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Lennon b’day tribute to feature live, taped tunes
Like many other events, an annual John Lennon tribute concert that takes place in his adopted city of New York on his Oct. 9 birthday has been forced online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
There was no way it was being canceled, not on what would have been Lennon’s 80th birthday, not on the tribute’s 40th year.
“The idea of not celeTaped performances by brating John, of stopping Jackson Browne, Patti after 39 years, never Smith, Natalie Merchant, crossed my mind,” said Joe Rosanne Cash, Jorma Raiola, the tribute’s proKaukonen, Shelby Lynne, ducer and artistic director Taj Mahal, Marc Cohn, of the Theatre Within orJoan Osborne and others ganization. will be included — many
Raiola had booked the from past shows but some Town Hall venuenew.forthis year’s show. With the panWithout ticket sales, ordemic forcing it to stream ganizers will ask for confor free from 7 p.m. to tributions for programs midnight Eastern time on that benefit people affected the LennonTribute.org by cancer. Theatre Within website, the event could get and Gilda’s Club offer free more exposure than ever. workshops such as songwriting, art and meditation to cancer patients and survivors and to children who have lost parents to the disease.
Raiola and other friends began their informal tribute to Lennon in 1981, less than a year after the former Beatle was shot to death.
It stayed small, at least until 24 years in, when Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono read a story about the tribute in the Daily News and called Raiola to say, in effect, what are you doing?
Learning more about it, she offered support, and said in a statement issued Thursday that “this is such a wonderful way to honor John and the values he stood for.”
Cash, a fellow New Yorker who was honored with the John Lennon Real Love Award in 2018, has performed the former Beatle’s songs “I’m Only Sleeping” and “Look at Me” at a past tribute.
“It’s one of those things that you don’t often see where the same people show up every year,” Cash said in an interview. “They’re devoted to it. It’s not just because of John, it’s out of respect for what they’re doing and the community they’ve created.”
Raiola believes Lennon’s impact was “seismic” and that the ideals he believed in didn’t die with him.
“Peace, love, gender equality and social justice — that stuff never gets old,” he said.