Hamburg, City of music: Celebrating 60 years of The Beatles
“Stream & Shout” – the grand anniversary show on 17 August 2020 at 9 pm (CET) streamed live from the Indra music club, St Pauli www.stream-shout.hamburg
Hamburg, 27 July 2020 - On 17 August 1960, five young lads from Liverpool made their very first public appearance as “The Beatles” – live on stage at the Indra in Hamburg. In the following two years, they would lay the foundations for their global career in the live clubs of St Pauli, Hamburg’s infamous red-light district at the time. This summer, Hamburg will be celebrating the Beatles’ 60th anniversary with a dedicated event: the grand “Stream & Shout” show on 17 August 2020. The event will be hosted by Stefanie Hempel, Hamburg’s Beatles expert, who will be joined by friends from the music scene, celebrity guests as well as contemporary witnesses. Together, they will be presenting a unique rock'n'roll programme at the original venue, the Indra, to be enjoyed via live stream at www.stream-shout.hamburg. Hamburg’s landmark, the Elbphilharmonie concert hall, will also be joining in on the anniversary celebrations with a special live act.
Hamburg – where the Beatles story began
It was on 17 August 1960 that John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best first performed at the Indra music club in the legendary St Pauli neighbourhood. This was their very first official engagement as The Beatles, and some of them were actually still minors at the time. With only a few interruptions, the Liverpool lads then spent two years in Hamburg, paving the way for their unparalleled world career. In Hamburg, the Beatles would spend more time on stage than anywhere else in the world – as part of 281 gigs, five engagements with four different live clubs, and with a total of 1,200 hours performing live at various Hamburg venues. With months of consecutive engagements and endless nights in the clubs of St Pauli, the Beatles swiftly turned into a professional live band. Hamburg is also the place where they met Ringo Starr, where they shaped their unique style and where they acquired their iconic haircut. Or, as John Lennon aptly put it, the lads “grew up in Hamburg, not Liverpool”.
Hamburg’s Minister for Culture and Media, Dr Carsten Brosda, commented: “The Beatles’ unparalleled world career began in Hamburg 60 years ago, and their influence continues to shape music today. Hamburg is proud of these Liverpudlians who found their happiness in Hamburg. And this was also made possible by the free, creative spirit prevailing in our city and its excellent club scene.”
Stream & Shout – the grand anniversary show streamed live from the Indra
On the occasion of the Beatles 60th Hamburg anniversary, Hamburg now invites Beatles fans from around the world to enjoy the Stream & Shout programme via live stream directly from the original location. At www.stream-shout.hamburg as well as on Facebook (www.facebook.com/hamburgahoi) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/wwwhamburgde), Hamburg's Beatles expert Stefanie Hempel will be hosting the event on 17 August from 9 pm (CET) straight from the Indra in St Pauli. Together with her band, she will be presenting a unique rock'n'roll programme – including a recreated original Beatles set from August 1960 as well as some of the Beatles’ greatest hits and legendary songs. Performing fellow musicians at the Indra will include the Kaiser Quartett, Cäthe, Bernd Begemann, Jessy Martens, Billy King, Jimmy Cornett, and Michèl von Wussow.
There will be classic pieces and new interpretations alongside entertaining stories and anecdotes from the young Beatles’ wild years in Hamburg. US journalist and television presenter David Patrician will be leading through the programme in English, and Beatles fans can look forward to appearances of contemporary witnesses, among them Rosi Sheridan and Günter Zint as well as a number of surprise guests. What is more, companions and friends of the Beatles from all over the world will be joining the event digitally, among them the Cavern Club in Liverpool, the US band Bambi Kino, German comedian Otto Waalkes, Beatles expert Mark Lewisohn, and many more. Together with the Hamburg-based marching band Albers Ahoi, Stefanie Hempel will also take the audience on a musical discovery tour around Hamburg's legendary St Pauli district.
As a hotspot for early rock'n'roll music, Hamburg goes down in international music history, and with the upcoming Stream & Shout show, the cultural hub in Northern Germany now invites people from around the globe to explore and celebrate the city's unique musical legacy. The anniversary show is a cooperation of Hamburg Marketing GmbH and Hamburg Tourismus GmbH with Hempel's Beatles Tour, hamburg.de and SAM Medien – kindly supported by the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media, fritz-kola, and the BIMM Institute Hamburg.
A special live act at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Hamburg's landmark, the Elbphilharmonie concert hall, will also be joining in on the anniversary celebrations: as part of the “Elbphilharmonie Konzertkino”, there will be a live stream from the Elbphilharmonie’s Grand Hall prior to the Stream & Shout show. Starting at 8 pm (CET), a premiere honouring the Beatles, arranged by jazz pianist Julia Hülsmann, will be streamed especially for the occasion. She will be accompanied by Nils Wogram (trombone) and Christopher Dell (vibraphone). The live stream from the Elbphilharmonie will also be available at www.stream-shout.hamburg as well as on Facebook (Hamburg Ahoi) and YouTube (wwwhamburgde). Further information on the “Elbphilharmonie Konzertkino” is available at www.elbphilharmonie.de.
St Pauli: unique club culture and springboard for up-and-coming artists
In Hamburg, the spirit of the Beatles can still be felt today – not only in the many places where you can follow in the trail of the Fab Four as part of a themed guided tour, such as the musical Beatles tour with Stefanie Hempel, but above all in the countless live music clubs on the Reeperbahn and at Hamburg’s various music festivals. Each year in September, for example, the Reeperbahn Festival, Europe's biggest club festival, offers an ideal forum for newcoming bands, some of which perform on the very same stages where the Beatles would have played back in 1960.
In St Pauli, the Beatles gradually turned into professional musicians, and even today this legendary district of Hamburg continues to serve as the breeding ground for up-and-coming talent. The BIMM Institute Hamburg, for instance, is located right in the heart of St Pauli. Providing training and support to young talent seeking to start a career in the music industry, the BIMM partners with experienced experts from the industry to ensure that students can gain relevant insights and acquire practical skills. As Europe's largest music institute with eight locations across the UK, Ireland and Germany, the BIMM Institute offers three-year Bachelor's programmes in the fields of performance, music business, music production and songwriting. All degree courses are taught in English.
Further information on the music city of Hamburg is available at www.hamburg-travel.com/music. To find the perfect hotel or accommodation package for your Hamburg trip, please visit www.hamburg-travel.com or call our Hamburg experts on +49 40-30051-720.
Media service:
YouTube link for embedding the live stream from the Indra, 9 pm (CET):
YouTube link for embedding the live stream from the Elbphilharmonie, 8 pm (CET):
A comprehensive press kit with background information and stories on the Beatles in Hamburg is available at www.marketing.hamburg.de/60-years-of-the-beatles.html
Royalty-free photos for editorial use are available for download at https://mediaserver.marketing.hamburg.de/web/718d2905771a8417/presskit_hamburg_beatles/
Further information, stories and tips relating to Hamburg are also available from Hamburg Marketing GmbH’s Media Relations team at www.mediarelations.hamburg.de
More picture material and footage for editorial use at www.mediaserver.hamburg.de
Contacts for international media:
Hamburg Tourismus GmbH
Julia Bankus, Project Manager Media Relations
Phone: +49 40 30051 495, Julia.bankus@hamburg-tourismus.de
Hamburg Marketing GmbH
Natalie Ruoß, Freelancer City of Music
Phone: +49 40 41111 0639, natalie.ruoss@freelancer.marketing.hamburg.de