K-Pop Crossover: The Beatles And The Rolling Stones Lead Our List Of The Top 5 Strangest Band Promotions [VIDEO]

On Monday, the two members of the K-pop group TVXQ, U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin, took a train trip through South Korea's Gokseong County with 180 fans, to celebrate the band's 10th year in existence.

But wild band promotions are nothing new in the music world.From The Beatles playing an unannounced concert on a rooftop to U2 announcing their tour from a Kmart, it seems like musicians will do almost anything to get their music heard. Elvis Presley once sent his Cadillac on tour. Ke$ha trashed the famous Hollywood sign to get attention. Here's our list of the top five strangest.

1. The Beatles Rooftop Concert for 'Let It Be'

The Beatles started all trends in modern pop. Everything the Fab Four did went viral before viral was viral and every move set a precedent. They were the first rock band to play stadiums. The Beatles invented the music video by recording promotional films for their songs. George Harrison was the first rock star to date a model.

When The Beatles were filming their 1970 documentary "Let It Be," which was actually a cinema verite movie about their breakup, they needed an ending. The band toyed with the idea of filming at the top of Mount Everest, playing a concert on a cruise ship or in a lunatic asylum, but finally decided to just go up a few flights of stairs. The Beatles performed an unannounced show on the roof of the Apple building in London. It stopped traffic. It disrupted business. It has been copied over and over, but the first was the best. When the police, Bobbies in England, came to shut the band down, Ringo has said he thought that would be the best ending to the movie. Sadly, rather than arrest the Beatles. They just unplugged the amps.

2. U2 Take Over Kmart for PopMart World Tour

U2 were unabashed Beatle fans. The Irish quartet covered several Beatle songs and followed their lead when they mixed politics with pop. Never a band to miss an opportunity to have fun with the comparisons, U2 took over a liquor store in Los Angeles and filmed a live performance of their newest song at the time "Where The Streets Have No Name." Police were called, but wound up posing with U2 instead of arresting them. The film became the band's next official music video.

U2 also broke the barriers of product placement. On February 12, 1997 U2 announced their Popmart World Tour by taking over a New York Kmart and inviting the press. U2's "Pop" album was a satire on consumerism in music. But what section of Kmart would best represent U2? The lingerie department of course. U2 assembled a makeshift stage in the discount store, answered questions from the press and performed the song "Holy Joe." The PopMart tour also stopped in Springfield for the 200th episode of "The Simpsons."

3. Elvis Costello Fake Protest In London

Stiff Records had a history of witty promotions. London and New York streets were littered with buttons reading "Money Talks, People Mumble - Stiff Records" and "If it ain't Stiff, it ain't worth a f**k" promoting their arrival. Elvis Costello, the former Declan MacManus, was a struggling songwriter who also happened to work at the label. Elvis Costello & The Attractions made their live London debut on the street outside the Hilton hotel where CBS Records were holding a convention. The rest of the staff of the Stiff label staged a mock protest, holding up signs and chanting that the band deserved a contract with a major label. British bobbies saved the day. Thinking the fake protest was real, they showed up to keep order. Elvis got signed.

4. Fall Out Boy Plays Antarctica ... Almost

Emo bands are not known for their sense of humor. While the jury's still out on whether Fall Out Boy is an Emo band, it is unanimous that Fall Out Boy has a sense of humor. Just listen to their cover of "This is Halloween" from the movie "Nightmare Before Christmas." Fall Out Boy wanted to get into the Guinness Book of World Records as being the only rock outfit to ever perform all seven continents of the earth in less than nine months. The band rented out a gymnasium in an Antarctic science station and put tickets on sale. But they didn't think ahead. It's cold in Antarctica. The concert was canceled at the last minute because of extremely horrific weather.

5. The Rolling Stones Perform on a Flatbed Truck in Manhattan

The Rolling Stones know how to bring on a show. The Rolling Stones 1975 tour announcement was an event in itself. On May 1, 1975, the Rolling Stones called a press conference inside the 5th Avenue Hotel on 5th and 9th Street in Manhattan. While the reporters waited inside for an appearance, all the fun was happening outside the hotel. A flatbed truck came rolling down 5th Avenue carrying the Rolling Stones. The truck stopped in front of the hotel. Mick and the boys launched into an extended version of "Brown Sugar" The idea came from Charlie Watts, who said New Orleans jazz musicians often barnstormed towns before they played. After the song, the Stones disappeared behind the darkened glass of their limousines, not saying a word to the press.

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world news
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
elvis costello
fall out boy
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