In 1969, The Beatles performed their last live performance. It wasn’t a performance that one might expect. They performed on the roof of their Savile Row headquarters in London. They hadn’t performed in several years, and it was their last performance. Perhaps one of the most iconic moments of their career as a band.
They certainly did much crazier things with their skills, but it’s what they left on. Sure, they had another album come out after this, but their last live performance together was this moment. Only a couple of days of planning went into the performance, and it was eventually shut down by the police because it was too loud.
I recently experienced what may be an even greater moment of rooftop music history. In terms of popularity and significance, perhaps not, but the manner in which it was done with beauty and planning far outweighs The Beatles’ final performance.
On November 22nd, 2019, Coldplay performed, for the first time, their new album “Everyday Life” on the rooftop of the Amman Citadel in Jordan.
Coldplay: Everyday Life Live in Jordan
They performed the album live so that anyone, even across the world could tune in. The album seemed a return to some of their older acoustic style. But as always, so many styles of music combined into one band. Parts of it gospel, parts of it modern pop, parts of it Arabian.
After watching most of the above video, I was amazed at the beauty and thought that must have gone into making that live performance happen. The first half being performed at sunrise, the second half at sunset.
It gets me excited thinking about the possibilities there are with technology. To see the way they were able to capture the moment in a video. I’m sure the feelings of being there were something that you could never capture on a video, but they did an incredible job getting as close as you could to feeling like you experienced it.
It seemed impossible that it was being recorded where it was. In the heart of Jordan. A country often seeing as being dangerous to be in.
There are probably many things that I don’t agree with that Coldplay as a band and the members stand for, but their ability to compose and perform music in a way that beautifully displays God’s creation is outstanding, and I truly hope that they don’t stop. They may be a 20 year old band, but as long as they continue coming out with these masterpieces, I couldn’t imagine them stopping.