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Jackson Browne, Patti Smith, Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo' and More Tribute John Lennon

11/16/2010
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(Gibson) There have been numerous tributes to the life and work of John Lennon this year, in honor of what would have been his 70th birthday, but one of the largest and most musically ambitious took place recently at the Beacon Theater in New York, when the Theater Within organization hosted their 30th annual John Lennon Tribute Concert. The show brought together an estimable list of performers, including Jackson Browne, Patti Smith, Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', Shelby Lynne, Martin Sexton, Aimee Mann, Joan Osborne and Cyndi Lauper.

Perhaps wisely, the performers generally avoided trying to perfectly replicate Lennon's unique style, instead adding their own spirited twists to the songs they covered. Taj Mahal turned "Come Together" into a gritty, blues shout-out, Smith performed "Strawberry Fields Forever" as elegiac poetry, and Browne played an acoustic, sweetly melodic version of "Revolution."

Smith added a particularly moving moment to the night, explaining that she and her late husband, MC5 guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, grieved together for Lennon when he was killed in 1980. When Fred Smith died in 1994, Patti Smith said she drew strength and inspiration from Yoko Ono's example. Smith then led the crowd in an energetic sing-along version of "Oh Yoko." - more on this story

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