On a cold day in January 1969, The Beatles, who hadn’t played live since 1965, took to the rooftop of the headquarters of Apple Records, located at 3 Savile Row, in central London. And there they played an impromptu last gig, much to the delight of Londoners on nearby rooftops … and to the chagrin of the police.
At the time, The Beatles were recording their final album, Let It Be, and the rooftop show let them run through various tracks from that last effort. Above, we have them playing “Get Back,” accompanied by Billy Preston on the keyboards. This longer clip shows them segueing from “Get Back” to “Don’t Let Me Down.” Next you can watch them jam through “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “One After 909,” and “Danny Boy.” And finally “Dig A Pony” and another version of “Get Back.”
Famously, The Beatles’ live legacy ends with the police shutting down the show (it was a noise violation, you know?) and John Lennon uttering the immortal words, “I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition.” That’s going out in style…
Footnote: It’s not clear which band played the first rooftop concert, but one thing is for sure. Jefferson Airplane played their own rooftop gig on December 7, 1968, and Jean-Luc Godard filmed it. Once again, the police pay a friendly visit. Watch it here.
i believe this is erroneous information. let it be was not their last record and also they played live last on aug 29 1966 in san francisco. thanx
Sorry to correct you there, but Let It Be was their last studio album as a full band, and the concert was played in ’69 — several years after they stopped touring…
Just to clarify the recording chronology: Most of “Let It Be” was recorded in January 1969. Recording for Abbey Road began in April of 1969.
Props to the guy rocking up to the rooftop with a pipe in his mouth. Those were classier days.