John Lennon - Live in New York City (1972)

Today's Live Performance, again from the Madison Square Garden in New York City, but from 1972 this time around, recorded and filmed on the 30th August 1972 to be precise. A by now legendary performance by John Lennon with Yoko Ono and the band Elephant's Memory.

The concerts documented on Live in New York City were Lennon's only rehearsed and full-length live performances in his solo career, and his first – and last – formal, full-fledged live concerts since the Beatles retired from the road in 1966. Lennon never mounted a tour during his post-Beatles career. The concerts also marked the last time he performed live with Ono, as also with Elephant's Memory. The video has yet to see an official DVD and Blu-Ray release.


» Pop Out The Youtube Video Player and watch it in XXL.

Track listing

All songs by John Lennon, except where noted.
"New York City" – 3:38
"It's So Hard" – 3:18
"Woman is the Nigger of the World" (Lennon/Yoko Ono) – 5:30
"Well Well Well" – 3:51
"Instant Karma!" – 3:40
"Mother" – 5:00
"Come Together" (Lennon–McCartney) – 4:21
"Imagine" – 3:17
"Cold Turkey" – 5:29
"Hound Dog" (Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller) – 3:09
"Give Peace a Chance" – 1:00 (originally credited to Lennon–McCartney, the credit was revised in the 1990s to cite only John Lennon as its composer)

Personnel
John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
Yoko Ono: keyboards
Jim Keltner: drums

Elephant's Memory:
Wayne 'Tex' Gabriel: lead guitar
Gary Van Scyoc: bass guitar
John Ward: bass guitar
Stan Bronstein: saxophone
Adam Ippolito: keyboards
Richard Frank Jr.: drums

-


Recorded on 30 August 1972 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Lennon performed two shows, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, to raise money for children with mental challenges at friend Geraldo Rivera's request. Rivera introduces Lennon and Ono at the beginning of the album, and he is referenced in Lennon's impromptu revised lyrics in the opening song, "New York City."

Live in New York City captures John Lennon's last full-length concert performance, coming right after the release of Some Time in New York City, which was a commercial failure in the United States. Perhaps as a result, Lennon's stage talk, while humorous, is self-deprecating and slightly nervous in tone.

The benefit concerts, billed as One to One, also featured other performers in addition to Lennon, including Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, Melanie Safka and Sha-Na-Na, although their performances are not included on this album, nor on the simultaneous video release.

Backing Lennon and Ono were Elephant's Memory, who had served as Lennon and Ono's backing band on Some Time in New York City. Although the material Lennon performed was largely drawn from his three most recent albums of the period (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Imagine and Some Time in New York City), he also included in the setlist his Beatles hit "Come Together" and paid tribute to Elvis Presley with "Hound Dog" before leading the audience in a singalong of "Give Peace a Chance".