The BAC ROCKS! 2006 Surprise Rooftop Gig on the Campus Dining Hall

By Malcolm Smith

On January 30th 1969, during their Get Back recording sessions, the Beatles gave their final live concert from the top of the Apple building (their recording studio) on Savile Row in London. On Octoberber 13th 2006, during lunchtime, Bryn Athyn College Rocks! gave an unadvertised mini-concert from the top of Bean Hall (the campus dining hall) on Buck Road in Bryn Athyn.

Coincidence? Unlikely! For one thing many people in Bryn Athyn claim to be related Ringo Starr. Furthermore, Bryn Athyn College Rocks! (BAC ROCKS!), which in the past has played the music of bands like Pink Floyd, Queen, and the Police, this year was gearing up to play the music of the Beatles in their three concerts over Charter Day weekend.

The idea of having the concert on the roof was originally thought of as a joke by vocalist Anders Fehon. But Steven Lindrooth, guitarist, tech director and one of the show's producers, made the rooftop gig a reality with the help of co-producers Fredrik (Figge) Bryntesson, guitarist and assistant professor of biology, and Chuck Lindsay, keyboardist and dean of the college.

According to the dean there was some feeling among the band members that they should do it regardless of whether they received permission to do so (much like the Beatles who asked no one's permission to do their rooftop concert and were eventually forced to stop by the local constabulary). However, considering that to get on the roof the BAC ROCKS! band members had to go through the apartment of Clay McQueen, head of campus security, the leveler heads in the group thought it best to get permission for their concert, which they did about a month before it happened.

Figge remarked that he was impressed that the band had been able to keep the rooftop concert a secret since the Spring when the idea was first conceived. In fact the only clue that anything out of the ordinary was happening was a cryptic announcement made by Student Government president, Garrett Smith, who informed the college students on Wednesday that they would really want to be at Bean Hall at around 12:15p.m. on Friday (October 13) because something was going to happen then that had never happened before in Bryn Athyn. He would reveal no further details, even when certain belongings of his were stolen by other residents of Childs Hall in an effort to extract more information from him.

Much speculation went on as to what was going to happen on Friday – people announcing their engagement? – a food fight? – a wrecking ball coming to knock down the J.D.? – someone handing out free segway laptops?

All the questions were answered when high school and college students and faculty walking to and from Bean Hall for lunch on Friday suddenly heard “Back in the USSR” ringing out from above them through the crisp Fall air. This was followed by eight more songs, including “Get Back,” “I've Got a Feeling,” and “Don't Let Me Down,” songs sung at the original rooftop concert.

This short set, however, like a 30 second preview of a song compared with a fully downloaded album, merely gave a tantalizing hint of what BACR! was capable of once they moved indoors for their full-length concerts.