4. John Lennon was hilariously savage

It’s well documented that each Beatle was a complete superstar in their own right, able to handle media with charm, wit, and irreverence that would put many a current artist to shame. At the same time, John was the king at taking the piss out of people when he wasn’t in the mood. Among the more memorable instances seen here are an encounter with a clueless American reporter who asks, “Which one are you?”, leading Lennon to answer, “I’m Eric”, and one where he literally just yells gibberish at a stadium crowd, knowing full well they couldn’t hear him.

3. They stood for civil rights before it was cool

Building on The Beatles’ being able to flex their muscles as a group, they made the collective decision not to play venues that discriminated against African Americans. As stated by McCartney in a vintage clip: “It’s a bit silly to segregate people…I just think it’s stupid. You can’t treat other human beings like animals. That’s the way we all feel, and that’s the way people in England feel, because there’s never any segregation in concerts and England, and if there was, we wouldn’t play ’em.”

2. They were human

Perhaps the most striking thing about Eight Days is how it takes these legends of pop culture and makes them human by showing moments with the band that make them more relatable. One of the standouts stories is how, despite having an entire floor to themselves at New York’s posh Plaza Hotel, the four lads from Liverpool found themselves seeking refuge in one of the bathrooms, just to get away from everyone who wanted a piece of them. But it isn’t just the big stories, as the little moments ring through loud and clear, such as Paul helping John light a cigarette in mid-interview, or McCartney and Lennon getting winded midway through a song on stage.

1. It’s the closest you’ll get to watching a live Beatles concert

With remastered video combined with restored audio taken from their actual live performances, this is, sadly, the closest the majority of us will ever get to seeing an actual Beatles performance in our lifetime. Fully aware of that fact, Ron Howard and his team have included a bonus after the end of Eight Days’ credits, but this isn’t some thirty second Easter egg a la Marvel – this is 30 fully-remastered minutes of performance footage excerpted from 1966’s The Beatles at Shea Stadium TV special.

For any Beatles fan worth their salt, this is half an hour of pure bliss, and a bonus well worth the price of admission.

What was your favorite Beatles song? Tell us about them below!

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