There Are Two Legends About John Lennon’s Final Performance, but Only One of Them Is Real

In the wake of his tragic assassination in December 1980, many legends have cropped up about John Lennon’s final performance at Madison Square Garden in 1974. But as is often the case with legends, not all of them are true.

Interestingly, the more far-fetched of the two tales was actually the one that was true. The other, while an undeniably romantic notion, was ultimately false.

The Truth About John Lennon’s Final Performance

John Lennon’s final performance was a short, three-song feature in the middle of Elton John’s Madison Square Garden performance in 1974. One of the most famous legends surrounding the star-studded concert is that Lennon only participated because he lost a bet to John. While this might sound like a rambunctious tall tale of two iconic rock ‘n’ rollers, it was true. Lennon did lose a bet.

Funnily enough, Lennon’s bet was against himself, so even though he “lost,” he really “won.” Following his time with the Beatles, Lennon struggled to match his ex-bandmates’ solo chart placements. In the early to mid-1970s, Lennon was the only former Beatle who hadn’t had a No. 1 single. Nevertheless, he continued to put out music, opting to collaborate with long-time friend Elton John on two tracks: “Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)” and “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.”

John was confident that the latter track was No. 1 material—so confident, in fact, that he made a bet with Lennon. In the former Beatle’s final interview with David Sheff in 1980, he recalled, “[Elton] sang harmony on it, and he really did a damn good job. So, I sort of halfheartedly promised that if “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” became No. 1, which I had no reason to expect, I’d do Madison Square Garden with him” (via BeatlesBible).

Once “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” hit No. 1 on the charts, John called Lennon and reminded him of the wager. Lennon, a man of his word, agreed to appear on stage with John in 1974. The pair performed their chart-topping collab and two Beatles cuts: “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “I Saw Her Standing There.”

The More Romantic Legend Turned Out To Be False

In addition to John Lennon’s lost bet to Elton John, another, more romantic tale having to do with Lennon’s “Lost Weekend” came from his final performance at Madison Square Garden. While some people claimed the concert served as the official reunion of Lennon and his second wife, Yoko Ono, from whom he was briefly separated while he had an affair with Ono’s assistant, May Pang, this reunion didn’t actually happen that night.

They did see each other, though. Lennon had sent tickets for Ono to attend, and in return, she sent Lennon and John orchids, which they displayed on stage. However, Lennon said he had no idea whether Ono would accept his invitation and attend the show or if the flowers were supposed to be in lieu of her attendance. It was only when Lennon saw Ono backstage that he knew she had taken him up on his offer to see the show.

“She was backstage afterward, and there was just that moment when we saw each other and like, it’s like in the movies, you know, when time stands still?” Lennon later recalled to Rolling Stone. “Everything went silent, you know, and we were just sort of lookin’ at each other.”

While it certainly sounds like the start of a passionate reunion, Lennon and Ono went their separate ways after the show—Ono to an unknown location and Lennon to a party in the city with Pang. Of course, Lennon and Ono would officially reunite not long after. But Lennon’s final performance at Madison Square Garden wasn’t where it happened.

Photo by Steve Morley/Redferns