In 1963, the single Please Please Me launched The Beatles’ chart-topping career.
The term “Beatlemania” was coined to sum up the hysteria which surrounded their live shows, but it was quite a different story when they were just starting out.
Ten days before that single was released, the “Fab Four” were playing Dingwall Town Hall, and managed to attract a tiny crowd – fewer than 20 people.
At the time, the top local band was The Melotones. They were playing at the Strathpeffer Pavilion, where they’d attracted more than 1,000 fans.
Eventually, The Beatles hung up their guitars and gave up on Dingwall and headed instead to Strathpeffer, where they joined the merry throng.
Next week, it’s the sound of The Beatles that will have them dancing in The Pavilion as a two-hour musical extravaganza, The Magic of the Beatles, recreates these legendary live performers.
Show producer Michael Taylor said: “The show promises to transport music fans from The Beatles’ mop-top roots to the psychedelia of Sergeant Pepper and beyond, from Love Me Do to Let It Be.
“Fantastic costumes, brilliant vocals and incredible musicianship come together in a lavish magical musical trip back to Yesterday.
“Please Please Me was The Beatles’ very first number one hit and was the genesis of the greatest band in the world.
“Fifty years on, this fantastic show ensures the Fab Four’s incredible musical legacy lives on, live and in concert.”
The show has been performed in virtually every country in Europe. The cast have performed for numerous celebrities including David Beckham and Tiger Woods and appeared alongside The Merseybeats, Coldplay and Girls Aloud.
The band use authentic musical instruments and amplifiers to help to recreate all of the sounds of the originals with stunning accuracy, while replica costumes represent every era of their career – including that fateful, much earlier visit to the Strathpeffer Pavilion.
The Magic of The Beatles is at the Strathpeffer Pavilion on Wednesday, October 2, at 8pm. Tickets, priced £18.50 online from WeGotTickets.com and TicketWeb.co.uk, or from the 24-hour hotline on 08444 771000.