On This Day in 1990, a John Lennon Tribute Concert Did Not Sit Right With Liverpool Locals

In May 1990, Yoko Ono and a host of musicians organized a tribute concert in Liverpool for John Lennon. That October 9 would have been his 50th birthday, and the idea was to celebrate his life and work by bringing friends, contemporaries, and admirers together.

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However, many Liverpool locals weren’t too thrilled with the production. While it brought out artists like Lou Reed, Joe Cocker, The Moody Blues, Cyndi Lauper, and even Randy Travis, the concert itself left a bad taste in the mouths of locals.

“Not many people in Merseyside have a spare £25,” said local reporter Peter Naylor at the time, according to Mojo. Additionally, the lineup seemed odd to Naylor. “Kylie [Minogue], Lou Reed, Deacon Blue and B.B. King are all crowd pullers in their own right, but they are an odd mix.”

According to the report, a Liverpool citizen who was interviewed at the time felt it was an over-produced spectacle.

“This isn’t for Liverpool, it’s pure Hollywood,” the person said. Judging from reports from the time, the concert seemed to lack a certain warmth or dignity. It is described as more of a fiasco than anything, not because anything went wrong, but because it seemed at odds with anything John Lennon would have wanted.

The 1990 John Lennon Birthday Concert Takes Place in May Instead of His Actual Birthday Month

Apparently, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were involved in the concert, which seemed promising at the time. However, the two Beatles only contributed pre-recorded performances. Alongside Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, Starr sang “If I Call Your Name” for his segment. McCartney, meanwhile, appeared only in video taken at a completely different concert.

According to reports, Ono contacted George Harrison and requested his input. However, he refused to participate. Ono later said that when she invited him, he “wasn’t in.” It doesn’t seem like Harrison ever commented on the spectacle after the fact.

While the concert for John Lennon had some Liverpudlians on edge, it still managed to do some good. At the end of the day, the University of Liverpool received half a million pounds from the Lennon Estate, which was put into trust fund scholarships for children in the United Kingdom and Europe.

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