The day the Beatles (sans John Lennon) met and played at a wedding

In 1979, the Beatles They hadn’t played together in 10 years, since the end of the album sessions Abbey Road (1969). Many things had happened under the bridges, including the reconciliation between John Lennon And Paul McCartney (what motivated him to invite the first to record a song with him , but this did not materialize); the long-awaited recognition George Harrison searched for his songs after the fundamental Everything must pass (1970); Harrison’s collaborations with Ringo Starr and Lennon himself; and the consolidation of the solo career of “Macca” around Wings, a project which was difficult for him to start, but which he did after the essential album Group on the run (1973).

Personally, it was more or less the same . John Lennon was still married to Yoko Ono and both had their only descendants, Sean , in 1975; the same Paul, who was still married to the photographer Linda Eastman. But Ringo Starr was no longer with him. Maureen Cox , from whom he separated in 1975; And George Harrison wasn’t there either. Pattie Boyd since they signed their divorce in 1974. Later, the guitarist was in a relationship with the Mexican Olivia Arias with whom he had his only son, Dhani in 1978.

After separating from Harrison, Boyd moved to the United States. A former suitor has arrived there to take revenge: Eric Clapton . Harrison’s close friend, he had always been in awe of Pattie, had tried to woo her unsuccessfully (he even composed the long-suffering song for her Laila), but the fact that the woman was alone gave her hope. And he didn’t waste it. Eventually, Boyd agreed to mate with and marry him.

The wedding between the two was planned on May 19, 1979, in Surrey, England. . Among the guests, there were of course several musicians. Including the Beatles, except one, John Lennon, who was living in New York at the time. This is how Pattie Boyd remembers it in her autobiography Beautiful tonight, from 2007: “For some reason, John Lennon He wasn’t invited, but he said he would have come if we asked him. And it’s a very sad thing because, if he had come, it would have been the first and last time the Beatles played together since they broke up – because the next year he was dead.”

And on this occasion, the Beatles – or whatever their name was – came to play at the wedding. It wasn’t planned, but Clapton set up a stage with instruments available to anyone who wanted to play. “There was a stage…the idea was that everyone could come and play. A succession of magnificent musicians joined the ‘jam session’ which took place late in the afternoon…” This is how names like Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman, Donovan, Robert Plant, Robert Palmer and Jack Bruce . A whole constellation.

Until the “three” were at the top. Clapton later recalled: “George, Paul and Ringo also played, only John was missing, who rang me later to say he would have been there too if he had known. Why this happened, I will never know. I just have to say that I don’t have much to do with the invitations.

Although Pattie Boyd gave an explanation for Lennon’s absence in her book, based on the immigration issues the musician had faced. “I regretted not inviting him to our party…I thought he wouldn’t come because he lived in America and the authorities were threatening not to allow him to return if he left the country.” However, Boyd fails to point out that in 1979 Lennon’s situation was already resolved, since In 1976, he obtained the Green Card, or permanent residence after years of legal appeals against an expulsion order against him, canceled in 1975.

The following year, the murder of John Lennon forever ruined a meeting between the 4 musicians of the most important group in popular music. . However, Harrison, McCartney and Ringo performed together again. In 1981, George composed All those years ago, as a tribute to Lennon, and the recording featured participation from his former colleagues.

It would be necessary to wait until the 90s to see more collaborations between them. Between 1994 and 1996, as part of the project The Beatles Anthology They worked on two old John Lennon songs: Free as a bird And true loveto which was added the rejection from time to time. Then, in 1998, they reunited for Linda McCartney’s funeral, and on the occasion they played the song So be it, in homage to Paul’s wife.

Finally, in 2001, as the shadow of death loomed over the dying Harrison, he called Paul and Ringo, to whom he said goodbye, smoothing out all the rough edges. From there, all that remained was the music.