On what was certainly one of the saddest days in 20th Century Music History, John Lennon was shot outside the Dakota Hotel where he, his wife Yoko, and son Sean were living in New York City on Dec 8th, 1980. The loss to popular culture was devastating, perhaps even unprecedented. In the sadness and mourning and frustration that immediately followed, local musician Curtiss Almsted put together a group of people who were no doubt shook up and deeply saddened, but felt moved, compelled even, to react to this tragedy. And what could be a more optimistic and positive way to pay tribute to the lengend than a celebration of the music he created.
Now in it's 27 year, the John Lennon Tribute again brought together hundred fans of Lennon's music, be it the old school clean cut "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" Beatles, the decidedly more subversive and counter-culture, pshychadelic "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" Beatles, or the eloquent humanist anthem "Imagine". It was a sold out show, with a noticably older crowd than you would normally find at First Ave. Some in attendnace have been coming to pay tribute at this consoling event every single year since 1980.
Here are some shots of the band, with Curtiss A. front and center stage. He was accompanied by anywhere from a few to well over a dozen musicians on stage at once, and they covered the Lennon catalog pretty well, doing what must have been over 60 songs in the several hours they played.
There was a brief, sitar centered George Harrison tribute as well:
It was an entertaining, but ultimately bittersweet evening, with everyone looking back on what magical things John Lennon accomplished. I suspect though, that I was not the only one wondering what the man would have done had he not been taken from this Earth far too early.
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