The Beatles on Performing With (And Without) An Orchestra
The Beatles recorded songs with an anvil, a backward guitar track, and even an orchestra. As a result, Paul McCartney felt the band couldn’t give a complete experience in concerts. Here’s what the songwriter said about the Fab Four’s swift away from live performances.
Why did the Beatles stop performing live?
Even in their early years, the Beatles sold out concerts worldwide. There were multiple reasons this rock group chose to pause live performances — the first being Beatlemania. With fans screaming through concerts, it became difficult to hear the instruments, even among the Fab Four members onstage.
“And another reason is that our stage act hasn’t improved one bit since we started touring four years ago,” McCartney noted in 1967 (via Beatles Interviews). “The days when three guitarists and a drummer could stand up and sing and do nothing else on stage must be over.”
“Stage performance as an art is going out, anyway,” he added. “I think the Rolling Stones had a shock when they didn’t do a bomb on their last tour. I think Mick was worried.”
Today, visuals and spectacle are a large part of performance art. Even in the late 1960s, there was a shift toward engaging, energetic bands like The Who and Led Zepplin.
The Beatles didn’t change their ‘stage act’
Cynthia Lennon noted this step away from concerts meant the end of John Lennon’s “particular discomfort” of meeting fans with disabilities. There were also logistical reasons why live performances wouldn’t work for the Beatles.
Later Beatles songs came with unique instruments, including a backward guitar on ‘I’m Only Sleeping” and an anvil on “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” “Eleanor Rigby” was recorded with an orchestra, while several voices were used for “Hey Jude.” That’s part of the reason live performances didn’t make sense for the rock band, according to McCartney.
“Many of our tracks nowadays have big backings,” the songwriter said in the same interview. “We couldn’t produce the sound on stage without an orchestra.”
“And if we were to do ourselves justice on stage now, we’d have to have at least three months to produce a brand new act,” McCartney continued. “And it would probably be very unlike what you’d expect from the Beatles.”
The group continued writing and recording music together as a four-piece band, including their albums Let It Be and Abbey Road. In 1970, McCartney confirmed the Beatles’ breakup in a self-interview.
What was the Beatles’ final live performance?
Although it wasn’t in front of an audience, the Beatles’ last concert with their rooftop performance at the Apple Corps Headquarters in London. This was detailed in the Disney+ documentary The Beatles: Get Back, with “Get Back,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “I’ve Got a Feeling,” “One After 909,” and others highlighted in the setlist.
The group officially stopped hosting concerts after their 1966 tour. The remaining Beatles still perform live as solo artists, with McCartney embarking on a 2022 tour. Now, music by the rock band is available on most major streaming platforms.
