destroying the instrument and leaving him with two guitars for the tour. Tour history 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 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." The winter weather hindered the band's progress throughout the tour. In Glasgow, Epstein was forced to change their accommodation to an inner-city hotel, to ensure that the Beatles made it on stage. Travel was affected by snow on the roads around Newcastle, by dense fog in Manchester, and by heavy rain on the way to Birmingham. At the first performance at that city's Odeon Cinema, the Moody Blues extended their set to cover for the Beatles' late arrival. The Beatles played the first of two London venues, the Hammersmith Odeon, on 10 December – the day the NME announced that its readers had voted them Best British Group and Best World Group for 1965. In the same poll, Lennon won in the "British Vocal Personality" category. The following day, Melody Maker listed Rubber Soul at number 1 on its national albums chart. The 11 December concerts, at the Astoria in Finsbury Park, north London, received what author Barry Miles later described as a "tremendous" reception. Retracting his earlier statement about the growing maturity of the group's fans, Smith wrote: "I have not seen hysteria like this at a Beatles show since the word Beatlemania erupted into headlines … George Harrison staggered off the