The swan song is such a bittersweet phenomenon, as it marks the end of something beautiful. Yet, that ending also acknowledges the beauty that transpired beforehand. With all that being said, that is why final performances in music are so vitally important not only for the group or act participating, but also for their fans.
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Final performances are a celebration and a definitive end to a glorious run. So, in honor of this tradition, here are three final performances that marked the bittersweet ending of musical giants.
The Beatles’ Impromptu Rooftop Concert in 1969
The Beatles‘ breakup is arguably one of the most notable moments in music history. After all, the No. 1 band in the world at the time, and arguably of all time, was calling it quits. Consequently, the face of popular music was changing, and the future was uncertain. However, The Beatles didn’t go out quietly.
On January 30, 1969, The Beatles climbed onto the roof of Apple Corps headquarters in London for a surprise performance. They performed for the arbitrary pedestrians below and delivered not only the best final live performance of all time, but also, maybe, one of the best live performances of all time.
Queen’s Final Performance With Freddie Mercury in 1986
While Queen has never officially broken up, the end of their peak was in 1986 when the band performed their final show with iconic frontman Freddie Mercury. While Queen had given the public no indication of this show being their last, it would ultimately become just that, as the original lineup never reunited before Mercury’s death in 1991.
During the unplanned final performance, Mercury and Queen attracted a crowd of 120,000. The incidental grand finale consisted of performances of the Queen classics “Radio Ga Ga”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and more. Despite it not being purposeful, it was a grand send-off.
Nirvana’s Airport Hangar Performance in 1994
On March 1, 1994, Kurt Cobain and Nirvana performed their final performance in Munich, Germany, at Terminal Einz, a repurposed airplane hangar. Like Queen, this was not supposed to be Nirvana’s final show; however, given that Kurt Cobain died roughly a month later, it was.
The performance wasn’t reportedly their best one, as Nirvana allegedly battled power outages and Kurt Cobain was suffering from a bout of bronchitis and laryngitis. Regardless, the final performance came during the height of Nirvana’s fame, and it put a bittersweet period on their short, yet illustrious career.
Photo by Ilpo Musto/Shutterstock
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