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Hamburg days -

The Beatles honed their performance skills in the rough and tumble of Hamburg's nightclubs, places like the Star Club and Top Ten Club, where this photograph of the band's original lineup was taken: Stuart Sutcliffe, Pete Best, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney at piano.

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Cavern Club debut -

On February 21, 1961, the Beatles made their first appearance at the Cavern Club at 10 Mathew Street, Liverpool. The crowds were thin but enthusiastic, numbering a few dozen at each gig. Within two years, however, the band would be playing in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans at venues around the world.

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The Fab Four -

By 1962, the familiar lineup of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr had been established—the Fab Four.

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The Beatles are in town -

The following year as the group's popularity grew, the phenomenon known as "Beatlemania" evolved. The devotion shown by fans for the Fab Four verged on, well, fanaticism. On October 20, 1963 as a car carrying the Beatles pulled up in front of a television studio in Birmingham, fans broke through a security cordon in an effort to catch a glimpse of their favorite Beatle.

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Beatlemania arrives -

The band were in the city to record a performance for 'Thank Your Lucky Stars,' a pop music show. Word got out that the Fab Four were in town, which sparked a stampede by fans towards the studio doors. Police had to be called in to restore order. Beatlemania had arrived!

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The gathering storm -

The following month, on November 1, crowds of Beatles fans gathered outside the Odeon Cinema in Cheltenham, where the band was booked to perform later that day. This time, authorities made sure the throng were kept at bay.

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With a little help from their friends -

On November 10, the Beatles were due to perform at the Birmingham Hippodrome. But because the crowds were so thick, they had to be smuggled into the venue with assistance from local police.

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Queuing for tickets -

Eight days later on November 18, fans queued early to get tickets for the band's concert at Lewisham Odeon in London, which wasn't due to take place until December 8.

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Noisy adulation -

This photograph taken at a Beatles' concert in Manchester on November 20 illustrates the deafening atmosphere those attending a Fab Four gig could expect. But things were about to get louder.

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First US tour -

On February 7, 1964, the Beatles landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport for their first tour of the United States. Two days later, they made their first appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' An estimated 73 million US television viewers, or about 40% of the population, tuned in to watch. Beatlemania had arrived in America.

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Showing their colors -

Two young female fans spot their heroes as the group arrives at the CBS-TV studios in New York for the live taping of 'The Ed Sullivan Show.'

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First North American concert -

On February 11, the band played their first North American concert, at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C. Over 20,000 screaming fans made them feel welcome.

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Meet and greet -

When they returned to Britain on February 21, hundreds of mostly female fans welcomed the band as they landed in London. The banner reads: "GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK."

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Premiere of 'A Hard Day's Night' -

The Beatles' international success made them the most popular music group of the era. Between concert appearances, they made films. Here, police hold back hoards of fans as they wait for John, Paul, George, and Ringo to arrive at the London Pavilion for the premiere of 'A Hard Day's Night' on July 7, 1964. It was a scene repeated three days later.

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Welcome back home -

On July 10, the Beatles arrived at Liverpool Airport and were met by a smiling and waving partisan crowd. They were in town for the northern premiere of 'A Hard Day's Night.' The banner reads: "WELCOME HOME OUR BEATLES."

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Music royalty -

Liverpool had never seen anything like it. It was as if royalty had arrived. Thousands of cheering fans lined the streets as the Fab Four were driven to the theater.

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Fainting fans -

For some, the occasion was simply too much. A good few fans fainted in the melee and had to be treated by ambulance crews.

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The Beatles' 1964 world tour -

On June 4, 1964, the Beatles embarked on their first world tour. Places visited included Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. The first leg of the tour ended on August 16 in Blackpool, England. Pictured are some of the 300,000 fans that greeted the Fab Four in Adelaide, a number equivalent then to half the population of the city.

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Summer Tour of North America -

The Beatles' 1964 Summer Tour of North America, the second leg of the world tour, coincided with the height of Beatlemania. The program encompassed 32 shows in 25 cities over 31 days. In this image, the band are seen playing to a sellout crowd in Seattle, on August 21. Police were joined by members of the US Navy (seen here around the stage) in the audience, who volunteered to help with security.

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Waiting to glimpse their idols -

In scenes similar to those witnessed in Liverpool the previous month, Beatles fans went wild as the band toured the nation. In New York City ahead of their appearance at Forest Hills in Queens, the Fab Four stayed at the Delmonico Hotel. Teenaged fans gathered outside the hotel for a glimpse of their idols.

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Favorite Beatles -

Each had their own favorite. Some expressed their devotion to George, while others had their eyes on John or Paul. And Ringo, considered the most affable in the band, also had his admirers.

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Crazy in Canada -

The North American tour also took in Canada, with dates in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Across all cities, intense screaming and rabid fans characterized the shows.

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Mocking the fans -

The year 1965 saw the release of the Beatles' second film, 'Help!' In one scene shot outside the City Barge pub in Chiswick, John, Paul, George, and Ringo mock Beatlemania by being deliberately held back by a cordon of police.

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Beatlemania European style -

Once filming had been completed, they embarked on a short two-week tour of France, Italy, and Spain. Here, Beatles fans are captured on June 21, 1965, cheering the band on at Palais des Sports in Paris.

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'Help!' premiere -

'Help!' had its premiere on July 29 at the London Pavilion in Piccadilly Circus. The occasion drew Beatles fans from across the capital and beyond, though this time rather more behaved in their appreciation of the band.

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The 1965 US tour -

The Beatles' second tour of the United States commenced on August 15 at Shea Stadium in New York. It was the first time that a large outdoor stadium had been used as a music concert venue and attracted an audience of over 55,000—the largest of any live concert that the Beatles performed.

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Historic event -

Enthusiastic fans carried signs and banners heralding their heroes. Young fans climbed fences in order to better see the boys. A documentary film captured the historic event, with 14 cameras filming the euphoria and mass hysteria that was Beatlemania in America at that time.

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For Queen and country -

On October 26, the Fab Four were invited to Buckingham Palace to each receive an MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). It was as fans attempted to mob the vehicle carrying the Beatles to meet the Queen that this famous photograph was taken.

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A change of pace -

By the end of 1965, Beatlemania had peaked. Furthermore, the Beatles themselves were starting to tire of being mobbed everywhere they went. The album 'Rubber Soul,' seen here being manufactured on the production line at the E.M.I. factory in Hayes, Middlesex, exemplified how the band's music was maturing, and how far more difficult it was becoming to reproduce a more sophisticated sound in a live music setting. The Beatles began to drastically reduce their concert schedule.

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Last UK show -

The Beatles played their final UK show on May 1, 1966, at the Empire Pool in Wembley as part of the New Musical Express Annual Poll Winner's Concert. It was a short set that upset die-hard Beatles fans already decrying the scarcity of the band's concert, TV, and radio appearances. Beatlemania was on the decline.

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Decline -

The Beatles commenced a tour of Germany, Japan, and the Philippines on June 24, 1966. The tour signaled a change in the Beatlemania phenomenon, with fans held well back and the band increasingly seen as a symbol of societal division between conservative and liberal thinking. The concert at Tokyo's Budokan for example, a venue of huge spiritual significance, offended many traditionalists in Japan.

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Controversy -

The Beatles returned to the US on August 11 and flew into a storm of protest after John Lennon's remark that the band had become more popular than Jesus Christ. The American press seized upon the band's waning popularity and predicted the end of Beatlemania. The tour ended on August 29 with a concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. It was the last scheduled live concert the Fab Four would ever play. The curtain had come down on four frantic years of Beatlemania. Well, almost.

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A final twist and shout -

In a throwback to 1963, the premiere of 'Yellow Submarine' on July 17, 1968, saw a brief resurgence of Beatlemania as fans gathered outside the London Pavilion to catch a by now rare glimpse of an older Fab Four. All four members of the band turned up, with fans as usual bringing traffic to a standstill, blocking the streets, and the police earning their overtime. 

Sources: (The Beatles Bible) (Britannica) (The Beatles Story) (History)

See also: Music artists who lied to fans about farewell tours

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