Location of the Beatles last ever live performance to open to the public

A brand new addition to the map of London’s Beatles-related attractions is coming in the New Year. With the number of original venues where the Beatles performed both in the early days as a leather-clad gang of ramshackle rockers and throughout the years of international fame dwindling, it’s exciting news that a stage which has been largely inaccessible and open to only a privileged few will soon be open to the general public.

Views of London from Apple rooftop

And of all of the iconic places where the Fab Four played, this one is particularly significant in the band’s history as it where they gave their final live performance in public.

On January 30, 1969, John, Paul, George, Ringo accompanied by an old pal from the Hamburg Days, Billy Preston, trudged up to the seventh floor of Apple’s headquarters at 3 Savile Row then out onto the roof to run through a selection of new songs that would be included on what would become their last studio album, ‘Let It Be’.

The audience that days comprised their wives, roadie Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall and other members of their entourage. Mini-skirted office girls in nearby offices who were on their lunch break peered through windows or listened on the street below - thrilled to be getting an impromptu, free showcase of new songs by the biggest band in the world.

The Beatles at work

By the start of 1969, the group hadn’t played live in public for two and a half years. Worn out by relentless treks across the United States and Europe - the mass hysteria, unable to even hear themselves through screaming fans along with other, trivial hassles such as death threats, the Fabs decided that they’d had enough of touring and retreated to the sanctuary of the recording studio.

Both George and John were fed up of being viewed as “performing fleas”. The final Beatles show in front of a paying audience was at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on Monday August, 29 1966. That venue, a baseball stadium and home to the Giants the 49ers, was demolished in 2015.

In January 1969, the Beatles and director Michael Lindsay-Hogg started filming a new documentary at Twickenham Film Studios and their newly-built recording studio at 3 Savile Row, London. The idea was to capture the musicians at work, composing and rehearsing material for a new album.

Daily rehearsals

Hours and hours of footage was recorded - some of it was entertaining enough and it was fascinating to get a fly-on-the-wall look at the band’s creative process. But as the film (and the album of new material) was nearing completion, it became clear that they needed something a little more exciting to end on.

Lindsay-Hogg and Paul McCartney mooted an idea for the band to return to the stage to perform some of the new songs live. Suggested venues included a cruise ship, London Palladium, the Sahara desert or a concert in front of the pyramids in Giza.

John, Paul, George, Ringo and Billy hit the roof

Instead, the Beatles opted to stay closer to home. They’d play the new songs on a blustery, cold, January afternoon right there on the roof of their Apple headquarters. To keep themselves warm, John borrowed Yoko’s fur coat while Ringo slipped on a bright red plastic mac belonging to his wife, Mo.

With their fingers numbed by the howling wind, the group ran through a 42 minute set. The results were recorded onto eight-track tape in the basement studio and filmed by 10 cameras positioned at different locations.

Police raid, plugs pulled

There was even a bit of drama - which brought an unexpected but perfect end to the film. Not everyone was happy at having their lunch break spoiled by noisy rock ‘n’ roll, and numerous calls were made to the police. Four bobbies arrived, climbed the seven flights of stairs and pulled the plug on the Beatles while they were in full stride.

Despite not having performed in public for almost three years, the Beatles showed they were still a mesmerizing live act to watch. It was their last show - the band split to go their separate ways a few months later.

The doors of 3 Savile Row will open to the public next year, bringing fans a unique experience of Beatles history. All seven floors of the building along with the rooftop where the group played their final public performance will be open for the first time. Fans will also be able to access the Apple studios and trawl through extensive, unseen trove of Beatles archives.

“Every single day fans are taking pictures of the outside of 3 Savile Row – but next year they can go in and explore all seven floors of the iconic building, including the rooftop where even the railings remain the same from that famous day in 1969,” Apple Corps’ CEO Tom Greene explained this week.

The Beatles Savile Row experience is scheduled to open in 2027 although an official date has not yet been disclosed.

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