50th Anniversary of The Beatles First Hamburg Performance - VIDEO ENHANCED

HAMBURG, Germany - August 17, 2010: Fifty years ago today, the four lads from Liverpool known as The Beatles played their first gig in Hamburg, Germany - the venue that was to change John, Paul, George and Ringo's (not to mention Pete Best's - the band's original drummer)life forever.

Although it would take another two and a half years, and nearly 300 additional performances in the German town, The Beatles led the charge in changing virtually every aspect of our lives forever. Fashion, style, design, music, entertainment, and even political thought were affected by The Beatles and the ensuing British Invasion. And, of course, the automobile industry was rocked - literally and figuratively - by these changes.

Now, exactly 50 years later Hamburg honours their exceptional contribution to the history of pop music with a string of exciting events.

Old friends of the Beatles look forward to the anniversary. For example Horst Fascher, the man who brought the Beatles to Hamburg and owner of the legendary Star Club – can tell lots of stories about the “wild years” of The Beatles in Hamburg.

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Beatles fans from all over the world will jump at the chance to experience one of the four concerts Bambi Kino, an all-star band from New York City, will play at the still existing Indra in Hamburg from August 17th to 20th. Bambi Kino, consisting of members of internationally renowned bands such as Maplewood, Nada Surf, Moby and Cat Power, will bring pop history back to life by re-creating exactly the same songs the Beatles performed during their very first concert in Hamburg (www.bambi-kino.com).

The love of detail, passion for the project and fine reputation of the musicians involved in Bambi Kino, as well as the historic location will make this a once-in-a-lifetime event in Germany's most creative neighbourhood St. Pauli with the world-famous Reeperbahn and it's adjacent streets. Mark Rozzo (Maplewood/Bambi Kino): "When you walk up and down Hamburg's Grosse Freiheit, there's a crackle in the air. It's like Beale Street in Memphis or Bourbon Street in New Orleans. People are ducking their heads into the doorways of the clubs where the Beatles played, looking for echoes of what happened there 50 years ago. It's still one of the ultimate Meccas of rock and roll." In fact nowadays as well countless cutting-edge music clubs line the neon bright Reeperbahn, which has become an entertainment boulevard during the last 20 years, hosting exciting live music, theatre shows, big musicals, delicious restaurants and lots of subculture.

What else is on the typical Beatles fans to-do-list during their pilgrimage to Hamburg? Visit Beatlemania (www.beatlemania-hamburg.de), Hamburg‘s Beatles museum at Nobistor 10, close by the Beatles square with it‘s Beatles sculpture right at the start of the Große Freiheit. Beatlemania fills five storeys exclusively devoted to commemorating the Fab Four. Travel through time, re-living the world of the Beatles on over 1300 square metres full of extraordinary displays of original Beatles items and unconventional presentations. Afterwards take part in their Beatles barge tour including St. Pauli walk, harbour tour and coffee & cake.

Join musician Stefanie Hempel on her walking Beatles tour (www.stattreisen-hamburg.de ), which guides you to all the important Beatles spots in St. Pauli. Listen to lots of anecdotes from that time and many Beatles songs, Stefanie sings live, accompanied by her tiny ukulele.

If you want to know, what is happening in all the historic clubs where the Beatles used to play, shake your booty to Indie Rock in the basement club Kaiserkeller on Große Freiheit. Or dance the night away to black music and house tracks in the Moondoo on the Reeperbahn, formerly known as Top Ten. You might as well listen to cutting edge bands of the moment in the tiny Molotow at Spielbudenplatz 5. It very well does the job of scouting new talent, which in the Sixties was the distinguishing mark of the legendary Star-Club.

And don't miss the famous Reeperbahn Festival, which takes place every last weekend in September. This year for the fifth time Germany‘s biggest club festival invites about 180 international newcomers to some 25 cutting-edge and historic clubs of Beatles-fame on the Reeperbahn. Big time! (September 23 – 25, www.reeperbahnfestival.com)

So during the early Sixties, Hamburg made The Beatles stars. Nowadays the music metropolis invites everybody to newly discover this magnificent legacy. The Beatles themselves never tired of stressing the importance of their apprenticeship years in Hamburg with John Lennon confessing: „I was born in Liverpool, but I grew up in Hamburg.“