The Beatles’ complete rooftop concert hits outlets as a streaming-only release at midnight on January 28. It boasts newly remixed stereo and Dolby Atmos audio mixes from Giles Martin and Sam Okell. The band’s final live performance reaches its 53rd anniversary this Sunday.
If what we knew of the rooftop concert was enjoyable before, it only got more beloved as the “promised land” of sorts at the end of Peter Jackson’s recent Get Back documentary. After hours of occasional intra-band strife, lack of direction in the studio, and deliberation about what type of live event to stage, everything clicked once the Fab Four stepped onto the roof of their Savile Row offices. It was a joy (and relief) to watch.
Any new Beatles release is an Event, of course, and this is no different. SiriusXM subscribers can tune into “The Rooftop Concert Special” at 11 a.m. EST on the 28th (and re-airings), featuring the full performance plus commentary on The Beatles Channel.
‘The stars put on a show for free …’
More interestingly, Norah Jones releases two rooftop performances of her own on the 28th: covers of “I’ve Got A Feeling” and “Let It Be”. Those should hit her YouTube channel at 9 a.m.
On Saturday the 29th, Circque du Soleil will release their own rooftop performance tribute video for the LOVE version of “Get Back”. See that on Cirque’s YouTube channel. A behind-the-scenes video will air an hour later at 10 a.m. EST.
I’ll just take a second to endorse the soundtrack for Cirque’s LOVE production. Personally, I loved the soundtrack’s mashups/reconstructions as a fresh way into the music and wish we’d received more volumes of that sort of work.
Finally, for the more intrepid moviegoers in the right locations, the Sunday anniversary itself will host a 60-minute feature of the rooftop show exclusively at IMAX theaters. Those screenings will include an exclusive Q&A with the filmmaker, according to the press release.
The programme, as it were:
Get Back – The Rooftop Performance
Audio: Stereo / Dolby Atmos [TRT: 40:00]
“Get Back” (Take 1)
“Get Back” (Take 2)
“Don’t Let Me Down” (Take 1)
“I’ve Got A Feeling” (Take 1)
“One After 909”
“Dig A Pony”
Jam/excerpt of “God Save The Queen” (tape change interlude)
“I’ve Got A Feeling” (Take 2)
“Don’t Let Me Down” (Take 2)
“Get Back” (Take 3)
