The Beatles after The Beatles – solo gigs

This is an archived and retrieved version of a website we set up many years ago and abandoned in 2011.

1969

John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Cambridge ’69

Musicians: John Tchicai, John Stevens, Yoko Ono, John Lennon

 

  • 2.3.1969 Lady Mitchell Hall, Cambridge, England 

 

John and Yoko made an unscheduled appearance, together with John Tchikai and John Stevens, at an evening of avant-garde jazz and experimental music at Lady Mitchell Hall, Cambridge University. They performed a single improvised piece, subsequently titled “Cambridge 1969”, released on John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Unfinished Music No. 2 – Life With The Lions.


John Lennon and his Plastic Ono Band: Toronto Rock’n’Roll Revival Concert

Musicians: John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Yoko Ono, Alan White

 

  • 13.9.1969 Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Canada 

 

Rock promoter John Brower telephoned John and Yoko the day before to invite them to attend the Toronto Rock’n’Roll Revival concert the next day to hear Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, offering eight first-class tickets for them and six friends. John immediately agreed provided he and his band could play live. The astonished promoter accepted at once and, since John had no band – The Beatles had not played live in three years – he had to form one quick. He summoned together Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and session drummer Alan White. Mal Evans was informed that he was handling the gear. Brower dealt with visas and immigration, still unable to believe that he had attracted a Beatle to his festival. John woke up the next day and wanted to back out of the Toronto concert but Clapton said he was keen to play. John just made the plane and during the flight he made a half-hearted attempt to rehearse a few songs with The Plastic Ono Band, as he dubbed them. Meanwhile the Canadian radio stations were going wild and there were several hundred fans waiting at the airport, reminiscent of the old days. They hastily rehearsed a few songs and before going on stage at the Varsity Stadium of Toronto University, John was so nervous he threw up. The Plastic Ono Band stuck to classics: “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Money”, “Dizzy Miss Lizzy”, “Yer Blues”, “Cold Turkey” and “Give Peace A Chance”. Released on the album John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band: Live Peace in Toronto 1969. The concert was also filmed by director D.A. Pennebaker and released on home video in the 1980’s as Sweet Toronto.


Delaney & Bonnie & Friends On Tour with Eric Clapton (and George Harrison)

Musicians: Delaney Bramlett, Bonnie Bramlett, Eric Clapton, Dave Mason, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, Bobby Whitlock, Jim Price, Tex Johnson, Rita Coolidge and George Harrison

 

  • 2.12.1969 Colston Hall, Bristol, England
  • 3.12.1969 Town Hall, Birmingham, England
  • 4.12.1969 City Hall, Sheffield, England
  • 5.12.1969 City Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • 6.12.1969 Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

    Backstage at the Liverpool Empire.
  • 7.12.1969 Fairfield Hall, Croydon, England 
  • 10.12.1969 Falkoner Theatre, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 11.12.1969 Falkoner Theatre, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 12.12.1969 Falkoner Theatre, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 13.12.1969 Stockholms Konserthus, Stockholm, Sweden
  • 14.12.1969 Unknown, Gothenburg, Sweden

 

George and Patti, Ringo and Maureen went to the first night of the Delaney & Bonnie & Friends tour which opened at the Royal Albert Hall, London, December 1. George enjoyed the show so much that he decided to join the tour and played two sets each night with them, standing unobtrusively at the back of the stage. Some songs were released on the album Delaney & Bonnie & Friends: On Tour with Eric Clapton, recorded in the UK 7 December 1969, released June 1970. A film from one of the Copenhagen concerts circulates among collectors.


John Lennon and his Plastic Ono Supergroup: Peace For Christmas (with George Harrison)

Musicians: Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Alan White, Bobby Keys, Billy Preston, Keith Moon, Jim Gordon, Delaney Bramlett, Bonnie Bramlett, George Harrison, Yoko Ono and John Lennon

 

  • 15.12.1969 Lyceum Ballroom, Covent Garden, London, England 

 

John and Yoko’s Plastic Ono Supergroup played at the Peace For Christmas concert at the Lyceum Ballroom, Covent Garden, London, in aid of UNICEF. The musicians only had time for one brief rehearsal, in the afternoon before the show. George Harrison was among the musicians in the hastily assembled group: the first time he and John had appeared together in concert since August 1966. They performed extended versions of “Cold Turkey” and “Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)”. The entire show was recorded and partly released on John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Some Time in New York City. A short b/w film clip with excerpts from both songs circulates among collectors.


There are no concerts registered for 1970.


1971

John Lennon and Frank Zappa

Musicians: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Frank Zappa, Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman, Bob Harris, Don Preston, Ian Underwood, Jim Pons, Aynsley Dunbar

 

  • 6.6.1971 Fillmore East, New York, New York, USA 

 

At the insistence of the artist Andy Warhol, the Lennons perform live with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at New York’s Fillmore East. Prior to their performance, the Lennons keep security tight by clearing the backstage area completely. Kip Cohen, the manager of the Fillmore, remarks: “It was like the Jews being driven from Amsterdam.” Within ten minutes, the wings have cleared and the place is like a tomb, except for the second-floor dressing room where John and Yoko briefly rehearse with Zappa and his band, watched by the privileged few Fillmore ‘hangers-on’. Then, coming on stage as part of the Zappa/Mothers encore, John and Yoko perform “Well (Baby Please Don’t Go)”, “Jamrag”, “Scumbag” and “Aü”. Yoko arranges to have a movie camera capture the unique performance on 16mm colour film. An audio of the performance is later released on the double-album John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Sometime In New York City. For the release, Klaus Voorman is later required to overdub the bass parts. On October 27,1992, re-mixed versions of these tracks, plus unreleased recordings such as: “Say Please” and “Aaawk” appear on the Frank Zappa CD album Playground Psychotics. The 16mm colour film circulates among collectors.


George Harrison and Friends: “Concert for Bangladesh”(with Ringo Starr)

Musicians: George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, Leon Russel, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann, Ravi Shankar, Pete Ham, Tom Evans, Joey Molland, Mike Gibbonds, Jim Keltner, Jesse Ed Davis, Jim Horn, Chuck Findley, Carl Radle, Don Preston , Don Nix, Claudia Linnear etc.

 

  • 1.8.1971 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA Two concerts 

 

George and Ringo appear twice (afternoon and evening) at the Concert For Bangla Desh, held at Madison Square Garden in New York in front of two capacity 20,000 crowds. During the concert George performs: “Wah-Wah”, “My Sweet Lord”, “Awaiting On You All”, “Beware Of Darkness” (with Russell), “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Here Comes The Sun”, “Something” and “Bangla Desh”. Ringo performs “It Don’t Come Easy”. Outside the venue, touts are seen getting between $50 and $600 for one single $7.50 ticket.
Following the concert, a celebrity party is held at the New York City night spot Ungano’s. Also in attendance are The Who, currently in the city and two dates into their 1971 American tour. The star-studded line-up is treated to a live performance by George and Billy Preston and then Phil Spector, who delivers a unique version of ‘Da Do Ron Ron’. This features Keith Moon on drums who, at the conclusion of the song, spectacularly kicks the drum kit (belonging to Badfinger) into the crowd.
First estimates predict that a total of £100,000 will be raised from the two Bangla Desh concerts and that four times this figure will be made from sales of the concert record alone. Most of the evening concert will appear on the album The Concert For Bangla Desh, released in America on December 20 and in the UK on January 7,1972. Phil Spector carries out recordings with 44 microphones, using a Walfy Heider sixteen-track machine borrowed from the nearby Record Plant Studios. The film version of the concert, directed by Sol Swimmer, who previously directed the ABKCO films Come Together and Blindman, is suitably titled The Concert For Bangla Desh and will premiere in New York on March 23, 1972 and in the UK on July 26,1972. Incidentally, Peter Frampton, the former lead singer of the Herd, takes a private colour 8mm film of the shows.
A subsequent rumour concerning John’s non-appearance at the Bangla Desh concert suggests that George didn’t want Yoko to sing, so John replied by saying, “If Yoko can’t play neither can I” and that when John tells Yoko of George’s decision, the couple had a row. John then flew to Paris while Yoko returned to England.
However, only a few weeks after the show, John told a different story: “Allen Klein was putting it around that I had run off to England so I couldn’t be there for the concert. But I told George a week before the show that I wouldn’t be doing it. I just didn’t feel like it. We were in the Virgin Islands and I certainly wasn’t going to be rehearsing in New York, then going back to the Virgin Islands, then coming back up to New York and singing.”

The Concert For Bangladesh DVD The Concert For Bangladesh was released on DVD in 2006.

Wikipedia Link


John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Free John Sinclair Benefit

 

  • 10.12.1971 Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA 

 

Musicians: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Jerry Rubin, David Peel and the Lower East Side

John and Yoko are among a line-up of musicians performing at a benefit concert in the Chrysler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the radical activist John Sinclair, who had been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for attempting to sell two marijuana joints. Their acoustic performance includes: “Attica State” (which suffers badly from feedback), “The Luck Of The Irish”, “Sisters O Sisters” and “John Sinclair” and is featured in the film of the event entitled Ten For Two, which is premiered in Ann Arbor during December 1972. A full American release will not take place until April 1, 1989, more than 17 years after the event. The John and Yoko produced film also features contributions from Bobby Searle, Allen Ginsberg, Jerry Rubin and David Dellinger. (Incidentally, Sinclair is released on December 13, three days after the concert.) The Detroit television station WTVS also covers John and Yoko’s performance. Their uncut videotape footage runs to almost 19 minutes, four minutes longer than the official Ten For Two film version. Scenes where John’s guitar string breaks prior to the start of “Luck Of The Irish” are consigned by the Lennons to the cutting room floor. The 1998 CD Box John Lennon: Anthology features both “Luck Of The Irish” and “John Sinclair” from this concert and the same songs are also on the 2004 CD John Lennon: Acoustic.


John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Musicians: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Jerry Rubin, David Peel and the Lower East Side

 

  • 16.12.1972 The David Frost Show

 

In New York, John and Yoko record an appearance on the Westinghouse Group’s programme The David Frost Show. They appear at the very start of the show backing Apple artist David Peel as he sings “The Ballad Of New York”, with John happily plucking on a tea-chest bass. The Lennons reappear in the show backed by members of the group David Peel and The Lower East Side, performing “Attica State”, “Luck Of The Irish” (short version), “Sisters 0 Sisters” and “John Sinclair”. The show is broadcast January 13. 1972.


John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Rally for Attica State Prison

 

  • 17.12.1971 Apollo Theater, New York, New York, USA 

 

Musicians: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Jerry Rubin, Chris Osborne and Eddie Mottau

John appears at another benefit concert, this time at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, to perform for the families of the victims of the riot at New York’s Attica State Prison. During the show, which is captured on 16mm film, John performs acoustic versions of both “Imagine” and “Attica State” while Yoko sings “Sisters O Sisters”. The 1998 CD Box John Lennon: Anthology features both the John Lennon songs from this concert and “Imagine” is also on the 2004 CD John Lennon: Acoustic.


1972

Paul McCartney and Wings “University UK Tour”

Musicians: Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell, Henry McCullough, Paul and Linda McCartney

Paul and Linda, the band, wives, girlfriends, children and even pets, climb into a caravan and head onto the motorway, stopping at whichever university town takes their fancy. Their musical instruments along with two roadies follow in a van. Once there, Paul will send in an assistant to ask if they can put on a show for the students the following day. Once agreed, word is spread around the campus and posters are put up.

 

  • 9.2.1972 University, Nottingham, England
  • 10.2.1972 University, York, England
  • 11.2.1972 University, Hull, England
  • 13.2.1972 University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
  • 14.2.1972 University, Lancaster, England
  • 16.2.1972 Town Hall, Leeds, England
  • 17.2.1972 University, Sheffield, England
  • 18.2.1972 University, Manchester, England
  • 21.2.1972 University, Birmingham, England
  • 22.2.1972 University, Swansea, England
  • 23.2.1972 University, Oxford, England

 

Paul and Wings, anxious for live concert experience without generating the massive media exposure an ex-Beatle in concert would naturally attract, play a string of small low-key unannounced UK University dates. Their repertoire of songs during this 11-date tour consists of “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”, “Help Me”, “Say Darling”, “Wild Life”, “Bip Bop”, “Henry’s Blues”, “My Love”, “Long Tall Sally”, “Seaside Woman”, “Some People Never Know” and “Smile Away”. “Give Ireland Back To The Irish”, “The Mess” and “Lucille” will sometimes be reprised due to the lack of sufficient songs fully rehearsed by the band. Occasionally the group will drop into their set ‘mock’ portions of the songs “Turkey In The Straw” and “The Grand Old Duke Of York”. The running order of songs for the tour will vary from one night to the next, with the tracks “Lucille” and “Wild Life” alternating as the opening number of the show.

Wikipedia Link


John Lennon and Yoko Ono

 

  • 22.4.1972 Duffy Square, New York, New York, USA

 

The National Peace Coalition Rally. Following a march through Times Square to Duffy Square, John and Yoko addressed the crowd and led them through a rendition of Give Peace A Chance backed by an unknown group of musicians.


Paul McCartney and Wings Europan Tour

Musicians: Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell, Henry McCullough, Paul and Linda McCartney

 

  • 9.7.1972 Centre Culturel, Châteauvallon, France
  • 12.7.1972 Théâtre Antique (?), Juan les Pins, France
  • 13.7.1972 Théâtre Antique, Arles, France
  • 16.7.1972 Théâtre de l’Olympia, Paris, France
  • 18.7.1972 Circus-Krone Bau, Munich, Germany
  • 19.7.1972 Stadthalle, Offenbach, Germany
  • 21.7.1972 Kongresshaus, Zürich, Switzerland
  • 22.7.1972 Pavillon, Montreux, Switzerland
  • 1.8.1972 K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 4.8.1972 Messuhalli, Helsinki, Finland
  • 5.8.1972 Kupittaan Urheiluhalli, Turku, Finland
  • 7.8.1972 Gröna Lund, Stockholm, Sweden
  • 8.8.1972 Idrottshallen, Örebro, Sweden
  • 9.8.1972 Njårdhallen, Oslo, Norway
  • 10.8.1972 Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
    Following their performance at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden, the P.A. system is abruptly cut off by the police who are waiting to question Paul, Linda and Denny Seiwell about seven ounces of marijuana that customs officials had intercepted. Amidst scenes of confusion backstage, caught in pictures by the tour photographer Joe Stevens, the three, along with Paul’s secretary Rebecca Hines, are taken away for questioning at police headquarters. They are later arrested on charges of drug possession and fined the equivalent of $1,000, $200 and $600 respectively.
  • 11.8.1972 Olympen, Lund, Sweden
  • 12.8.1972 Fyns Forum, Odense, Denmark
  • 14.8.1972 Vejlby Risskov Hallen, Arhus, Denmark
  • 16.8.1972 Rheinhalle, Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 17.8.1972 De Doelen, Rotterdam, Holland
  • 19.8.1972 Evenementenhal, Groningen, Holland
  • 20.8.1972 Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Holland
  • 21.8.1972 Congresgebouw, Den Haag, Holland
    Paul and Wings are recorded singing ‘The Mess’. Their performance is later released on a single as the B-side to ‘My Love’.
  • 22.8.1972 Cine Roma, Antwerp, Belgium
  • 24.8.1972 Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany

 

Songs performed during the tour include: “Smile Away”, “The Mess”, “Hi Hi Hi”, “Mumbo”, “Bip Bop”, “Say You Don’t Mind” (performed by Denny), “Seaside Woman” (performed by Linda), “I Would Only Smile” (Denny), “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”, “Give Ireland Back To The Irish”, “Henry’s Blues” (by Henry McCullough), “1882”, “I Am Your Singer”, “Eat At Home”, “Maybe I’m Amazed”, “My Love”, “Mary Had A Little Lamb”, “Soily”, “Best Friend”, “Long Tall Sally”, “Wild Life” and “Cottonfields” (a cover of The Beach Boys’ hit). The repertoire varies slightly from one concert to the next, an exercise to sharpen up the Wings live act. Paul produces a film of this tour called The Bruce McMouse Show. This features animated footage, intercut with live Wings concert film, of a cartoon character called Bruce McMouse along with his wife Yvonne and their children Soily, Swooney and Swat who travel with Wings and live beneath the stage while the band perform. To date, this MPL film, edited down to 50 minutes, has never been released. Two partial songs, “Wild Life” and “Hi Hi Hi” (both mislabeled as 1973) were shown on “The Paul McCartney Special”, which was shown on TV in 1986 and subsequently released on video cassette. Clearly, they were professionally filmed from multiple angles and in pristine quality. Short clips in varying qualities compiled from amateur films and local TV coverage were assembled and inserted into an unrelated Wings performance from 1973 of “Big Barn Bed” on the Wingspan DVD. Home movie footage from the tour bus was also shown.

Wikipedia Link


John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Elephant’s Memory Band “One to One Concert”

Musicians: John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Elephant’s Memory. Guest stars: Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder

 

  • 30.8.1972 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA Two concerts 

 

John and Yoko perform two One To One benefit concerts (one in the afternoon and one in the evening) at Madison Square Garden in New York with The Plastic Ono Elephant’s Memory band, performed for the benefit of the Willowbrook School for Children. Before the concerts rumours circulate in the press to the effect that the money raised from the shows will actually be going to the artists and not the children, a story which prompts one unnamed top recording group to drop out of the show.
John and Yoko’s set-list for the two shows is as follows: Afternoon: “Power To The People”, “New York City”, “It’s So Hard”, “Move On Fast”, “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World”, “Sister 0 Sisters”, “Well Well Well”, “Born In A Prison”, “Instant Karma”, “Mother”, “We’re All Water”, “Come Together”, “Imagine”, “Open Your Box”, “Cold Turkey”, “Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)” and “Hound Dog”
Evening: “Power To The People”, “New York City”, “It’s So Hard”, “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World”, “Sisters 0 Sisters”, “Well Well Well”, “Instant Karma”, “Mother”, “We’re All Water”, “Come Together”, “Imagine”, “Cold Turkey”, “Hound Dog” and “Give Peace A Chance”, where John and Yoko are joined on stage by the stars and organisers of the shows.
The shows, organised by the ABC TV reporter Geraldo Rivera, also feature the legendary Motown recording star Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and Sha Na Na. Prior to the concerts, John purchases $60,000 worth of tickets for the show and gives them away to volunteer fund-raisers. The event will raise over $1.5 million for the Willowbrook School. As the sell-out crowd enters the building, they are handed a tambourine and asked to shake it during the concert. (A live radio broadcast of the evening show appears on the programme The King Biscuit Radio Hour.)
A selection of the songs performed at the concerts, are later released on the album John Lennon: Live in New York City (released in America on January 24 1986 and in the UK on February 24), namely “Cold Turkey”, “Hound Dog”, “Give Peace A Chance” (clip) from the evening show; and “New York City”, “Come Together”, “Imagine’, “Instant Karma”, “Mother”, “It’s So Hard”, “Well Well Well”, and “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World” from the afternoon performance. A short clip of “Give Peace A Chance” also appears on the 1975 John Lennon compilation LP Shaved Fish.
Both concerts are professionally filmed, and a version featuring seven of the songs performed at the evening concert (“Imagine”, played to scenes of the One To One Day fun activities in Central Park this afternoon, “Come Together”, “Instant Karma”, “Sisters 0 Sisters”, “Cold Turkey”, “Hound Dog” and “Give Peace A Chance”) is transmitted on ABC TV in America as a 53-minute special on December 14 1972.
Incidentally, the afternoon performance of Yoko’s “Move On Fast” will receive a rare one-off screening in England during the January 30,1973 edition of BBC2’s late night rock show The Old Grey Whistle Test. Meanwhile, a one-hour videocassette, suitably titled John Lennon: Live in New York City is released at the same time as the LP, and features different edits of some of the songs and adds some of Yoko’s numbers. The recording supervisor for the shows is Phil Spector. Following the successful concerts, John, Yoko, and the other artists on the bill attend a celebratory party at the Tavern In The Green in Central Park.

 

The Plastic Ono Band DVD “Well Well Well” and “Mother” from these concerts were released on DVD in 2008 as bonus material on the John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band documentary.