The Beatles Rooftop Concert: When the Stars Shown So Bright

Mercury's Messengers: The Astrology of January 30th, 1969

Jun 28, 2024

The Beatles, Apple Rooftop, 30 January 1969

From 1962-1966 the Beatles performed at venues the world over. During their schedule of non-stop touring and 1400 performances they still found time to release eight studio albums. The Beatles had grown sick of playing live. After nearly being electrocuted in St. Louis followed by an escape from the arena where they were tossed around like a bunch of rag dolls in the back of a chrome plated truck, they had had enough. Tired of playing the part of their onstage personas, exhausted by the frenetic schedules, and having their artistic growth frustrated, they decided to call it quits. They played their last show in San Francisco on August 29th, 1966.

John, Paul, George, and Ringo, two air signs and two water signs respectively. John was a Libra, Paul Gemini, George Pisces, and Ringo a Cancer.

Both John and Paul lost their mothers at an early age. John’s mother Julia taught him to play the ukulele and banjo. She bought him his first guitar. At age 44, she was hit and killed by a car as she walked home. John was almost 18 at the time and living with his Aunt Mimi, a practical nurse, she continued to raise him and be a strong maternal force in his life.

Paul McCartney’s father played trumpet and piano; he was the leader of a jazz band in the 1920s, and Paul grew up learning show-tune standards. His mother Mary made good money working as a midwife. She rode her bike when going to visit patients. Paul recounts one time when she rode off into the middle of an icy winter night. Mary died at the age of 47 due to an embolism she suffered while undergoing breast cancer surgery. Paul was 14 at the time.

When Ringo was six his appendix broke and he developed peritonitis from which he nearly died. He was left hospitalized for most of a year. At age thirteen he developed tuberculosis, a devastating disease that killed and left many crippled. Ringo spent two years in a sanatorium where they had little schooling but some recreational activities. He learned to knit and make pot holders. Then one day a teacher came and taught them how to play drums. Bed ridden and bored he practiced incessantly for many months. Fortunately for Ringo, and the rest of the world, a new drug called streptomycin had just been developed that was effective in the treatment and cure of tuberculosis.

George was born close to twelve midnight and does not have an official birth time. He may have been born on the 24th of February rather than the 25th as is widely reported. Known as the quiet Beatle, he was the youngest of four children and the youngest of the Fab-Four. Within the group’s already marginal working class roots, he came from the most hard scrabble background growing up in a council house in an Irish Catholic neighborhood. His father was a bus driver and his mother worked as a shop assistant.

The Beatles were never the showy extravagant types. They weren’t at all like Mick Jagger the original Jumpin’ Jack Flash, a Leo of course, who continues at the age of 80 to tour and romp across the world’s stages. After three years of studio albums and secluding themselves from the public, the Beatles were contemplating one final last live performance largely at the behest of Paul. Many questions remained unanswered though. Where would they play? What would they play? Would it be broadcast? Who would manage the multitude of details that would have to be perfectly coordinated for what would certainly be a historic performance?

As part of these deliberations it was decided they would record an album of music that would get them back to their rock & roll roots. A spontaneous album that would have the feel of a live performance with no editing or overdubbing. All of their work on the album and preparations for a live show including the performance itself would be documented on film and later released to the public.

After weeks of filming and recording in substandard conditions they were forced to move their entire base of operation to the unfinished Apple recording studios located in the basement of the Apple headquarters at 3 Saville Row London. Frayed nerves, personality clashes, hanger-ons, film crews, John and Yoko plus heroin, all added up to George walking out and quiting the band; he felt that he was under-appreciated. He eventually returned but conditions continued to be difficult.

On January 19th George Harrison and Eric Clapton went to see Billy Preston open for Ray Charles. George knew Billy from the Hamburg days when Billy played in Little Richard’s back-up band. George invited him to come and hang out at the Apple recording studios. Billy came the next day. George Martin wasted no time integrating him into the band. His electric keyboard playing brought a whole new energy to the mix of Get Back by tying the disparate elements of the song together (1). With Billy Preston as a guest in their studios, the four Beatles were now on their best behavior and became charged with renewed inspiration. Billy’s personality and keyboard playing catalyzed the Beatles sound and brought a desperately needed breath of fresh air to the sessions that had gone increasingly stale and acrimonious.

On January 29th while debating how to wrap up their documentary film, Ringo mentioned the rooftop space and the owner’s plans to install a garden. That’s when John said he had an idea and that “we should go up and look at this roof”. They soon realized that the roof provided answers to all of their questions. They would finish the film with a live concert on the roof. A live show without all of the hassles of playing in a large venue. Nobody had ever done it before and all they had to do was go upstairs, plug in, and play.

The next day, January 30th was the day of their performance. The stars in the sky were impressive not only for their astrological significance but also for how they seemed to reflect the natal astrology of the Fab-Four themselves, of the 10 planets four were in water signs and four were in air signs. The two planets left were Saturn in Aries and Pluto in Virgo, one fire and one earth sign respectively.

Starting with the water signs (fig. 1) we can see just how impressive the planets were that day. With the Moon in its domicile of Cancer, we can imagine Ringo (Cancer Sun) in the 2nd House of substance and support providing the rhythmic structure to the Beatles’ compositions with his understated playing and steady hand. Looking to the 6th House of servitude and feelings of being unappreciated (2), we find Mars in its domicile of Scorpio. Could this be George Harrison (Scorpio Moon) grudgingly playing third fiddle to John and Paul the inevitable stars of the show? With Neptune, also placed in the 6th House, George’s ego must be sacrificed to the Great Dissolver (3). Moving to the the 11th House of Good Fortune and Friends we find Venus in Pisces, its sign of exaltation. This looks like it could be the flip side of George (Sun & Venus in Pisces). With Venus’ close trine to Neptune brings mystical sensuality (4) and redemption. Here, George is quietly forming the constructions to the songs that would become, in the following year, his first solo release and triple album magnum opus All Things Must Pass.

All three of the water signs were represented by planets in the strongest essential dignities of domicile or exaltation. In addition, two of the three were placed in the benefic 1st and 11th houses that provided for strong accidental fortitude. A very illustrious start indeed to our survey.

Moving on to the air signs, we find the Sun and Mercury in Aquarius at the top of the chart (fig. 2). The Sun is in the sign of its detriment and Mercury has some essential dignity in “terms”. These two planets are none-the-less accidentally placed in the all important 10th house of profession, prestige, and reputation (5). Could these planets represent anyone other than John (Sun and Mars in Libra) and Paul (Sun, Mercury, and Saturn in Gemini) the leaders of the band. The Sun in detriment can bring out some of the worst qualities of the planet. The habitual use of strong narcotics could be descriptive here. These two planets form a positive and productive trine aspect to Jupiter and Uranus in the 5th house of parties, entertainment, and artistic pursuits. Jupiter the greater benefic expands possibilities while Uranus contributes electricity and unexpected dramatic shifts.

Billy Preston has his Sun, Mercury, and Venus all in Virgo. Mercury in its domicile of Virgo is no joke. Virgo is also the sign of Mercury’s exaltation. Mercury is the only planet that has its domicile and exaltation in the same sign; this is for a good reason. People with Mercury in Virgo often have a sixth sense and events can seem to magically coalesce around them and the people they touch. As for where we could imagine Billy Preston in our sky dome, I believe that Mercury in the midheaven speaks to his all important influence in bringing the band and their music together in time for the historic rooftop concert.

Billy Preston’s Aries Moon and Saturn in Leo brought some fire to the mix. Obviously, the other Beatles had some fire and earth in their charts as well. Both Ringo and Paul have their Moon in the sign of Leo. All of the Beatles have their Moon in a fixed sign. John with his in Aquarius and George in Scorpio. The fixed signs don’t like change and tend to be loyal. Perhaps it was this fixed sign energy that helped the Beatles stay together through one the wildest rides in pop music history. It wasn’t until they were all in, or approaching, their first Saturn return that they finally did break up in 1970.

When the concert started at approximately 1230, Saturn was in the sign of its fall and placed in the malefic 12th house of incapacitation and imprisonment. Saturn as the planet of structures provides us with a visual description of the Beatles secluded away, out of reach, out of sight, and high up in the sky on a rooftop where someone could “fall”.

By 12:50pm Saturn had moved into the 11th house of friends and friendship, supporters, benefactors, and those who help us (6). In this chart, Saturn rules the 10th house. Placed in the 10th house is the Sun in Saturn’s home sign of Aquarius, and Saturn is in the sign of the Sun’s exaltation. Saturn and the Sun form a friendly sextile relationship to each other. The two planets meet all the requirements to be considered in mutual reception. When two planets are in mutual reception, they are like visitors in each others homes who are granted special access to an astrological sign where they most flourish. In this case, the mutual reception provides beneficence and dignity to Saturn the ruler of the 10th house, typically the most important house in a mundane chart. Without this mutual reception Saturn would have been weak making the chart less impressive. The Sun as ruler of the 5th house of artistic pursuits also benefits from his special access to Aries’ influence.

Pluto, as the planet of death and rebirth, with Uranus in the 5th house could be seen as the end of an artistic era for the Beatles, if not for the rest of us.