The Avalon theatre in Hollywood is where The Beatles played their first gig on the west coast in 1964. On Super Tuesday it hosted a rally for Barack Obama, and although the man himself was elsewhere, the noise that greeted his wins in Alaska, Iowa and Georgia reached Beatlemania proportions.

California has traditionally been a Clinton stronghold and Mr Obama failed to win the popular vote in Tuesday’s primary. But with 45 per cent of precincts reporting, he trailed Mrs Clinton by only 15 points with 38 per cent of the vote, adding at least 100 additional delegates to his nationwide tally and ensuring that he remains firmly in contention for the Democratic nomination