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Historic rock concert to be recreated on Seattle rooftop
By KATHERINE SATHER / KING5.com Staff
KING5
updated 12:48 p.m. PT, Thurs., Jan. 29, 2009

SEATTLE – It was a chilly winter day in 1969 whenKen Mansfieldclimbed the stairs to the roof of the Apple Records building in London.

Mansfield, who was then the U.S. manager of The Beatles' Apple Records, sat against a rooftop chimney with Yoko Ono and a handful of others and watched as The Beatles gave an impromptu live performance.

That show, which took place 40 years ago Friday, would go down in history as the last time The Beatles performed live in public.

"It was a magic day," Mansfield said. "I don't think any of us realized at the time, just how historical."

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of that date, Mansfield will again battle the cold on a rooftop – this time in downtown Seattle. He's in the Emerald City to help a local Beatles cover band,Crème Tangerine, recreate the rooftop show.

The band will perform at noon Friday on the balcony of Copacabana Café in Pike Place Market. While numerous rooftop concerts are planned around the nation Friday, this will be the only one to include someone like Mansfield, who was actually present for the historic Beatles show in 1969. He says he was invited by Crème Tangerine.

"Crème Tangerine is a band who doesn't try to look like the Beatles," he said. "I like the fact that they're just very good at the music … I also feel this is going to feel more like London this time of year."

Mansfield documents his experience with the Beatles in a book called "The White Book: The Beatles, The Bands, the Biz: An Insider's Look at an Era." He says the Fab Four planned the rooftop performance to get footage for their film "Let it Be." At the time, no one realized it would be their last live show.

"We just decided to go upstairs and lock the doors downstairs and have The Beatles play live so we could get footage," he said. "Once we got up there and locked the door downstairs, there were only about a dozen of us up there including the Beatles. We all just looked at each other and went 'whoa, something's happening here.'"

The Beatles played to the delight of pedestrians and office workers, until police came to shut down the show.

"We were just moved by something that had happened, not knowing how historical this moment was going to be," Mansfield said.

Crème Tangerine has been playing together for six years. Their idea to commemorate the rooftop show has been in the works for months.

"As the years go on, The Beatles seem to get bigger and bigger," said Kevin Murphy, the band's publicist. "We just thought 40 years, we need to do something. If London's not doing it, why not Seattle?"

But it took some time to find a suitable Seattle rooftop that didn't have issues with safety or construction.

"Trying to find appropriate building rooftop was surprisingly hard to do," Murphy said. "Just two weeks ago, we were able to line up the café. It happens to be in Pike Place Market, which is a landmark around the world."

Crème Tangerine will have another special guest for their show: Alan White, the drummer from the band Yes. White was a sessions player with John Lennon years ago.

"His connection is really special, and Beatles fans know that," Murphy said.

The band will play the original rooftop concert set-list, which includes the songs "Get Back" and "Don’t Let me Down." Murphy says they'll probably even end the show the same way John Lennon did – with the words: "I hope we passed the audition."

Mansfield will take time to talk to the crowd after the show. His experience in the music industry stretches beyond his close ties with The Beatles. The Grammy Award-wining producer has worked with Willie Nelson, The Band, Waylon Jennings, the Beach Boys and David Cassidy.

He says Crème Tangerine is trying to find another white coat for him to wear during the show.

For the rooftop show in 1969, Mansfield had flown in from the United States without warm clothes. So when it came time for the performance, he ended up racing down the street in search of a shop with a heavy coat.

He grabbed the first coat he could find - a white one - and raced back to Apple Records.

"It turned out it was a rain coat, and when I got on the roof it was rubberized and froze," he said.

But the choice turned out well for him. In photos of the historic show, he's the only one in white – making it easy to pick him out.

"Those up there that day, we're like bound forever in a friendship because we shared something so special," he said. "Like two guys in a foxhole together in a war."

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28912456/