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John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band: Live in Toronto '69

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This is a document of the only John Lennon Plastic Ono Band performance ever filmed, and it's filmed by legendary documentarist D.A. Pennebaker ("Don't Look Back," "Monterey Pop"). The band of course includes John & Yoko, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman (bass) and Alan White (drums). The concert is the same as the "Live Peace In Toronto" CD, but with a different sound source, Pennebaker's stereo recording remixed to 5.1 surround sound. I don't know if it's a new mix, or the same one on the previous "Sweet Toronto" 2002 release.

Yes, the performance is rough and raw. Yes, the band only rehearsed together once, acoustically on their flight to Toronto. But it is what it is: one of the few filmed John Lennon performances in existance, at the beginning of his solo career.

The historic nature of this show is obvious. The Beatles had just finished the Abbey Road LP, and although they had not yet broken up, it is thought that John's appearance here (his first public performance in over 2 years) was rather an impetus, contributing to the further fragmentation of the band.

Some people *will* find the Yoko portions of this performance unwatchable and unlistenable. But until we finally get a rerelease of John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band's "Live In New York City" on DVD, or the actual evening performance of the Madison Square Garden "One To One" show, it will have to suffice. If you want some comic relief, watch John & Eric's reactions to Yoko's performances.

If you've heard the L.P. or (Remixed) CD of the album "Live Peace in Toronto 1969", then you know what to expect musically: 6 songs featuring John Lennon(hastily learned & rehearsed on an airplane flight from London) and an unusual 2nd half featuring Yoko Ono's avant-garde wailing backed by the group's jamming & guitar feedback.
Unfortunately, due to record company permission issues, this video program cannot use the mix heard on the 1969 L.P., or the even better remix which replaced it in the CD era. Instead, the filmmakers use the live soundmix that the audience heard. Alan White's drums are down too low, and Eric Clapton's fine lead guitar wanders in and out of audibility.
This disc is disappointing. Hopefully, someday, we'll get a DVD of this show with audio that does justice to the performances.

Shout Factory is to be thanked for releasing this wonderful documentary film of the Live Peace in Toronto LP on DVD. It opens with an interview with Yoko Ono at an art show of John's work in 1988 (the music in the gallery is "Teach Your Children" by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young). The film turns to the rock 'n' roll revival artists the concert was arranged to display: Bo Diddley (the first part of his song is played as John and Yoko's limousine moves from the airport to the concert grounds), then the energetic Jerry Lee Lewis pounding on the piano, and finally Little Richard, who's a bit less over the top than usual. Then the sun is down and the Plastic Ono Band takes the stage: John and Yoko, as well as Eric Clapton on guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass, and Alan White on drums. Anyone who knows the album will recall the entire set, but it's great to see them playing live. The Plastic Ono Band's appearance was arranged quickly (according to Clapton's autobiography, John called him and asked, "What are you doing tonight?"), and John needs a crib sheet held by Yoko for the lyrics to "Cold Turkey," which had just been written. Fans of Yoko's will be pleased to know that she is fully represented on the DVD, with only the last few minutes of "John, John (Let's Hope for Peace)" cut off. Clapton's strongest guitar work is on Yoko's "Don't Worry Kyoko." John looks most assured singing a ferocious version of "Money" (a song whose lyrics contradict the values he espoused). Director D. A. Pennebaker offers a true film here, not just a video of the concert appearance. Length is 50 minutes.

I had the album Live Peace In Toronto 1969
I bought in in 1970, and i really dug the album...
Contrary to "alphadogstudio" I say don't prejudge it.
If they digitally clean up the film and remaster the soundtrack into 5.1,
and include Clapton and Jerry Lee and Chuck and Little Richard
it will be very good! Songs like Give Peace A Chance, Cold Turkey,
Yer Blues, 50's rock classics.....You can tell John was havin a good time.
"On the video cassette, Eric Clapton can clearly be seen looking at
John Lennon with a look of horror on his face as Yoko starts her caterwauling. Additionally, as the band are leaning
their guitars against the amplifiers to create the feedback, Clapton breaks the fourth wall by looking directly into the camera and
rolling his eyes in frustration at Yoko's performance."---
--Wikipedia
Oh I gotta see this!

I am quite ready to believe that this is an important document in the history of Rock and Roll, the history of John Lennon and the Beatles, or, at least, the biography of John Lennon; however, for those seeking entertainment rather than a lesson in the history of popular music, there is little worthwhile. The concert is preceded by brief, rather meaningless interview. The first fifteen or so, minutes of the concert, provide vigorous proof of what made the fifties the seedbed of a new popular music: Bo Diddley , Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard, give vigorous representations of their work. /The remainder of the time is devoted to John Lennon, with a pick-up band, sounding, as, apparently was the case, practically unrehearsed . The first half of their set, old familiar songs to them, went off pretty well, though without much enthusiasm; the second half, devoted to Lennon and Oko's venture into futuristic music, will leave the average listener floating in space (though, it might have interest to ears attuned to some of the byways of modern music).
From my perspective, the Lennon segment was the kind of rehearsal in which one engages before appearing before an audience.

Considering how wired he was on drugs, how long it had been since he'd performed onstage before a large audience and how aflicted by nerves he was--puking his guts out prior to showtime--perhaps it's not as strange a performance as one might otherwise think.

John later claimed that it had been an exhilarating show for him. You wouldn't guess that by his demeanour here. If he's having a great time up there, it ain't obvious to viewers. And Clapton, if anything, is even more serious and unfrolicsome.

However, a few tracks from the `Live Peace in Toronto' album are indeed well-performed (with better sound than here) despite or perhaps because of a lack of real rehearsal: `Blue Suede Shoes' and `Yer Blues'.

It is so nice to finally see this incredibly amazing, daring and historic piece of art! For Mr. Lennon and Ms. Ono to combine performance art in the rock arena was/is completely new and exciting for 1969. I guess it was so new that people could not "get" it at the time nor still cannot, from what I am reading in these reviews! They were expecting basic R&R + Beatles and what they got was sound sculpture, avant conceptual ism! Just beautiful. It is very scary when you see what you think is open-minded people ready to kill artists for their work. I praise John and Yoko not to mention Eric Clapton who completely risked his life and career to help his friend in this venture.
Not to mention how cool and amazing it sounds!!! Make Art not War!

When it is John Lennon with Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and Alan White doing standards of old rock classics the thing is magic. Once Yoko Ono opens her mouth (which is half of it) it's like fingernails on a blackboard.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THIS IS THE ONLY LIVE-IN-CONCERT DVD FROM LENNON'S SOLO CAREER. BUT THE 20 MINUTES OR SO THAT WE HAVE OF THIS PERFORMANCE AMOUNTS TO SOME OF THE HARDEST HITTING PERFORMANCES IN ROCK'S LONG HISTORY. I ONLY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE YOKO SIDE, JUST CANNOT LISTEN TO HER SCREECHING VOCALS.
THE LENNON ESTATE NEEDS TO FOLLOW THIS WITH THE FIRST DVD APPEARANCE OF "LIVE IN NYC".

If you have seen the video footage of The Beatles first appearance on Ed Sullivan, John has that unmistable stage fright look, like it's just dawned on him that tens of millions are watching him, that reminded me of Jackie Gleason in an episode of the Honeymooners when he and Norton were doing a cooking show. Paul and George are doing everything they can do not to laugh and George had the flu!
As Lennon walks out on stage in TO, it has obviously dawned on him that maybe breaking up with McCartney wasn't such a stroke of genius after all. That same panic is all over his face, and it is rather funny. But it gets better. Voorman and Clapton nearly steal the show. Voorman proves what a very loyal friend he was to Lennon for agreeing to go on stage with this material. It isn't that it is substandard, it's that it is so amateurishly prepared that in the entire range of karmic experiences, Lennon owes him big time for this. Voorman is not the melodic player McCartney is, and his Teutonic style actually presages a sort of krautrock aesthetic that had not yet been cultivated by guys like Holgar Czukay. Clapton has a look that seems to say, I gotta get off dope. No one in a sober state of mind would have agreed to this gig.
The reason? Yoko. It is unfair to demonize her entirely for the passive aggressibveness that fueled the split, but she helped, and without an ounce of talent to back it up. Here in this setting, she is a voice in search of a note, caterwauling from pitch to pitch, sure she can hit something, convinced this is ART done by artiste-te-te-tists as Michael Palin might intone. Is it? Well, the highlight of the film is when Clapton looks at the camera directly and rolls his eyes.
Indeed.
Next up for John and Yoko would be spending a week with Mike Douglas in Philly. McCartney, Harrison and even Ringo were preparing legitimate solo statements.