John Lennon embraced his inner rock 'n' roller on his first two non-Beatles live performances
(Image credit: Andrew Maclear/Getty Images)
On September 13, 1969, John Lennon performed at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, Canada, with a hastily assembled backing band.
The band, which performed under the Plastic Ono Band moniker, included Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Klaus Voorman on bass and future Yes member Alan White on drums. Oh, right; Yoko Ono was there too ...
The band rehearsed twice - once during the flight from London to Toronto and once shortly before their performance.
Their eight-song set consisted of Carl Perkins' Blue Suede Shoes followed by two vintage tunes the Beatles had covered in 1964 and '65, respectively - Money (That's What I Want) and Dizzy Miss Lizzy.
Then they launched into a true screamer from the Beatles' White Album, Yer Blues, which Clapton had performed with Lennon in 1968 at the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus; followed by Lennon's Give Peace a Chance and Cold Turkey (the latter of which features Clapton on the studio recording).
Oh, right; they also performed two Yoko Ono songs.
Below, you can check out Yer Blues, which is arguably the highlight of the short-lived band's short-lived set. That said, you'll probably notice two irritating things about the video:
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1. The camera crew almost NEVER shows Clapton; it's as if they're doing their best to completely ignore him, even during his guitar solo. What's up with that? Maybe they didn't know who Clapton was?
2. Yoko screams - very loudly - during the entire otherwise-decent performance. Someday I'll vent about how terrible and depressing this is, but I suppose this isn't the time or the place for such a rant.
The entire performance was released later that year as Live Peace in Toronto 1969.
If you're intrigued by the thought of Lennon and Clapton performing Yer Blues WITHOUT the pointless screaming of Yoko Ono, be sure to check out the bottom video (below), which shows the aforementioned 1968 performance from the Rock and Roll Circus. As a bonus, it features the Stones' Keith Richards on bass and the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Mitch Mitchell on drums.
Again, Yoko Ono does not sing or scream in the bottom video.
In both clips, Lennon is playing his 1965 Epiphone Casino, the same Casino he used on the Beatles' final tour in 1966.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
