Apple employees already get a lot of perks, from heavily discounted products to luxe cafeterias, but last night’s 50th anniversary celebration may have topped them all. Apple’s Cupertino headquarters hosted a private concert by the one and only Paul McCartney.
Fresh off a series of intimate shows in Los Angeles at the 1,200-capacity Fonda Theatre, McCartney performed on an elaborate rainbow-roofed stage with copious amounts of flames and fireworks. It’s unclear how many people were allowed to take in the show, but the 12,000 employees of the Cupertino campus had to enter a lottery for tickets to attend, according to the New York Post. Video posted online shows him walking through a crowd alongside Apple CEO Tim Cook, before Cook introduced him onstage.
“A songwriter, a pioneer and one of the most influential artists of all time. I’ve been a lifelong fan of his music, and so have billions of people all over the planet. Sir Paul will be out in a few minutes. Enjoy the show, I love you,” Cook said.
According to Setlist.fm, McCartney opened the show with the Beatles classic “Help!” before shifting into “Coming Up” off “McCartney II,” then back to the Beatles classic “Got to Get You Into My Life.”
The 25-song concert leaned heavily on Beatles songs, but it did feature several hits from McCartney’s Wings project, including “Live and Let Die,” which featured a fantastic fireworks show.
He closed with an encore of “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight” and “The End.”
Apple founder Steve Jobs often professed his love for the Beatles, going so far as to call them his “model of business,” as they were four individuals who balanced each other and created something with a total that was greater than the sum of its parts.
However, the band and Apple had a combative relationship over the years, as the Beatles founded their own company called Apple Corps in 1968. They sued Apple back in 1978, which was settled for $80,000 and an agreement from Apple Computer Inc. to stay out of the music industry. That led to subsequent lawsuits in 1989 and 2003, with Apple finally gaining full rights to the trademark in 2007 for a sum estimated to be between $50 million and $100 million.
“We love the Beatles, and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks. It feels great to resolve this in a positive manner, and in a way that should remove the potential of further disagreements in the future,” Jobs said at the time.