An intimate New York City concert hall within a few blocks of the Dakota building where John Lennon lived and the Central Park Strawberry Fields memorial will be the site of a tribute and charity concert in the former Beatle's memory at 7 p.m. Saturday on would have been his 70th birthday.
The show will take place at the Society For Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St. Proceeds will benefit Amnesty International. Headlining are The Quarrymen, members of John Lennon's original band formed in 1956. They have been touring the U.S. in tribute to his 70th birthday.
The guest performers cover a wide age range. At the top end is Pete Seeger, 91, who has declared that he "must show up for John Lennon". He'll be leading a mass rendition of Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance" backed by the Rivertown Kids, a choir with members as young as 9.
Other performers include Earl Slick, who worked on Lennon's "Double Fantasy" album and on his 1975 collaboration with David Bowie, "Fame"; Neil Innes, former member of the Bonzo Dog Band, Monty Python and the Beatles parody the Rutles who also appeared in the 1967 Beatles film "Magical Mystery Tour"; folk singer Tom Paxton, who composed the song "Crazy John" for Lennon's political activism; Marshall Crenshaw, who played Lennon in the stage show "Beatlemania" and Mark Hudson, one of TV's Hudson Brothers who has worked with Ringo Starr and Harry Nilsson, among others.
Also appearing are Glen Burtnik, who appeared in the Broadway production of "Beatlemania" as Paul McCartney; Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Tom Chapin, singer-songwriter Garland Jeffreys; Never Shout Never; and Blueberry Acres, four New Jersey teenagers who won the annual Battle of the Beatles Bands contest at the Fest for Beatles Fans.
The show will be emceed by Beatles historian Martin Lewis. Ticket prices are $40, $49.95 and $70. Further info & tickets: www.thequarrymen.info/newyork.html
Comments
WOW ! ! ! to see Pete Seeger live makes me wish I lived in New York..maybe just for that one day :)
You just made me realize how much I've taken Pete for granted all these years. He's our local folk singer celebrity! And we love him. But... yeah, I didn't really stop to think how lucky we are to have him :)
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