The opening shows took place at the Odeon Cinema in
Glasgow on 2 December. In his feature article covering the first four stops on the itinerary – Glasgow,
Newcastle,
Liverpool and
Manchester – Smith reported that while the fans' reaction did not seem as wild as it had been in previous years, "it's been capacity audiences, screaming [fans] and better-than-ever performances by the group all the way." Part of the reason for the less-frenzied mood surrounding the tour, Smith said, was due to a heavy police presence, which meant that roads around the venues were closed off and crowd numbers were confined to only those attending the concerts. — the venue for the Beatles' final concert in their hometown The Beatles returned to their hometown of Liverpool on 5 December to play at the
Empire Theatre, with their friends and family members among the audience. At the second show that evening, McCartney accompanied the Koobas (on drums) during their performance of "
Dizzy Miss Lizzy". Otherwise, McCartney expressed disappointment at the level of police protection, saying: "just lately it's getting ridiculous. There are so many of them about, it ruins the whole atmosphere of enjoyment." These shows proved to be the final UK concerts the Beatles played outside London, where they went on to perform for the last time at the
NME Poll-Winners' Concert in May 1966. ==Set list==