The Beatles' rooftop concert

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The Beatles' rooftop concert was the final public performance of the English rock group the Beatles. On 30 January 1969, the band, with keyboardist Billy Preston, surprised a central London business district with an impromptu concert from the roof of Apple headquarters at 3 Savile Row. In a 42-minute set, the Beatles played nine takes of five songs before the Metropolitan Police Service forced them to stop. Footage from the performance was later used in the 1970 documentary film Let It Be.

History[edit]

Although the concert was unannounced, the Beatles had planned on performing live during their Get Back sessions earlier in January.^[1] It is uncertain who had the idea for a rooftop concert, but the suggestion was conceived just days before the actual event.^[2] George Harrison brought in Preston as an additional musician, in the hope that a talented outside observer would encourage the band to be tight and focused.^[2] Ringo Starr remembered:

"There was a plan to play live somewhere. We were wondering where we could go—'Oh, the Palladium or the Sahara.' But we would have had to take all the stuff, so we decided, 'Let's get up on the roof'".^[3]

The audio was recorded onto two eight-track machines in the basement of Apple^[4] by engineer Alan Parsons,^[5] and film director Michael Lindsay-Hogg^[6] brought in a camera crew to capture several angles of the performance—including reactions from people on the street.^[5]

When the Beatles first started playing, there was some confusion from spectators watching five stories below, many of whom were on their lunch break. As the news of the event spread, crowds of onlookers began to congregate in the streets and on the roofs of local buildings. While most responded positively to the concert, the Metropolitan Police Service grew concerned about noise and traffic issues.^[7] Apple employees initially refused to let police inside, ultimately reconsidering when threatened with arrest.^[7]

As police ascended to the roof, the Beatles realized that the concert would eventually be shut down, but continued to play for several more minutes.^[8] Paul McCartneyimprovised the lyrics of his song "Get Back" to reflect the situation, "You've been playing on the roofs again, and you know your Momma doesn't like it, she's gonna have you arrested!"^[9] The concert came to an end with the conclusion of "Get Back," and John Lennon's famous statement, "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we've passed the audition."^[10]

Set list[edit]

The rooftop concert consisted of nine takes of five songs, including:

• "Get Back" (three takes)
• "Don't Let Me Down" (two takes)
• "I've Got a Feeling" (two takes)
• "One After 909" (one take)
• "Dig a Pony" (one take)

One of the performances of "I've Got a Feeling", and the recordings of "One After 909", and "Dig a Pony" were later used for the vinyl release of Let It Be.^[11] In 1996, a "rooftop" version of "Get Back", which was the last song of the Beatles' final live performance, was included in Anthology 3.^[12]

The Beatles' rooftop concert marked the end of an era for many fans. The group would go on to record one more album,Abbey Road, but by November 1969 the Beatles had unofficially disbanded.^[13] Several of the rooftop performances, particularly that of "Dig a Pony", showed the Beatles once again in top form, if only temporarily.^[14] Fans believed the rooftop concert might have been a try-out for a return to live performances and touring.^[15]

The Rutles' "Get Up and Go" sequence in the film All You Need Is Cash mimics the footage of the rooftop concert, and uses similar camera angles.^[16] In January 2009, tribute band the Bootleg Beatles attempted to stage a 40th anniversary concert in the same location, but were refused permission by Westminster City Council due to licensing problems.^[17]

In The Simpsons Fifth Season episode, Homer's Barbershop Quartet The Be Sharps (Homer, Apu, Barney and Principal Skinner) perform a rendition of one of their previous hits on a rooftop. George Harrison who guest-starred in the episode is shown saying dismissively "It's been done!". As the song ends and the credits begin, Homer repeats John Lennon's phrase about passing the audition.^[18]

In the 2007 film Across The Universe, a musical made up entirely of Beatles' music, Sadie's band performs a rooftop concert in New York City which mimics the original. It is interrupted and closed down by the New York Police Department.^[19]

Personnel[edit]

• George Harrison – backing vocals, lead guitar
• John Lennon – lead/backing vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar
• Paul McCartney – lead/backing vocals, bass guitar
• Billy Preston – electric piano
• Ringo Starr – drums

Sources[edit]

• The Beatles (2000). The Beatles Anthology (1st ed.). Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0-8118-3636-4.
• Everett, Walter (1999). The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-512941-0.
• MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (3rd (2007) ed.). Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-733-3.
• Lewisohn, Mark (1992). The Complete Beatles Chronicle:The Definitive Day-By-Day Guide To the Beatles' Entire Career (2010 ed.). Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-56976-534-0.
• Perone, James E (2005). Woodstock: An Encyclopedia of the Music and Art Fair – American history through music. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-33057-5.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia