Beatles’ Famous Rooftop Concert: 15 Things You Didn’t Know
Mercifully, the guerrilla happening was preserved for all time by director Jean-Luc Godard, who filmed the incident as part of his One A.M. project. It’s unknown whether the Beatles were directly inspired by the Airplane’s antics, but press coverage (not to mention their friendship with the band) would have likely made them aware of it.
The film is directed by the secret son of Orson Welles — allegedly.
Having worked with the Beatles on their recent promotional videos for “Hey Jude” and “Revolution,” American filmmaker Lindsay-Hogg was the logical choice to direct the Get Back project. He arranged an army of cameras to capture the moment from all angles, sending a crew into the street, the adjacent building, and the Apple reception area — not to mention the five cameras on the roof itself. The result is some of the most iconic concert footage in history.
Film prowess may be in his blood. In his 2011 autobiography, Lindsay-Hogg revealed that he believes himself to be the only son of cinema giant Orson Welles. His mother, actress Geraldine Fitzgerald, publically denied the rampant rumors, but she allegedly acknowledged the truth to family friend Gloria Vanderbilt. When Welles’ oldest daughter supported Lindsay-Hogg’s claim, he submitted to a DNA test. The results were inconclusive.
Lennon and Starr wore their ladies’ coats.
It was 45 degrees in London that raw January afternoon, and that doesn’t account for the icy wind whipping over the West End buildings. Impending fog had ruled out an expensive helicopter aerial shot, and the threat of rain was very real. These conditions were not ideal to making rock and roll. “[My] hands [are] too cold to play the chords,” Lennon muttered between songs, and Apple Corps exec Ken Mansfield held a constant stream of lit cigarettes so George Harrison could warm his fingertips. To ward off the winter chill, Lennon borrowed Yoko Ono’s fur coat (as he did on occasion). Ringo Starr also donned his wife Maureen’s red raincoat.
The microphones were wrapped in women’s pantyhose.
The cold gusts also proved to be a problem for the delicate studio microphones recording the drums and guitar amplifiers. In need of a quick shield to minimize wind noise, tape engineer (and future Pink Floyd cohort) Alan Parsons was dispatched that morning to buy women’s pantyhose. “I walked into this department store and said, ‘I need three pairs of pantyhose. It doesn’t matter what size.'” he recalled in Guitar Player. “They thought I was either a bank robber or a cross-dresser.”
It was their first live performance in over two years.
Famously cited as the Beatles’ last concert, the rooftop gig was also their first live performance in more than two years. While they had played “All You Need Is Love” and “Hey Jude” before a studio audience on television during that time, those numbers were heavily bolstered by a backing track. The roof was their first truly live show since their final tour ended on August 29th, 1966, at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park. They also made a small break from tradition by varying their classic stage placements. Lennon took the middle spot with Harrison to his left.