles Anthology DVD's, the opening credit graphic really hits home, with a close up of the band performing early on, and then the huge Beatles logo increasing in size so that they are eventually dwarfed by it, and the music gradually being replaced by screams, etc.

Pretty cool, and that really brings home the whole deal of the band versus the entire thing that the Beatles became.

[john_martin_sai]

Originally Posted by Rocker949

I did read somewhere that John said at one point that they actually did know they'd become successful....

http://www.thelennonprophecy.com/

[Rocker949]

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

which gig was the first where the teen aged girls started losing their minds every time one of them shook his hair....

I'm not sure. I don't really keep up with the Beatles very much. Or maybe this was a rhetorical question. I do have to say I wouldn't mind at all having Paul's bass playing talent.

[Edward G.]

By all accounts Stu Sutcliffe was just a horrible bassist, and Pete Best didn't have 'that thing', so they still had a number of personnel issues to address. I think most noteworthy about their time in Hamburg was their discovery of speed, which enabled them to endure their brutal 8-hour stage shifts. Many forces were at work, for sure.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by Rocker949

I'm not sure. I don't really keep up with the Beatles very much. Or maybe this was a rhetorical question. I do have to say I wouldn't mind at all having Paul's bass playing talent.

actually i find it interesting when bands get to the brink of making it,at i always wonder why some do and why some really good bands don't make the cut...

..having hit middle school around 63/4 the opportunity to witness the whole music explosion was really something.....class mates were buying guitars and drums,and i myself tried with no success,or drums to teach myself how to play them......some guys i went to school with excelled and went on to do the band thing,and i ended up with a hofner and an ace tone,later a 69 pre/rented traynor amps playing bars and community club dances.....for a while,until i discovered i liked regular meals

watching the whole thing unfold both locally and from around the world is something i'll always treasure

[Rocker949]

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

actually i find it interesting when bands get to the brink of making it,at i always wonder why some do and why some really good bands don't make the cut...

..having hit middle school around 63/4 the opportunity to witness the whole music explosion was really something.....class mates were buying guitars and drums,and i myself tried with no success,or drums to teach myself how to play them......some guys i went to school with excelled and went on to do the band thing,and i ended up with a hofner and an ace tone,later a 69 pre/rented traynor amps playing bars and community club dances.....for a while,until i discovered i liked regular meals

watching the whole thing unfold both locally and from around the world is something i'll always treasure

But it is impossible to know how things would have turned out if something slightly different had happened. For instance, the keyboardist down the street who was in my first band ended up becoming a pro musician. I'm not a pro, but do what I can to get as good as I can and hope I can find a way to excel. On the other hand, he was killed in a car wreck a few years ago. I'm just glad to still be alive, trying to find ways to make playing bass meaningful the best I can.

[Rocker949]

Originally Posted by Edward G.

By all accounts Stu Sutcliffe was just a horrible bassist, and Pete Best didn't have 'that thing', so they still had a number of personnel issues to address. I think most noteworthy about their time in Hamburg was their discovery of speed, which enabled them to endure their brutal 8-hour stage shifts. Many forces were at work, for sure.

I had also read that Stu was not too great.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by Rocker949

But it is impossible to know how things would have turned out if something slightly different had happened. For instance, the keyboardist down the street who was in my first band ended up becoming a pro musician. I'm not a pro, but do what I can to get as good as I can and hope I can find a way to excel. On the other hand, he was killed in a car wreck a few years ago. I'm just glad to still be alive, trying to find ways to make playing bass meaningful the best I can.

i heard that ....out of all the guys that used to hang out in my basement i was probably the least talented of the bunch,but i'm the only one who ever made a dime playing music...i quit for a few decades but now i'm playing again and even practicing arpeggios is a blast,well most of the time,and i play every chance i get.....i firmly believe that those weekends in the basement playing music kept me out of jail,and helped develop a life long music appreciation,that has cost me a fortune

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Rocker949

I had also read that Stu was not too great.

From the Anthology thing, I don't think Stu could play at all (literally could not play... just kind of stood on stage early on). However, he and his girlfriend are credited with giving the Beatles their 'look' (hair, suits, boots, etc.) early on, which was 'part of the thing'.