During the weeks and months following the tragedy of September 11th, there was an intense need to pay tribute toward the good in humanity. We saw the world differently. We held our friends and neighbors close. We appreciated the everyday heros, firemen, police officers and EMT staff with a new intensity, and deservedly so. What better time to invoke the spirit and message of the peace loving John Lennon? And what better way to raise funds for the efforts? "Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music" was produced at Radio City Music Hall in October 2001 to salve the wounds of New York.
The concert was a joyous and somber event, supported by good intentions; however, it seemed that many holes went unfilled by artists whose only connection with Lennon was that they were fans, or perhaps, friends of Yoko and Sean rather than John himself. This provided an emptiness that was palpable.
The lineup of musical artists seems like a cadre of the famous and the quasi-famous, all befriended by Sean and Yoko. Some were fine, some unremarkable. Nelly Furtado sang a limp and effected "Instant Karma" with Dave Stewart who, despite all his great work with Annie Lennox, was the most uninteresting Eurethmic to start with, and remains boring here. Craig David (who?) did a decent version of "Come Together" which turned into a hip hop rant. (What better way to show how a song is dated to the young generation than by turning it into a rap?) Shelby Lynn, known for showing the most of her belly in skimpy outfits during 2000 - 2001 while being lauded as the next EmmyLou (only to disappear), did a dreary "Mother". And Leelee Sobieski? What was she doing there other than just being (or about to be) Sean Lennon's girlfriend? Where were John's friends? Harry Nilssen? Elton John? David Bowie? Macca? Ringo? Most importantly - where was Julian? (Sadly, George Harrison was gravely ill at that time and would pass away a month later).
There were some great moments. Stone Temple Pilots kicked butt on "Revolution". Cyndi Lauper singing "Stawberry Fields Forever" at Strawberry Fields in Central Park was haunting and plain gorgeous. Dave Matthews did a moving, lilting "In My Life". Alanis was pretty damn good singing "Dear Prudence". "That Boy" crooned by Sean, Rufus Wainwright and, well - I guess a bandmate of the young Lennon - was hamonically tight and terrific. Even Rufus, a singer I find annoying vocally, knows how to sing "Across the Universe" better than anyone, other than Lennon himself. If only Moby stopped singing - it would have been perfection.
Kevin Spacey did a dramatic turn as presenter - along with Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon and various New York based/born/bred actors. Although Spacey is a great singer, I cringed when he forged into "Mind Games". There was something beyond the realm of ego in that performance; however, the audience loved it, jumping to their feet in a wave of cheers - so what do I know? It was an emotional time, and therefore, a bit of over the top drama. Gushing was probably needed, and is perhaps forgiven even in hindsight.
The evening was interspersed with audio of John talking about his beliefs, and about peace, love. A heartbreaking clip reveals John explaining to the four year old Sean, the concept of age, and how you spend a full year being four or five, until one has a birthday. The tenderness of a father, explaning to his little boy the fundamentals of life stopped the show. That clip alone illustrates even further, the horror of John's passing, the despair and futility of violence and the irony of how such a peace loving icon died so horribly.
There are many moving moments; however, with the addition of John's own friends and more of his loved ones, the connections would have been more meaningful, and the meaning much more explosive. (For an example of a great tribute concert see "The Concert for George". Proceeds also went toward charity.)
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