December 3rd, 1965
The Beatles’ 1965 tour of the United Kingdom was a concert tour that took place between 3 and 12 December 1965, comprising 18 shows at nine venues across England, Scotland and Wales.
It coincided with the release of the Beatles’ studio album Rubber Soul and their double A-side single “Day Tripper” / “We Can Work It Out”, and was the final UK tour undertaken by the band.
Weary of Beatlemania, the group conceded to do the tour but refused to also perform a season of Christmas concerts as they had done over the 1963–64 and 1964–65 Christmas seasons.
The last concert tour of Britain by The Beatles did not begin in Glasgow but rather in Sheffield. The tour, often referred to as the “1965 British Tour,” marked The Beatles’ final series of concerts in their home country before they transitioned to focusing on studio work and more elaborate productions.
The tour began on December 3, 1965, with 2 shows in Glasgow at the Odeon Cinema. The itinerary included several other cities in the UK, such as Birmingham, Newcastle, and Liverpool, among others.
This tour is notable for being the last time The Beatles performed in a conventional concert setting in the United Kingdom. Afterward, they focused on studio recording, and their live performances became more sporadic and geared towards larger audiences, such as their final concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in August 1966.
The Beatles’ decision to retire from touring was influenced by various factors, including the increasing challenges of playing live amid the screams of enthusiastic fans and their desire to focus on studio experimentation and artistic growth.
