Money - John Lennon & Plastic Ono Band - Toronto 1969 video free download


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Uploaded: 2010/07/29

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It was a pleasantly warm September afternoon in London circa 1969 when I dropped in at the Apple Corps offices on Savile Row — not knowing that music history was about to unfold.

I'd come in to confirm an interview with George Harrison that had been scheduled after the weekend

to discuss the about-to-be-released Abbey Road album. But hearing me chatting in the corridor outside the Bag One offices — I had interviewed him earlier that year in Canada — John Lennon called me in for "some advice." Can you imagine? The honor of being asked by a sage such as John for any kind of advice . . .

Turned out that a Toronto promoter named John Brower was on the phone trying to convince John and Yoko they should attend a September 13 musical event in Canada featuring a host of '50s rock 'n' roll legends. Maybe, suggested the ever-keen and eager Brower, John might even consider a performance piece? I knew Brower and his partner, and I instinctively felt they would try to do right by an inquisitive and frustrated John . . .

Two days later, the Lennons had gathered at Heathrow Airport with guitarist Eric Clapton, Klaus

Voormann (bass player with Manfred Mann), Alan White (drummer working with Alan Price), Beatles

manager Allen Klein and roadie Mal Evans for the flight to Toronto and a show later that evening.

Only three first-class tickets were available, so the newly formed Plastic Ono Band gathered in the

rear of the 707 jet, vamping their acoustic way through a cluster of classic rock 'n' roll favorites.

Songs that the principal players worshipped.

Perhaps this in-flight camaraderie inspired the bout of intense honesty that unfolded en route to the

Toronto Rock 'N' Roll Revival concert. Later it came out that John had informed both Eric Clapton

and Klaus Voormann that he was thinking about starting a new group. It seems he went as far as to

enquire about their interest in joining him in this new enterprise . . .

At Varsity Stadium the jet-lagged John was extremely nervous. He hadn't been onstage in three years, and he admitted to throwing up from nervousness before the show — with abundant reason. "Imagine if you were in The Beatles from the beginning, and you were never in any other band?" he postulated. "Then all of a sudden you're going onstage with this group who've never played live together, anywhere. We formed on the plane coming over here, and now we're gonna play in front of 20,000 people."

A quick backstage rehearsal, and guest emcee Kim Fowley urged the audience to fire up their lighters and matches — and in the process light their communal fire, the early uprising of a collective

consciousness — to welcome onstage the Plastic Ono Band, in their debut performance.

"It was just getting dark, and the lights were just going down. This was the first time I'd ever seen an

audience light candles or lights all together . . . it was incredible!" John would comment.

What a night it was! All faithfully and creatively recorded on camera by award-winning filmmaker

D.A. Pennebaker, to follow his Monterey Pop and Don't Look Back triumphs. The audio would be

released in December of that year as the Plastic Ono Band's Live Peace In Toronto LP.

John bounced out onstage, bedecked in a white tropical suit overpinning a black shirt, and was

bedeviling with his new band. The Toronto audience was equally uplifted. After whipping through a

number of rock 'n' roll chestnuts, John plunged into "Yer Blues" from the White Album. And then, to

take proceedings to another level, he unleashed the debut of a new single that would be released five weeks hence, the hard-edged classic "Cold Turkey."

This was followed by a centerpiece selection that John graphically set up as: "This is what we really

came here for . . . Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout Bagism . . . " They plunged into the tune that he and

Yoko — and assorted luminaries — had recorded at the historic Bed-In for Peace in a Montreal hotel

room some four months earlier, the paean to nonviolence: "Give Peace A Chance." And Yoko added

to the street-theatre vibe by performing two tunes in a bag!

Back in London after the momentous weekend in Canada, John was exuberant about the experience of being onstage again.

"I can't remember when I had such a good time," he enthused. "We did all the old things from the

Cavern days in Liverpool. Yoko, who you could say was playing 'bag,' was holding a piece of paper

with the words to the songs in front of me. But then she suddenly disappeared into her bag in the

middle of the performance, and I had to make [the words] up because it's so long since I sang them

that I've forgotten most of them. But it didn't seem to matter.''

History has shown it was this concert that finally convinced John there was indeed life beyond

The Beatles.

—Ritchie Yorke, 2009

Consultant, author, journalist, broadcaster, speaker

Comments

8 years ago

Budi Haryanto

John Lennon & Eric Clapton Performing together in Toronto 69´ totally unrehearsed.. I´m sure this clip won´t get a lot of attention.. I don´t care.. Lennon is amazing in his White Suit and Beard and so is Clapton.The Toronto Performance should prove that Lennon is an Underrated Rhythm and Lead Guitarist.. 

8 years ago

Invictus - André Wall

John Lennon & Eric Clapton Performing together in Toronto 69´ totally unrehearsed.. I´m sure this clip won´t get a lot of attention.. I don´t care.. Lennon is amazing in his White Suit and Beard and so is Clapton.The Toronto Performance should prove that Lennon is an Underrated Rhythm and Lead Guitarist.. 

8 years ago

Invictus - André Wall

John Lennon & Eric Clapton Performing together in Toronto 69´ totally unrehearsed.. I´m sure this clip won´t get a lot of attention.. I don´t care.. Lennon is amazing in his White Suit and Beard and so is Clapton.The Toronto Performance should prove that Lennon is an Underrated Rhythm and Lead Guitarist.. 

9 years ago

Franz1987

Like the heaviness of this version, John's vocals are great too here

9 years ago

John Keys

Give a thumbs-up if you wish it was Yoko who got Mark David Chapman's bullet instead of John. 

9 years ago

Didier Hodna

Is Jesus Lennon playing the guitar!!! kkkkkkk

9 years ago

mario e

This is not John Lennon, is a double, thats why he sing so bad!!!

9 years ago

john fahey

Hey man! It's great rock'n'roll!! So chill out!!!

9 years ago

Realm of the Black Shadow

With all due respect, etc to Mr. Lennon, my guess is, that he was obviously either drunk or stoned, while singing this. Where was the usual nerve? The energy? The guitars in tune? The good performance? The awaiting bed, in which he could peacefully rest together with his beloved, equally peaceful, Yoko, banned from the former band of his? Nowhere where all those to be found. Why is that? All I saw was a not too well behaved nor shaved beard. Got no money to cut it? Save your soul, shave it or pay for it. Pay to the Lord! My sweet Lord, but not a Hare. It's not Spring time yet, is it?

9 years ago

Tales Bernardi

Sounds like my band when I was seventeen

9 years ago

Chikalita2

By this time John Lennon was on some serious smack man, totally out of his fucking element

9 years ago

Guillerock Bonzon

Money - John Lennon & Plastic Ono Band - Toronto 1969

9 years ago

juantailor

Where is that Epiphone Casino today?

9 years ago

Brett Funnell

It's only Rock & Roll but I like it...

9 years ago

Ashley Reaks

C'mon! - I'm a huge Lennon fan and think he's made some of the best pop music of all time but this is awful! - sloppy, tired, tuneless and utterly uninspired. It's ok for our heroes to be shit sometimes - it makes them human. If this was by your average Joe down the local pub we wouldn't give it a moment's notice! 

9 years ago

Andy Kirk

Wow! Clapton & Lennon!! excellent stuff. Thanks for sharing.

9 years ago

spacepatrolman .

GUITAR SOLO 1:15

9 years ago

Jim Cushman

Lennon quit The Beatles 1 week later on September 20, 1969.

9 years ago

tony n

hi as much as i love the beatles and john lennon this really does sound awful, if you compare this to the live work of the who in 69 they had a great live sound. 

9 years ago

Stephane Rothen

Yeah!

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