IT is 50 years today since the youthful Rolling Stones played Warrington’s Parr Hall.
The band, who had just finished their first British tour, sold out the 1,100 capacity venue even though they’d only released two singles and hadn’t brought out their first album.
Despite having a number of refurbishments Parr Hall has remained relatively similar since the gig, which can be seen in photographs of the band on stage with the iconic Cavaille-Col Organ clearly visible in the background, which has remained untouched since 1925.
Photographs, taken by a local named Chris Culleton, show Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill 
Wyman and Charlie Watts in the venue’s dressing rooms.
At the time the band were growing more and more popular and three days earlier made an appearance on UK TV show “Ready, Steady, Go”! where, backstage, they heard about the assassination of John F Kennedy, an event which would feature in the lyrics of their hit “Sympathy For The Devil” in 1968.
The Rolling Stones have gone onto release 107 singles, 57 music videos,
30 compilation albums and have played more than 1,600 live shows ncluding a headline slot at Glastonbury in June this year.
Chris Persoglio, venue and events manager, said: “It’s fantastic that so many huge bands, like The Rolling Stones, have chosen to come to Warrington to play at Parr Hall. The fact that we were able to host a Rolling Stones gig as they were coming up to the height of their fame is great for the venue”.
Pictures, by Chris Culleton, show the band on stage and in their dressing room.
