The group played two sets on two consecutive nights at the venue, performing the same ten songs in each show. 300,000 people lined the 10-mile route between
Adelaide Airport and the city centre in the hope of seeing them pass by. Paul recalled: ‘It was like a heroes' welcome…We came in from the airport – it was the same in Liverpool for the première of a A Hard Day's Night, with the whole city centre full of people – and the crowds were lining the route and we were giving them the thumbs up.’
The capacity of the Centennial Hall was 3,000 but there were over 50,000 applications for seats. The support acts were Sounds Incorporated, Johnny Devlin, Johnny Chester and The Phantoms. Jimmy Nicol had been lined up as the stand-in drummer because of Ringo’s sudden attack of tonsilitis, He was a well-respected session
player and had accompanied such artists as Joe Brown, Billy Fury and Georgie Fame. Some years later, Nicol spoke about the experience: ‘Standing in for Ringo was the worst thing that ever happened to me’ and less than a year later, Jimmy was declared bankrupt with debts of over £4,000. He reportedly inspired the Sgt. Pepper’s
song Getting Better. The boys kept asking him how it was all going, to which he invariably replied “It’s getting better.”
The 2SM engineers get a good sound balance after the end of I Saw Her Standing There. From the moment they start to play I Want To Hold Your Hand, the guitars and
vocals are crystal clear. Unfortunately for Jimmy Nicol fans, there was no microphone on the drums. But this does give us a marvellous opportunity to assess the how
the Beatles might have sounded as a three-piece. Luckily, there must have been excellent stage monitors allowing the band to hear themselves above the screaming, because the harmonies are spot on and George’s guitar playing is faultless. (Recorded in Adelaide and broadcast by 2SM on June 12th 1964, except* recorded in
Sydney on June 18th and + recorded in Melbourne June 16th).
Label
Southbound
Genre
Pop & Rock LP - SIDE A
I Saw Her Standing There
I Want To Hold Your Hand
All My Loving
She Loves You
Till There Was You
Roll Over Beethoven
Can't Buy Me Love
This Boy
LP - SIDE B
Twist And Shout
Long Tall Sally
Adelaide Press Conference
Can't Buy Me Love-Paul+
This Boy-John (with Paul and George)+
I Saw Her Standing There-Sydney Newsreel*
You Can't Do That-Sydney Newsreel*
I Saw Her Standing There-Jimmy Nicol mix

SOUTHBOUND