* War Is Over (If You Want It) - Peace For Christmas, 15 December 1969 *

* 15 декабря 1969 года Джон Леннон и Йоко Оно организовали в Лондоне антивоенный концерт под лозунгом "War Is Over (If You Want It) - "Война закончится (если ты этого захочешь)". Предлагаю собрать в этой теме фотоснимки того знаменательного события.

* The Plastic Ono Band took part in a benefit concert on this day for the charity Unicef, at the Lyceum Ballroom in central London.
In November 1969 Unicef had announced that the group would perform at the event. This, however, was news to John Lennon and Yoko Ono, although they agreed to take part after recognising it would be a useful opportunity to highlight their peace and political campaigning.
The event was titled Peace For Christmas. Also appearing were several other acts: the Young Rascals, Desmond Dekker and the Aces, Blue Mink and Black Velvet, and Emperor Rosko was the disc jockey between the performances.
With just 48 hours' notice, the other members of the Plastic Ono Band's first show at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival also agreed to play: Eric Clapton on guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass, and Alan White on drums, plus Billy Preston on keyboards.
On the night, however, Clapton arrived with almost all of Delaney & Bonnie's touring band, which at the time included George Harrison. This, therefore, was the first time Lennon and Harrison had performed at a scheduled concert since The Beatles' last show on 29 August 1966. It was also the Plastic Ono Band's only European concert.
"I thought it was fantastic. I was really into it. We were doing the show and George and Bonnie and Delaney, Billy Preston and all that crowd turned up. They'd just come back from Sweden and George had been playing invisible man in Bonnie and Delaney's band, which Eric Clapton had been doing, to get the pressure off being the famous Eric and the famous George. They became the guitarists in this and they all turned up, and it was again like the concert in Toronto. I said, 'Will you come on?' They said, 'Well, what are you going to play?' I said, 'Listen, we're going to do probably a blues... or Cold Turkey, which is three chords, and Eric knew that.' And Don't Worry Kyoko, which was Yoko's, which has three chords and a riff. I said, 'Once we get on to Yoko's riff, just keep hitting it".
John Lennon
The full line-up, playing before a huge "War is over" backdrop, was: Lennon, Harrison, Clapton and Delaney Bramlett (guitars, with Clapton playing Rocky, Harrison's psychedelic Fender Stratocaster); Ono (vocals); Bonnie Bramlett (tambourine); Alan White and Jim Gordon (drums); Billy Preston (organ); Klaus Voormann (bass guitar); Bobby Keys (saxophone); Jim Price (trumpet). Lennon later referred to it as the Plastic Ono Supergroup.
Keith Moon took to the stage to hit White's floor tom tom, and also present but not performing were the Bonzo Dog Band's drummer Larry 'Legs' Smith and The Rascals' drummer Dino Danelli.

- http://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/12/15/plastic-ono-band-live-lyceum-ballroom-london/


* On December 15, 1969, John Lennon played his final UK concert. The UNICEF "Peace for Christmas" benefit featuring Lennon with Clapton and Harrison, among others, became an incredible all-star jam.
"I went down there in my Mini and went on stage at the Lyceum," recalled Alan White. "Just prior to the Plastic Ono Band going on, Eric Clapton turns up with the whole Delaney & Bonnie band, so we had to hustle another couple of drum kits. Then, Keith Moon joins me on stage, playing my 16-inch tom-toms. It was a thing where somebody would hit one chord and it was a jam."
The full line-up, playing before a huge "War is over" backdrop, was: Lennon, Harrison, Clapton and Delaney Bramlett (guitars, with Clapton playing Rocky, Harrison's psychedelic Fender Stratocaster); Ono (vocals); Bonnie Bramlett (tamborine); Alan White and Jim Gordon (drums); Billy Preston (organ); Klaus Voormann (bass guitar); Bobby Keys (saxophone); Jim Price (trumpet). Keith Moon on White's floor tom tom.
Clapton arrived at London's Lyceum Ballroom with almost all of Delaney & Bonnie's touring band, which at the time included George Harrison. This was the first time Lennon and Harrison had performed at a scheduled concert since The Beatles' last show on August 29, 1966. It was also the Plastic Ono Band's only European concert.
"I thought it was fantastic. I was really into it," said Lennon. "We were doing the show and George and Bonnie and Delaney, Billy Preston and all that crowd turned up. They'd just come back from Sweden and George had been playing invisible man in Bonnie and Delaney's band, which Eric Clapton had been doing, to get the pressure off being the famous Eric and the famous George. They became the guitarists in this and they all turned up, and it was again like the concert in Toronto. I said, 'Will you come on?' They said, 'Well, what are you going to play?' I said, 'Listen, we're going to do probably a blues... or "Cold Turkey", which is three chords, and Eric knew that, and "And "Don't Worry Kyoko", which was Yoko's, which has three chords and a riff. I said, 'Once we get on to Yoko's riff, just keep hitting it".

- http://www.guitarplayer.com/artists/1013/john-lennon-played-last-uk-gig-today-in-1969/4...

* Местом проведения этого мероприятия был выбрано старинное здание (на тот момент ему было более ста лет) театра "Lyceum", в западной части Лондона, в районе West End, на Веллингтон-стрит (Wellington Street).

* В 1951 г. "Lyceum Theatre" был переименован в "Lyceum Ballroom" и сохранял это название до 1995 г. В это время здание использовалось как огромный танцевальный зал. В 60-70-х годах в нём нередко проводились концерты известных поп- и рок-исполнителей и ансамблей.

* В концерте, кроме Джона и Йоко и их группы "Plastic Ono Band", учавствовали также - Young Rascals, Desmond Dekker and the Aces, Blue Mink and Black Velvet. Ведущим этого шоу был Emperor Rosko.
Состав "Plastic Ono Band" - Джон, Йоко, Eric Clapton (гитара), Klaus Voormann (бас) и Alan White (ударные) - уже известный публике по концерту группы на фестивале в Торонто в сентябре 1969 года, был значительно расширен и его сразу "окрестили" в "The Lennon-Ono Super Band".

* "Plastic Ono Band" исполнили две продолжительные композиции - "Cold Turkey" и "Don't Worry Kyoko".


* Plastic Ono Band Setlist at Lyceum Theatre, London, England

1. Cold Turkey
2. Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)
(Yoko Ono song)

Line-up: John Lennon (guitar, vocals), George Harrison (guitar), Eric Clapton (guitar), Delaney Bramlett (guitar), Yoko Ono (vocals), Bonnie Bramlett (tambourine), Alan White (drums), Jim Gordon (drums), Keith Moon (floor tom), Billy Preston (organ), Klaus Voormann (bass guitar), Bobby Keys (saxophone), Jim Price (trumpet).

- http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/plastic-ono-band/1969/lyceum-theatre-london-england-13d31...

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* Участники концерта (слева направо): трубач и тромбонист Jim Price, саксофонист Bobby Keyes, барабанщик Jim Gordon (эти три американских инструменталиста входили тогда в состав популярной команды "Delaney and Bonnie and Friends" и прибыли с ней на гастроли в Европу), далее давний немецкий друг "Битлз", бас-гитарист Klaus Voormann, и супружеский соул-роковый дуэт из США "Delaney and Bonnie" - Delaney (гитара) и Bonnie Bramlett (тамбурин).

* Слева направо: Джордж Харрисон (гитара), британский барабанщик Alan White (пришедший в "Plastic Ono Band" из группы "Alan Price Set", в последствии прославившийся, как ударник группы "Yes"), легендарный барабанщик британской группы "The Who" Keith Moon, далее - его приятель и телохранитель Neil Boland, а вот следующий персонаж - неизвестен, можно только предполагать ?, темнокожий приятель "Битлз" и клавишник Billy Preston, и гитарист-виртуоз Eric Clapton.

* Барабанщик и танцор британской шоу-группы "The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band" Larry "Legs" Smith (в меховой шапке), ну и - Джон с Йоко.

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На некоторых фотографиях можно разглядеть одну из первых видеокамер - Sony VCK 2000.

Попытка озвучить немую съёмку с этого концерта. Использовалась любительская запись с "родным", не перезаписанным, вокалом Джона. Данную съёмку осуществляла компания Movietone.