BEATLES MAGAZINE: THE BEATLES ROOFTOP CONCERT: 56 YEARS AGO

Thursday, 30 January 2025

THE BEATLES ROOFTOP CONCERT: 56 YEARS AGO

Today, January 30th, marks the 56th anniversary of an iconic moment in music history: the Beatles' surprise rooftop concert at Apple Corps, their studio on Savile Row, London. It was a cold day, but the energy emanating from the rooftop was contagious.

Without warning, John, Paul, George, and Ringo, accompanied by keyboardist Billy Preston, emerged onto the roof to perform a handful of songs. People gathered in the streets, on rooftops, and at windows, creating an atmosphere of excitement and awe.

The rooftop concert became an unforgettable memory in the minds of Beatles fans. Today, 56 years later, its legacy lives on, inspiring new generations of musicians and music lovers.

the band played a 42-minute set before the Metropolitan Police arrived and ordered them to reduce the volume. It was the final public performance of their career. They performed nine takes of five new songs as crowds of onlookers, many on lunch breaks, congregated in the streets and on the rooftops of nearby buildings to listen. The concert ended with "Get Back", and 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."

The entire performance was filmed and recorded, and footage was used in the 1970 documentary film Let It Be and the 2021 documentary series The Beatles: Get Back. 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. On 28 January 2022, the audio of the full rooftop performance was released to streaming services under the title Get Back – The Rooftop Performance.In February 2022, Disney released the entire concert sequence as presented in The Beatles: Get Back in IMAX as The Beatles: Get Back – The Rooftop Concert.

Setlist:

    "Get Back" (Take 1) – 4:43
    "Get Back" (Take 2) – 3:24
    "Don't Let Me Down" (Take 1) – 3:22
    "I've Got a Feeling" (Take 1) – 4:44
    "One After 909" – 3:09
    "Dig a Pony" – 5:52
    "God Save the Queen" (Traditional, arranged by Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starkey) – 0:26
    "I've Got a Feeling" (Take 2) – 5:35
    "Don't Let Me Down" (Take 2) – 3:30
    "Get Back" (Take 3) – 3:47