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On 30
January 1969, the Beatles enacted the final public performance of their career
with an unannounced concert held from the rooftop of their Apple Corps
headquarters at 3 Savile Row, within central London's office and fashion
district. Joined by keyboardist Billy Preston, the band played a 42-minute set
before the Metropolitan Police asked them to reduce the volume.
Although
the concert was conceived just days before, the Beatles were planning a return
to live performances throughout the early sessions for their album Let It Be
(1970). They performed nine takes of five songs as crowds of onlookers, many of
whom were on their lunch break, congregated in the streets and on the roofs of
local buildings. The concert ended with the conclusion of "Get Back",
with John Lennon joking, "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group
and ourselves and I hope we've passed the audition."
Footage
from the performance was used in the 1970 documentary film Let It Be. The first
performance of "I've Got a Feeling" and single takes of "One
After 909" and "Dig a Pony" were also featured on the
accompanying album.
Although
the concert was unannounced, the Beatles had planned on performing live during
their Get Back sessions earlier in January. According to author Mark Lewisohn,
it is uncertain who had the idea for a rooftop concert, but the suggestion was
conceived just days before the actual event. George Harrison brought in
keyboardist Billy Preston as an additional musician, in the hope that a
talented outside observer would encourage the band to be tight and focused. In
Preston's recollection, the idea to perform on the Apple Corps rooftop was John
Lennon's. 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."
In his
autobiography Sound Man, recording engineer Glyn Johns claims the idea for the
concert was his. Former Apple Records Ken Mansfield believed it most likely
that the idea came from director Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
The audio
was recorded onto two eight-track recorders in the basement studio at Apple[9]
by engineer Alan Parsons. Film director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, working on what
would become Let It Be, brought in a camera crew to capture several angles of
the performance, including reactions from people on the street.
When the
Beatles first started playing, there was some confusion from spectators
watching five storeys 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 grew concerned about noise and traffic
issues. Apple employees initially refused to let police inside, but
reconsidered when threatened with arrest.
As police
ascended to the roof, the Beatles realised that the concert would eventually be
shut down, but continued to play for several more minutes.[ Paul McCartney
improvised 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 going to have you arrested!" The concert came
to an end with the conclusion of "Get Back", with Lennon saying,
"I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope
we've passed the audition."
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