John Lennon's Only Solo Concerts Have Suddenly Become Big Business
Decades after they were first staged, John Lennon's One-to-One concerts are suddenly, and somewhat unexpectedly, having a major commercial moment. Held more than 50 years ago, the shows were hugely important at the time, both for the causes they supported and for what they represented in the musician's solo career. Now, after decades of fading into relative obscurity – as much as anything attached to a former Beatle can – they're back in the spotlight thanks to a pair of new releases.
A new EP featuring recordings from the shows, titled Power to the People: Live at the One-to-One Concert, New York City, 1972, was released as part of Record Store Day earlier in April. The four-track set features songs recorded during those shows which were hand-selected by his own son, Sean Ono Lennon. Whole only pressed in limited quantities, the project became a quick bestseller.
Power to the People debuted inside the top 10 on three charts in the United Kingdom last week. It's classified as a single due to its length, so it added to Lennon and Ono's total number of bestselling singles. For what was originally a charitable performance, the material is now proving to be a solid moneymaker more than 50 years later.
Around the same time that the EP dropped, a new documentary about the couple and the concerts is finding its own success. One-to-One: John and Yoko is currently playing in theaters around the world, and it's already earned just under $600,000 at the box office, which is a notable figure for a theatrically-released documentary.
The film is a true must-see for fans of Lennon and the Beatles, as it's packed with never-before-seen footage of the rocker and Ono, as well as intimate phone calls and plenty of shots from the performances, which the movie is built around – though it's not exactly a concert film.
The One-to-One concerts took place on August 30, 1972, when Lennon played two back-to-back shows at Madison Square Garden. The shows were organized to benefit children with developmental disabilities at New York's Willowbrook School, which had just undergone a very public scandal – which Lennon and Ono saw play out on TV. He was joined by the Plastic Ono Band and a small slate of other performers, but the moment really belonged to him.
Those two shows were the only full-length solo concerts he ever performed before his death. Despite his years on stage in front of thousands of people playing with The Beatles, Lennon was reportedly nervous to go it alone.
These weren't just concerts—they were political statements. The performances doubled as a platform for Lennon and Ono's activism, with tracks like 'Imagine' and 'Give Peace a Chance' underscoring their lifelong message. The energy in the room, captured in amazing archival footage, reveals how deeply the couple believed in the cause, and how beloved they were by the audience in attendance.
While the shows were impactful in their moment, they didn't initially spawn much in the way of commercial products. It wasn't until 1986 that a proper release of the shows arrived: Live in New York City, a full-length album made up of recordings from the second show. That effort peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified gold in the U.S., after moving half a million copies. Still, after that brief spotlight, the concerts once again faded into the background.
Now, decades after the one live album produced from these shows, and even longer since they took place, the One-to-One concerts are earning some long overdue love. They were meaningful when they happened, and now they're suddenly generating real revenue. For a one-day fundraiser, the event's longevity is remarkable.
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