The singer was plucking the guitar with admirable enthusiasm, belting out some of his finest repertoire in front of an enthusiastic audience.
The crowd, however, were not really there to hear this particular Wonderwall, but rather to pay homage - and procure the now-obligatory selfie against the venue's backdrop.
The set finished as the 1960s playlist resumed and while it was over fifty years since John, Paul, George and Ringo graced that famous Cavern Club stage, the sense of history and excitement existed in abundance as the music bounced around those subterranean brick walls.
The Cavern Club is located on Liverpool's lively Mathew Street and proved the perfect starting place for a night out on the Mersey beat.
The music reverberates about this most iconic of venues from morning 'til the midnight hour, but back in the swinging 60s it was purely a music hall with no alcoholic beverages on sale.
The Dutch courage, in those days, was procured across the road in The Grapes bar, which proved a regular haunt for all the bands performing at the iconic Cavern. The pub remains a musical must-visit when hitting the Liverpool hot spots.
Up early and with the last strains of A Hard Day's Night still ringing in my ears, a ramble down to the dockside to take a ferry 'cross the Mersey proved the perfect way to blow the cobwebs off the evening's over-indulgence.
A fascinating hour on board the boat made famous in song by Gerry and the Pacemakers brings you right back through a historical tour of the city with tales of the dockers, the shipbuilders and the odd smuggler.
Disappointingly, the tannoy only plays one line of that great song on departure, perhaps keeping the staff's sanity in mind, while it's not long before the music of another of Liverpool's famous sons comes to mind.
Elvis Costello's Shipbuilding proved my internal soundtrack as we heard of the city's unbreakable link with the industry that led to Liverpool becoming one of the most prosperous cities of that era.
The ferry has been recently repainted in tribute to the Edward Wadsworth Dazzle ships from the early 20th Century, which were part of the art movement known as vorticism, a form of cubism that represented reality in art.
The final stretch of the ferry brings with it a perfect vista of the city's impressive skyline, which blends a fine mix of classic and contemporary with the imposing and majestic cathedral looming large as the perfect backdrop.
The approach to the quayside brings an excellent look at the city's iconic Royal Liver building, which is now listed as a Grade 1 landmark.
Built in 1911, the once-tallest building in Europe can really be appreciated from the ferry decks and forms one part of the Three Graces, alongside the Port of Liverpool Building and the Cunard Building.
The city is thriving once more and celebrates its shipbuilding past this summer under the title "One Magnificent City" which will see visits by Cunard Cruise ships, the International Mersey River Festival and the re-enactment of the first transatlantic sailing from Liverpool – 175 years on.
The city's waterfront will welcome the Three Cunard Queens - Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria - who will meet in the River Mersey for the first time.
After perhaps turning its back on the past, like many industrial cities trying to evolve with the times, Liverpool is now proving the perfect example of a city embracing and reconnecting with its rich history.
The city has now been recognised by UNESCO and has been designated a Maritime Mercantile City, which comprises six locations throughout the city and includes most of the major landmarks.
Back on terra firma, but sticking with the maritime theme, the adjacent Albert Dock takes you back to that era, while enjoying that aforementioned regeneration. This UNESCO area is now one of the city's top attractions and contains the largest group of Grade 1 listed buildings in the country.
Albert Dock dates back to 1846 and remained a fully working dock until closing in 1972. It has since undergone a huge restoration programme and was reopened as a visitor attraction in 1988. It is now home to the International Slavery Museum, Merseyside Maritime Museum and Tate Liverpool.
The Tate is packed full of world-renowned artists, including a mesmerising Jackson Pollock piece called Summertime Number 9a, which brought out the inner Stone Roses in me, while the top floor was taken over by Irish artist Cathy Wilkes, which kind of spooked me a little as it had me thinking of the Irish famine for some reason.
An hour will be well spent in the quayside museum with a host of other great works to enjoy, from Pablo Picasso to Paul Cezanne. This historic dockside building offers many of its own impressive shots of the Mersey, and its surrounds, from any of the museum windows that sit side by side with the resident artists.
Lunch can be enjoyed in any of the many cafés, bars and restaurants, most boasting waterside views, including Circo, Docklands Fish & Chips, Gusto, PanAm, and What's Cooking.
The Albert Dock Walk will give you a real insight into the city's history and why Liverpool became a UNESCO World Heritage site. However, one of the top tourist attractions is also to be sought out here, as you return to the Beatles theme with a trip down Penny Lane at The Beatles Story museum.
An absolute must for Beatles pilgrims, the tour takes you on a journey right through the lives of the city's most-revered likely lads as they conquered the world before pursuing varying levels of solo success.
You will enjoy the museum's interactive timeline from the 1930s through to the 80s and beyond, while a room of quotes from famous musicians sum up how influential the Beatles were and continue to be. Paul Weller nails it when he says: "You can't touch the Beatles."
I sat for a while in the John Lennon room at the end of the experience and paid homage to one of my true heroes. I imagined a modern world commentary from this beautiful rebel, activist and poet; words emblazoned on the wall of the room.
Another night out in the city and it began with a return to the dockside for some early evening drinks at the stylish Revolution before hitting the city centre.
The eating options are endless throughout the town, especially around Hope Street, which is home to the London Carriage Works, 60 Hope Street, Side Door, Host, the Quarter and Frederiks.
A short walk to Seel Street will keep the night going into the early hours in this lively and most friendly of cities.
So with all the music and cultural curiosities satisfied, there was one glaring omission from my Liverpool city visit and another thing that certainly defines this town almost as much as the music. The footy.
And the clear blue Sunday morning skies set the palette for the afternoon ahead as I took the short hop out of the city centre to Stanley Park to pay a visit to the historic Goodison Park.
Arriving two hours before kick-off, I enjoyed a most welcoming and informative tour of the famous old stadium, which took me back to my childhood. I grew up in a blue house, albeit in Dublin, when Everton were every bit as good, if not better than esteemed neighbours Liverpool FC - just a stone's throw across Stanley Park at Anfield.
A lap of the stadium's exterior takes you on a photographic history of Everton football club, which takes you back to its formation back in 1878 and also brings the club's community values into view. The stadium is located in the middle of rows and rows of terraced houses, with the famous Gwladys Street End housing the true blue faithful.
A larger-than-life statue of the legendary Dixie Dean, who scored 60 league goals in the 1927-28 season, welcomes you through the Goodison gates with reminders throughout of the club's glorious past. There are embedded plaques of the most famous players to have worn the blue with distinction and a giant poster of the Everton 'Holy Trinity' of Howard Kendall, Colin Harvey and World Cup winner Alan Ball.
The match was still over an hour from kick-off but the day was already deemed a success as I was introduced to one of those childhood heroes, Graeme Sharp, who helped Everton to two league titles, the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup in the 1980s.
As for the match, well, it was just another run of the mill victory for The Toffees as they hammered Manchester United 3-0.
The final whistle called time on a great day out at Goodison and proved the culmination of a near-perfect weekend by the banks of the Mersey.
Where to Stay
I stayed at the excellent Crowne Plaza on the dockside, which proves the perfect location, as it sits in the heart of the city's tourist attractions. It is just a five-minute walk from Albert Dock and the Liverpool One shopping district, as well as residing alongside the Mersey Ferry terminus. The rooms boast great views of the waterfront and staff were ultra-friendly and full of information about the city, its nightlife and the best places to visit. The hotel's restaurant also serves a very tasty menu and the hearty breakfast will keep you well fuelled as you traipse the tourist trail before lunch. The hotel also advocated wellness and has running maps of Liverpool, which is a novel way to explore this fine city. www.crowneplaza.com/hotels/gb/en/liverpool/lpluk/hoteldetail
Getting to Liverpool
The flight to Liverpool is a short-hop from Dublin - just over a half- hour - to John Lennon Airport. Ryanair flies daily direct flights from Dublin, while Aer Lingus flies to neighbouring Manchester, which is just an hour by train to Liverpool.
For more information on a City Break to Liverpool, visit: www.VisitLiverpool.com.
Ed Leahy
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