On this day in 1969, the Beatles performed an impromptu 42-minute gig, which would be their last live performance.
A crowd gathered below on Savile Row in Central London and watched in awe as the legendary band performed from the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters with contagious energy despite the tensions that had been brewing behind the scenes.
At the time, the band was plagued by John Lennon’s addiction, George Harrison’s brief exit and Paul McCartney’s unrequited efforts at cheering the band up. Controversy also surrounded the group after Lennon’s comment that the band had become “more popular than Jesus.”
The impromptu gig, which was initially conceived as a way to capture live footage for their Get Back project – a “behind the scenes” footage for a television special – turned into an unforgettable moment in rock history.
Despite the cold January weather, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr delivered a raw and electric set, with Billy Preston accompanying them on the keyboards. The rooftop performance showcased the band’s ability to captivate an audience, even as internal conflicts were leading them toward their eventual breakup.
However, not everyone was pleased with the spectacle. Complaints about the noise soon reached the police, who arrived at the scene in an attempt to shut down the performance.
In the footage, McCartney can be seen noticing the officers and cheekily ad-libbing during “Get Back,” singing, “You’ve been playing on the roofs again, and you know your momma doesn’t like it!” Ultimately, the band was forced to stop, bringing their final live performance to an abrupt end.
As they wrapped up, John Lennon cheekily quipped, “I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition.” It was a fitting farewell to their final public performance.
The full setlist of the performance was as follows:
- “Get Back” (take one)
- “Get Back” (take two)
- “Don’t Let Me Down” (take one)
- “I’ve Got a Feeling” (take one)
- “One After 909”
- “Dig a Pony”
- “I’ve Got a Feeling” (take two)
- “Don’t Let Me Down” (take two)
- “Get Back” (take three)
Despite its sudden conclusion, the rooftop concert remains one of the most iconic moments in music history. It captured the Beatles in their last moments as a live band—unfiltered, spontaneous, and still capable of creating magic together. The footage from this performance later became central to Peter Jackson’s documentary The Beatles: Get Back, offering fans an intimate look at the creative process of the world’s most influential rock band.
