In March 1963, during their tour with Chris Montez and Tommy Roe, The Beatles had to perform without John Lennon after he came down with a severe case of the flu.

His illness forced him to miss several dates, starting with the performance in Bedford. In his absence, George Harrison stepped up, taking over lead vocals on tracks normally sung by John, such as “Misery.”

John was sidelined for a few days while he recovered, missing the show on the 12th in Bedford, the 13th at the Rialto in York, and the 14th at the Gaumont in Wolverhampton. With George leading the way, this marked one of the first times the band had to adapt their live set due to a missing member.

This trek was the first major British tour of 1963. Although headlined by Tommy Roe and Chris Montez, The Beatles quickly stole the spotlight and became the main attraction. Their setlist included:

• Love Me Do

• Misery

• A Taste Of Honey

• Do You Want To Know A Secret?

• Please Please Me

• I Saw Her Standing There

John Lennon finally returned to the stage on March 15th to perform both sets at Colston Hall in Bristol.