It was a joyous day in New York on Saturday celebrating John Lennon's 70th birthday. Here are some eyewitness accounts of what happened.
First from Mary Ann Szymanski: "My friends Marie, Gen and I were in Manhattan yesterday and took part in some of the celebrations honoring John. We ventured over to Strawberry Fields in the late afternoon, but the crowd was so large we couldn’t see or even get near the Imagine mosaic. We spent some time with fans, singing Beatles and John songs, and marveling at the sheer size of it all. We saw flowers and notes left by people who probably had given up the idea of leaving them at the mosaic so they were scattered around on bushes and near one of the Strawberry Fields signs."
(See the video of the Strawberry Field crowd singing "Hey Jude" at left.)
They attended the tribute concert at the Society for Ethical Culture. "Billed as an informal musical celebration of John Lennon’s 70th birthday, it was a joyous four-hour event honoring John’s music, his activism, and his life. It was emceed by Martin Lewis and was divided into two parts.
"In the first part, John was celebrated by friends, fellow musicians, and fans from ages 9 to 91. This group included Glen Burtnik, Tom Chapin, Marshall Crenshaw, Mark Hudson, Garland Jeffreys, Never Shout Never, Tom Paxton, Pete Seeger, The Rivertown Kids, Blueberry Acres, Earl Slick, and Neil Innes, among others.
The concert began with a bag pipe player performing "Give Peace a Chance." (Thanks to Jen Dodge for the videos in this report.)
"In one of his appearances, Neil Innes interspersed a song (I think it was “Oh My Love”) with the reading of a poem written by a Liverpudlian poet, Brian Patten, entitled How Long Is a Man’s Life. It could not have been more fitting.
(Some excerpts) 'How long does a man live after all?
A thousand days or only one?
One week or a few centuries?
How long does a man spend living or dying
and what do we mean when we say gone forever?
"How long does a man live after all?
A man lives so many different lengths of time."
In a solo appearance, Tom Paxton reprised his song “Crazy John” – a song Mary Ann shes remembers first hearing on WNEW-FM in New York so many years ago. It included these lyrics:
"Crazy John, where you gonna run to today?
Crazy John, so early to be up and away,
They never can hear you, John, so how can you teach them?
They never come near you, John, so how can you reach them?
"Crazy John, I want to be crazy too."
Martin Lewis told the audience he had seen Yoko the previous week in Los Angeles and was amazed by her energy and her three-hour show with the reformed Plastic Ono Band. He said she sent her love and best wishes to the New York show.
The first half of the show ended with the 91-year-old Pete Seeger playing with The Rivertown Kids. "He was in amazing form and we can only hope that we’ll all be as vital as he is if we are lucky enough to make it to 91!," she said.
The Quarrymen (Ron Davis, Len Garry, and Colin Hanton) came on after a short intermission, and played the early rock and skiffle numbers they had performed with John Lennon. They reminisced about their days as a group and about the day Paul McCartney showed up on his bike for the Woolten Village Fete.
Martin Lewis announced he had received an email from Paul to congratulate his “fellow Quarrymen” on their latest venture, and the group wondered aloud what had happened to "that fellow Paul."
Jennifer Dodge also told us, "I wanted to let you know that I attended the 'Happy Birthday John!' concert, starring the Quarrymen, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton and Mark Hudson, among others, and also spent about an hour meandering around Strawberry Fields yesterday. Both were quite exciting because both were full of good vibes and great John/Beatles music. The performers at the concert seemed jazzed to be there, and it was also the last night of the Quarrymen's North American tour. So many reasons to celebrate."
Have a comment? Leave it below. And be sure to subscribe. You won't want to miss any of our Examiner.com columns --
Beatles Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner
Paul McCartney Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-34954-Paul-McCartney-Examiner
Vintage Rock 'n' Roll Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-19248-Vintage-Rock-n-Roll-Examiner
TV on DVD Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-10254-TV-on-DVD-Examiner
Please join us on Twitter: @stevemarinucci (RT's are much appreciated!)
© COPYRIGHT STATEMENT: This article is the original work of Steve Marinucci. Under no circumstance may any portion of this article be broadcast, copied, published, rewritten or used without the permission of the author. To purchase this or any other article by Steve Marinucci, please email beatlesexaminer@gmail.com.
Comments
"Give Peace a Chance" has got to be one of the most ironic songs one can play on bagpipes. :)
Great story and photos, thanks, Mary Ann, Marie and Jennifer for sharing. This must really have been a sight to see. God bless you, John!
Don't forget that across Central Park there was a free screening of the LennonNYC documentary. The line to get in was several blocks long!
Special guests included Jack Douglas, Lou Reed, and former WNEW DJ Dennis Elsas.
I Love the Beatles very much and let those of us as myself never ever forget the Electrc Light Orchestra! ! ! !
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!