Though the Beatles formed in 1960, it wasn’t until two years later that they scored their first hit, “Love Me Do.”
Their hometown of Liverpool is making plans to mark the occasion with a series of events running through the latter half of this year. It begins in August, the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first show at the Cavern Club. The city’s leading tour operator is organizing International Beatles Week, with bands from more than 20 countries. In addition to concerts, the sponsor plans exhibitions, memorabilia sales, guest speakers, video shows, sightseeing tours and a convention.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic will perform The Two of Us: The Lennon and McCartney Songbook in June, and the city’s Philharmonic Hall hosts a Beatles weekend in December.
In October, the “Love Me Do” weekend at Albert Dock will celebrate the release of the Beatles’ first single.
This is the start of what’s expected to be a wave of events around the world over the next two years, marking the British Invasion’s half century anniversary.
Earlier this month, Paul McCartney revealed the Beatles talked about getting back together while all four members were still living. But McCartney said they ultimately decided against re-forming out of worries they’d destroy their legacy.
McCartney told Rolling Stone magazine magazine that a revival “could have spoiled the whole idea of the Beatles, so wrong that they’d be like, ‘Oh my God, they weren’t any good.’”
