The Beatles' 1965 tour of the United Kingdom was a concert tour that took place between 3 and 12 December 1965, comprising 18 shows at nine venues across England, Scotland and Wales. It coincided with the release of the Beatles' studio album Rubber Soul and their double A-side single "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out", and was the final UK tour undertaken by the band. Weary of Beatlemania, the group conceded to do the tour but refused to also perform a season of Christmas concerts as they had done over the 1963–64 and 1964–65 Christmas seasons. Background and repertoire Whereas the venues for the Beatles' summer 1965 tour of the United States had been arenas and large auditoriums, their UK concerts were all held in theatres and cinemas. The Beatles rehearsed thoroughly for the tour; according to George Harrison's comments to the NME, their ensemble playing was also helped by their having just finished an intensive period of recording for Rubber Soul. The album marked a significant progression from the band's Merseybeat roots, furthering the musical direction they had first adopted with their late 1964 release, Beatles for Sale. For the first time in their setlist for a tour, they now eschewed any songs from before the Beatles for Sale era. The band chose their 1964 hit "I Feel Fine", sung by John Lennon, to open the shows, while their closing song, Paul McCartney's "I'm Down", became what NME journalist Alan Smith later described as "the 1965 'Twist And Shout'". Typically for the 1960s, the UK concerts were arranged in a package-tour format, with multiple acts on the bill and two performances held each day. The support acts on the program were the Moody Blues, the Paramounts, Beryl Marsden, Steve Aldo, the Koobas, and the Marionettes. At £1000 per engagement, the Beatles' fee was the highest paid to a performing act in Britain up to that time. The group's preparation ended with a rehearsal on 1 December at the London flat shared by Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans – the Beatles' long-serving road managers and roadies. Aside from the four band members and their manager, Brian Epstein, the tour personnel comprised only Aspinall, Evans, press officer Tony Barrow and a chauffeur, Alf Bicknell. On the way to Scotland for the first show, Harrison's Gretsch Country Gentleman fell from the group's car and into the path of a truck,