On This Day in 1969: The Beatles Climbed Onto a London Rooftop for Their Final Ever Public Performance – An Unannounced, Police-Interrupted 42-Minute Rock Masterclass That Changed Music History Forever!

A Rooftop Set in London

On January 30, 1969, The Beatles gave their last public performance on the roof of Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row in London. The band — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — stepped outside during the filming of what would become their Let It Be project. They were joined by keyboardist Billy Preston for what became a surprise concert that drew crowds from the streets and nearby rooftops.

The performance lasted about 42 minutes before London’s Metropolitan Police arrived and told the group to lower the volume. The band continued long enough to record multiple takes of several songs for the cameras and microphones set up to record the moment.

Songs and Takes Played

During the impromptu set, The Beatles ran through nine takes of five songs. The tunes included “Get Back,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “I’ve Got a Feeling,” “One After 909” and “Dig a Pony.” These performances would later appear in their 1970 album Let It Be and the 2021 Disney+ docuseries The Beatles: Get Back.

Many lunch‑hour pedestrians stopped to watch, while some office workers listened from nearby buildings. As the police approached, Paul McCartney joked about getting arrested for playing on the roof. The band carried on until they were told to stop and finally closed with “Get Back.” John Lennon then told those gathered, “I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition.”

Filming and Legacy

The rooftop concert was filmed from multiple angles, with cameras placed on nearby roofs and in the Apple reception area to capture the action and crowd reaction. The footage became the climax of the Let It Be documentary released in 1970. It also became a key moment in Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back series, which brought new attention to the event decades later.

Despite its short length and unexpected setting, the rooftop performance marked the final time The Beatles played live in public, closing a major chapter in the history of popular music.