This Industry Vet Was Nervous To Watch The Beatles’ Iconic Rooftop Concert, and Not Just Because of the Sketchy Construction

Starstruck reactions to celebrities have a way of defying all logic and, in some cases, survival instincts. Not even people who regularly work with superstars are immune to these irrational feelings, and that includes Chris O’Dell. The namesake of George Harrison’s 1973 track, “Miss O’Dell”, the former Apple employee was no stranger to star power. But that didn’t necessarily translate into a feeling of entitlement, as though she ought to be in the room.

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O’Dell was perfectly happy to sit certain moments out, especially when those moments had been reserved for “essential” people. For example, when O’Dell received an invitation to watch The Beatles’ iconic rooftop concert at Apple headquarters in London on a chilly January day in 1969, she was too nervous to agree. (And not because of the sketchy stage construction.)

Chris O’Dell Had More Than One Reason to Be Nervous

The Beatles performed their final live set on January 30, 1969, a fateful and frigid winter day in London. Countless trips were made up and down the stairwell of the London Apple building ahead of the set. Chris O’Dell, who was still working at Apple at the time, had an office right next to the stairwell. She watched as amps, drums, speakers, cables, and more were taken to the roof. But before that could happen, the roof needed to be stabilized for safety purposes.

During a presentation at The Church Studio, O’Dell recalled receiving a memo about the rooftop concert that morning. “The memo said, ‘No employees allowed on the roof.’ Because the roof actually was collapsing. So, they built a structure over it for the stage to keep some of the pressure off the roof. And then they had poles holding it up on the fourth floor, where I was. So, we all understood why we didn’t want to go up there.”

But as luck would have it, the cameraman who was in charge of gathering footage of The Beatles for Get Back, Tony Richman, invited O’Dell up to the roof. She declined, citing the rule that only “essential” people were allowed. The cameraman pushed back, saying, “Well, you’re essential. You’re my assistant. I was so nervous during the whole thing that somebody was going to come and tell me, ‘You’ve got to get off of here. You’re not essential.’”

The Rooftop Concert Went Off Without a Hitch (For O’Dell, Anyway)

As nervous as Chris O’Dell might have been that someone was going to kick her off the roof, that never ended up happening. She sat in a row of only four chairs alongside Kevin Mansfield, who worked at Capitol Records and Apple, Maureen Starkey, Ringo Starr’s wife, and Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s wife. O’Dell was only feet away from The Beatles as they performed what would become their final and most memorable concerts of all time.

Police tried to shut down the concert. But by the time they made their way to the rooftop, the band was nearly done. They continued with their final numbers, “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Get Back”, cementing the performance in rock ‘n’ roll history. In hindsight, it seems like the only thing O’Dell should have been worried about was the weight limitations of the sagging roof. But like we said: starstruckness is rarely bound by logic.

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