Stockton Globe marks 60 years since The Beatles played to screaming fans

22.11.23 Beatles Stockton Credit: tbc
The Beatles played Stockton Globe on 22 November 1963 - the same day President John F Kennedy was assassinated. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees / inset Mirrorpix

It is 60 years to the day since The Beatles played to adoring fans on Teesside.

The evening of 22 November 1963 is etched in the memories for many as the date US President John F Kennedy was shot and killed.

But for The Beatles fans on Teesside, the date is undoubtedly remembered as the night the fab four were on home territory.

Jean Watts and Val Bainbridge were amongst the lucky ones - they were in the audience.

And at the tender age of 17, Jean was even luckier as she got right to the front. Six decades on and the memory has yet to fade.

One female fan on stage with the fab four during the concert at the Globe in November 1963. Credit: Mirrorpix

'I remember John saying can you please just be a little quieter'

"When they came on the stage it was just electrifying, it was just like, gasp, a moment," she told ITV Tyne Tees. "The Beatles, you know, I was looking at The Beatles."

She continued: "The screaming was just massive and I remember John saying 'can you please just be a little quieter, so we can sing and you can hear us'. That's one of the things that stands out in my mind when he had to say that because, I actually felt sorry for him."

  • Jean Watts describes what is was like to see the Beatles in Stockton (thumbnail picture credit: Mirrorpix)

Further back, 16-year-old Val was on her own, in the middle of the excitement, for her first concert.

"To me it was really super exciting," she said. "It was just magical to be here.

"Well we didn't sit down, we were up singing and dancing and making a noise, it was just great."

Beatlemania swept the UK in 1963 as the group's popularity grew with fan hysteria common-place at concerts across the country. Credit: Mirrorpix

The memories of that night live long in Stockton, with memorabilia gathered to celebrate the anniversary.

An exhibition, Stockton Sings - 60 Years Since The Beatles, is being held to mark the date, with The Beatles music being brought to a new audience on Wednesday evening.

The free community heritage event and exhibition at the Globe features The Beatles classics performed by local choirs, exclusive footage and Q&A sessions for those who were there on the night of the 1963 gig.

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