On This Day, Jan. 30, 1969: The Beatles gave their final public performance

Posted By: Staff
January 30, 2025 @ 11:30 am
Music News

On This Day, Jan. 30, 1969 …

The Beatles gave their final public performance on Apple Records’ rooftop in London. The band, who was joined by guest keyboardist Billy Preston, did nine takes of five songs — “Get Back,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “One After 909” and “Dig A Pony.” The police pulled the plug after 42 minutes.

The concert took place while The Beatles were recording what would become their album Let It Be. It was released May 8, 1970, almost a month after the band’s breakup.

Footage from the concert was used in the 1970 documentary Let It Be. A remastered version of the doc debuted on Disney+ in 2024.

In 2021, the entire rooftop performance was featured in the eight-hour Disney+ docuseries The Beatles: Get Back, directed by Peter Jackson. The full rooftop concert was then released to streaming services as a standalone album, Get Back – The Rooftop Performance, in January 2022.

The Beatles: Get Back went on to win five Emmys, including best limited documentary series.