The Beatles were perhaps the most adored, most influential music group whoever lived, and when they broke up a hole was left in the foundation of Rock n’ Roll that has still yet to be filled. What fans may not know, however, is that half the band nearly reunited at a taping of Saturday Night Live in the ’70s.
According to reports from RockNewsDesk, John Lennon and Paul McCartney came within minutes of a live TV reunion appearance in the 1970s – but decided against the idea simply because they were enjoying a night off.
McCartney, the famed Beatles bassist who continues to sell out stadiums today, was visiting his former bandmate in New York when they discussed the possibility of reuniting onstage – in front of millions on television. Saturday Night Live mastermind/producer Lorne Michaels had offered $3000 to the band to stage a Fab Four reunion on the show, a paltry sum considering the millions shelled out today for one-off reunion performances by other dissolved hitmaker groups.
McCartney explains: “John said, ‘We should go down, just you and me. There’s only two of us so we’ll take half the money.’ And for a second… But It would have been work and we were having a night off, so we elected not to go.”
It boggles the mind of the Fab Four fan to think that, so many years after their split, Lennon & McCartney would choose not to revive a Beatles gem or two on television as a casual one-off simply because they didn’t feel like working. The casual nature of artistry and the real-life relationships behind the public personas is beyond the grateful spectator’s grasp, but it would’ve been a hell of a show.
“It was a nice idea – we nearly did it,” Paul confessed.
If only…
