I think that was more than half an hour, even tho Mr Epstein was in charge then. The Star Club in December 1962 was probably one of the last venues to see them for a real full concert. Maybe early 1963 in some local places round Liverpool.
I'm sure that it was more than half an hour ... I think it could be about an hour or ... then a break? ... and finalley another show of about an hour ... I've got no clue but that was always what I'd imagined ...
About The Star Club, I think it was more or less the same: an hour or some more, a break (for a striptease number or something else ) and more after that ... maybe those famous 8 hours were counting the moment the began the evening till the moment the played their last song in the night or in the early morning!LOL) breaks included ... just a theory ...
John Lennon said: "The Maharishi told us not to be too overwhelmed by grief. I have lost only a few people who were very close to me."
Ugh, that got me in the heart. "Only a few people"-- yeah, like his mom. Talk about putting a positive spin on it...
Back on topic. I don't know the length of the Star Club shows specifically, but most of the earlier Hamburg shows described the band as doing 45 minutes on, then a 15-minute break. Of course, the band was badgered to keep playing and shorten their break!
About Brian's shows being so short, from what I read, it was what "professional" groups did on their tours. A tour meant several acts going around the country, and each group did 10 or 15 minutes depending on their status, until the headliner who did--whoa! 30 whole minutes! Or even 35! Bonanza!
So Brian just took that formula to make the Beatles look like all the other professional groups. They still did long shows for ballrooms etc. that they had previously booked, but this was considered a step down from playing theatres. It was the convention of the time, strange and disappointing as it now seems to us. We want our favorite artists to play for 2 hours at least! How cool that could have been. I bet all the girls would have stopped screaming, if only from exhaustion, during a long show, and then they could have heard some banter as well. What a loss for everyone!
All you've got to do is choose love. That's how I live it now. I learned a long time ago, I can feed the birds in my garden. I can't feed them all. -- Ringo Starr, Rolling Stone magazine, May 2007
For all I know, Ringo might be a yogi disguised as a drummer! - George Harrison
The mistake was to think that they were not important enough on their own to make a big show by themselves with maybe another two or three acts ... so they would be able to play for an hour or so too as they surely did in The cavern or The Star Club or ballrooms ...
... did they think that poeple woldn't have paid to see them and that they needed more acts or it was because of how much that tours would have costed?
I think the promoters (and Brian) wre just trying to make as much money as possible with the minimum effort. If kids were prepared to part with their cash for a twenty minute show then that was good business. Quality just wasn't an issue. I would have hoped that The Beatles themselves would have pushed for a better arrangement, but it doesn't seem to have bothered them. They seem to have been caught up in the circus like everyone else. the whole Beatlemania thing seems to have a momentum that no one was prepared (or able) to change. But their defense was that no one was listening anyway. Sad that such a great live act should have been reduced to what seems a shameless self-parody (not their fault though.) Beatlemania was a beast.
According to the new Elizabeth Partridge book about John Lennon, the Beatles played "over 500 hours" after their first trip to Hamburg. Also according to her, the Beatles were initially hired to play 4 hours during the week and 6 hours during the weekends. However, I have a feeling that the Hamburg sessions in particular could go much longer, depending on who was wanting them to play. So this is a pretty loose estimate to start with.
I think what we really need is a time machine so we can go back and check. *begins construction*
Quoted from Kevin
The Stones were doing only 30 minute sets in 66 also. I wonder who broke the mould?
Good info on the Stones. I'd like to learn the answer to this question, too.
All you've got to do is choose love. That's how I live it now. I learned a long time ago, I can feed the birds in my garden. I can't feed them all. -- Ringo Starr, Rolling Stone magazine, May 2007
For all I know, Ringo might be a yogi disguised as a drummer! - George Harrison
Good info on the Stones. I'd like to learn the answer to this question, too.
I tried to find sets for The Who on google but can't. I imagine Dylan was doing longer - but he comes from a folk background so it's probably not a fair comparison. The underground bands like Floyd and The Grateful dead were doing monster sessions, but they weren't tours as such so again no fair. The Doors were doing only 8 song sets in '68 on their European Tour. (which suprised me) Maybe it was a technolgy thing - as sound systems improved and lights and pyrotechnics came in bands felt more able to put on a show - and all that expense and effort meant bands felt obliged to play more. Or maybe it was the gradual influence of bands like Pink Floyd raising the publics expectations.
Another thought - the average age of people who attended those '66 Stones and Beatles concerts was very young. They were happy just to scream. By the 70's bands were playing to people in their twenties, not their teenies. No screaming, higher expectations.... Like most things in life there's probably no one simple answer.
I think that one of the main reasons could be that by mid 60s there were many bands in the same tour and it was a matter of time sharing the stage ... and that didn't happen (or not so much) by late 60s/early 70s when tours with less bands were more than a common thing and a less risky busyNess to finance (seeing the gold mine that it seemed when the biggest groups played in stadiums, more rich people wanted to get more money too ... so more different tours were offered) ... then the bands could play more songs than only their hits and so ...
According to the new Elizabeth Partridge book about John Lennon, the Beatles played "over 500 hours" after their first trip to Hamburg. Also according to her, the Beatles were initially hired to play 4 hours during the week and 6 hours during the weekends. However, I have a feeling that the Hamburg sessions in particular could go much longer, depending on who was wanting them to play. So this is a pretty loose estimate to start with.
In the words of Python, "they use to work up 4 hours a day a week & when they got home, Brian Epstein used to thrash them to sleep with his belt. And you try to tell the young bands of today what the beatles did.. and they won't believe ya!!
It's been a Hard Days Night & i've been working like a dog!
We used to dream of being thrashed to sleep with a belt...
They used to get up half an hour before they went to bed to play in Hamburg... No one believes that, either.
All you've got to do is choose love. That's how I live it now. I learned a long time ago, I can feed the birds in my garden. I can't feed them all. -- Ringo Starr, Rolling Stone magazine, May 2007
For all I know, Ringo might be a yogi disguised as a drummer! - George Harrison
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... and finalley another show of about an hour ... I've got no clue but that was always what I'd imagined ...
) and more after that ... maybe those famous 8 hours were counting the moment the began the evening till the moment the played their last song in the night or in the early morning!LOL) breaks included ... just a theory 
...
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... so more different tours were offered) ... then the bands could play more songs than only their hits and so ...