Thursday, December 9, 1965
Birmingham • 6:45pm show
Concert • By The Beatles • Part of the The Beatles' 1965 UK Tour
Last updated on November 21, 2025
Thursday, December 9, 1965
Concert • By The Beatles • Part of the The Beatles' 1965 UK Tour
Last updated on November 21, 2025
Location: Odeon Cinema • Birmingham • UK
Concert Dec 08, 1965 • UK • Sheffield • 6:15pm show
Concert Dec 08, 1965 • UK • Sheffield • 8:50pm show
Concert Dec 09, 1965 • UK • Birmingham • 6:45pm show
Concert Dec 09, 1965 • UK • Birmingham • 9:15pm show
Article Dec 10, 1965 • The Beatles are voted Best British Group and Best World Group by NME
The previous day, The Beatles had performed two concerts in Sheffield as part of their final UK tour, spending the night at a small country club in the village of Spinkhill, a few miles outside the city.
On this day, The Beatles and their entourage travelled by road from Sheffield to Birmingham through heavy rain and fog. They arrived late, reaching the venue about ten minutes after their scheduled appearance — a situation similar to what had occurred in Manchester on December 7. As a result, the supporting acts — the Moody Blues, the Paramounts, Beryl Marsden, Steve Aldo, the Koobas, and the Marionettes — had to extend their sets.
The first show began at 6:45 pm, and the second at 9:15 pm.
The half-hour appearance by The Beatles was one long ear-aching, head-reeling blast. Shrieking, struggling girls were carried back to their seats. It was absolute pandemonium – some of the worst scenes I have witnessed in a theatre. If this is modern ‘live’ entertainment one understands why The Beatles themselves spent most of their time backstage, watching television.
Fred Norris – From The Birmingham Evening Mail – Quoted in “Beatlemania! The Real Story of the Beatles UK Tours 1963-1965” by Martin Creasy, 2011
[…] It so happened that the dates coincided with some of the worst weather of the winter. One example was at Birmingham: the Beatles arrived at the theatre TEN MINUTES after they had been due to go on-stage. Everyone backstage was frantic. Bad fog had held the group up and all kinds of ruses were being tried to keep the audience happy and unknowing; the Moody Blues extended their set and there were two intervals, instead of the normal one!
Eventually the Beatles arrived and found all their stage gear — black suits, boots and polo-necked sweaters— all laid out and ready to be jumped into! With split-second timing they changed, paused to get their breath back, and then rushed on to the stage as if nothing had happened.
Their welcome was fantastic. A high-pitched barrage of screams that might even have driven a bat deaf!
Alan Smith From New Musical Express – December 17, 1965
Drove down to Birmingham in torrential rain. The heavens just opened up on us. Still we managed to get there in on piece. Birmingham is a nightmare to get around, it’s so big and expanding all the time. I think it was a Sunday the last time we were here. Didn’t seem much different as I didn’t get a chance to get out anyway. The boys are really giving their all on this tour, both on the stage for the fans and back stage! They are hell bent on having a good time. And why not! The police were good to us again, as in fact they have been for most of the time. It usually costs a few autographs, not always by the boys I might add, but it helps to keep people happy. Brian likes to see that everyone, especially the boys, is kept happy. I just wish he’s smile a bit more himself. He takes so much on does that man. It’s back down to London tomorrow, where Brian feels better and more at home and in control.
Alf Bicknell – The Beatle’s chauffeur – Quoted in The final UK Tour December 1965 – The Daily Beatle
BEATLES TOUR BRITAIN
Neil Aspinall, road manager to The Beatles, continues his diary of their last trip around Britain.
Friday, 10th. December. [sic – 9th] Today it was raining and very cold. We drove from Sheffield down to Birmingham.
The Birmingham police had organised a special plan whereby we’d meet up outside the city with a pair of escort vehicles. We reached the rendezvous ahead of schedule and found ourselves sitting in the Princess with nothing to do but wait. After a while, Ringo suggested that we should drive around. We stopped at some shops and the boys suggested I should buy something like pocket solitaire to pass the time.
The shop had all sorts of novelty items, too, and I spotted some brass handwarmers. Each one worked like a cigarette lighter and was wrapped in a little velvet bag.
“Give me four of those, please,” I said to the salesman.
“These are the last two in the shop,” he told me.
I took them and wondered who would manage to take possession of them once I was back in the car. John and Paul won, but they let Ringo and George have a go every now and again. The handwarmers intrigued the boys. They get a lot of amusement out of novelty things like that.
When we toured America last August one of the DJs gave John a battery-operated fan to cool off with in the dressing-room. He used it all the time until the battery wore out. A couple of girls from New Orleans, Louisiana, sent an electric hairbrush to the boys and they were equally delighted with this off-beat gadget.
In the dressing-room at Birmingham, I found John sitting in one corner with a small, old-fashioned banjo. Set up on the back of a chair in front of him was a book called Amateur Banjo Tutor.
“Where did THAT come from?” I asked him.
“It’s not mine,” replied John, as he picked out the yug-a-dug chords, just like it said in the book. “You remember we got Mal to collect some of the stuff we bought in Chester? He bought this while he was there. It’s a sort of antique, I think.”
Mal Evans joined us and pointed out the signature on the banjo.
“It’s autographed—if it’s genuine,” he showed us proudly.
The banjo was signed George Formby. Formby certainly played the banjo, but we’ll never know whether Mal’s find was really an authentic souvenir or not. In the meantime, it seems to be keeping John happy. You see what I meant about The Beatles finding a lot of pleasure in small things you’d never dream would interest them?
From Fabulous208 – August 13, 1966
This was the 2nd concert played at Odeon Cinema.
A total of 5 concerts have been played there • 1964 • Oct 11 • 1965 • Dec 9 6:45pm show• Dec 9 9:15pm show • 1973 • Jul 6 • 1979 • Dec 12
Written by George Harrison
Written by Johnny Russell, Voni Morrison
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