Friday, January 30, 2009

Beatles History: 40th Anniversary of Rooftop Concert

Today, January 30, 2009, marks the 40th anniversary of the Beatles last public performance. On January 30, 1969, the Beatles performed the following songs on the top of 3 Saville Row in London, which was headquarters for Apple Corps, Ltd.

Don't Let Me Down
Get Back
I've Got a Feeling
I Dig a Pony
One After 909

The concert was done to provide an ending for the film Let It Be. The group had originally planned for the Let It Be project to be a rehearsal for a live concert, but individual band memebers could not agree on a venue. By the end of filming, the rift among the Beatles had grown wider, and the group simply wanted to get the project over with.

The impromptu concert cuased a stir on London streets, with hundreds of pedestrians on the streets below (and adjoining rooftops) stopping to listen and watch the performance. The London police made efforts to stop the performance, which continued nevertheless. In Anthology, the Beatles said that being hauled away by the police would have made an even better ending to the film.

No comments:

Post a Comment