The following YouTube clips include the performance of "Twist and Shout" at the Royal Variety Performance in November of 1963, their first appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' in 1964, the trailer for their first film, 'A Hard Day's Night' and their 1966 concert at the Budokan in Japan. Descriptions by Brian Bess
This clip from 'The Beatles Anthology' film includes interviews with the Beatles leading up to the famous appearance at the Royal Variety Performance in November of 1963 where they performed for the Queen. Preceding their performance of “Twist and Shout” John made the famous cheeky announcement—“For those of you in the cheap seats I'd like ya to clap your hands to this one; the rest of you can just rattle your jewelry!”
When the Beatles first appeared on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ on February 9, 1964 they played at the beginning of the show as well as at the end. They played “All My Loving,” “Til There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” The appearance drew one of the largest viewing audiences in TV history. Even the New York crime rate dropped while the Beatles were on! They appeared twice more on February 16 and February 23. Following is their performance of "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
Although a film was already in the planning stages, the Beatles continued the momentum of popularity they had built from the American visit in February and transmitted the spirit of Beatlemania onto film. The massive box office of this black and white faux documentary style film provided proof of their success.
Excerpts from the Beatles performance on June 30, 1966 at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo on their last concert tour before ending live performance altogether and becoming a ‘studio only’ band. Aside from this fact, the concert is noteworthy as an indicator of the disparity between their evolving musical sophistication in the studio and what they could plausibly perform to screaming crowds that could barely hear what they were playing. In this concert only one track from Rubber Soul (“If I Needed Someone”) is performed and one Revolver-era song (current single “Paperback Writer”). Everything else is from Help! or earlier.