John Lennon's last concert: with Elton John at Madison Square Garden, November 28, 1974

About the artist

John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England, on October 9, 1940^[1]. He founded and led the Beatles^[2] and wrote songs in partnership with Paul McCartney^[3]; the band's first single, "Love Me Do," came out on October 5, 1962^[4]. After leaving the Beatles he made solo albums including John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970) and Imagine (1971)^[2]. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 1994 with McCartney as his presenter, points to "Imagine," "Working Class Hero," "Instant Karma!" and "#9 Dream" among the songs of his solo years^[3].

Why this was the last show

After leaving the Beatles, Lennon headlined only two full-length concerts of his own: the One to One shows at Madison Square Garden in New York, an afternoon and an evening performance on August 30, 1972. They were benefits for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, drew 40,000 people in all and raised more than $1.5 million^[5].

Two years later, on November 28, 1974, he came back to the same arena as a guest at Elton John's concert and played three songs. That night is the subject of this page^[6].

In February 1975 he released his covers album Rock 'n' Roll. On April 18 he appeared at the Waldorf Astoria in New York for the taping of A Salute to Sir Lew Grade: The Master Showman, a television gala honoring the Beatles' latter-day music publisher. Introduced as "John Lennon Etc.," he and his band played "Slippin' and Slidin'," "Stand by Me" and "Imagine." The special aired that June without "Stand by Me"^[7].

His son, Sean, was born in October 1975^[8]. That year Lennon stopped making albums to devote himself to his life with Yoko Ono and Sean, and for the next five years he all but disappeared from public life^[2].

He came back in 1980. New songs began to take shape on a holiday in Bermuda, and recording started that August; the result, Double Fantasy, credited to Lennon and Ono, was released in Britain and the U.S. on November 17^[9]. Lennon died on December 8, 1980, at the age of 40^[1]. He had not played a concert since that night at Madison Square Garden in 1974^[6][10].

What is known about the day

The bet began in the studio. In July and August 1974 Lennon recorded Walls and Bridges at the Record Plant East in New York, and Elton John played piano and organ and sang harmony on "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night"^[11]. Elton was convinced it would be a hit and wagered that if it became Lennon's first solo No. 1, Lennon would appear at his Madison Square Garden show^[11]. At the time, Lennon was the only former Beatle who had not had a solo No. 1 single^[6].

The song came out as a single on September 23, 1974^[12], reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 16, and Elton called to collect. "It wasn't like I promised some agent or something, so I was suddenly stuck," Lennon said later^[8].

The two rehearsed at the Record Plant on the Tuesday before the show^[8]. Lennon also went to see Elton play in Boston beforehand; he said he got his stage fright out of the way there, so by the time he reached Madison Square Garden he could enjoy himself^[6][12].

November 28 was Thanksgiving^[13], and Lennon's appearance was kept from the audience until just before he walked on^[6]. Elton brought him out by explaining that, since it was Thanksgiving, they wanted to make the night "a bit of a joyous occasion." Lennon wore a black suit and played a black Fender Telecaster^[8].

They opened with "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night," fresh from the top of the chart. Next came "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds": Elton had released his cover of the Beatles song as a single the week before, with Lennon on guitar and backing vocals under the name Dr. Winston O'Boogie, and it would top the Hot 100 for the first two weeks of January 1975^[8][6]. Elton had also hoped for "Imagine," but Lennon turned it down; he said he did not want to come on like Dean Martin running through his old hits, or to do more than three songs^[6].

The closer, at Elton's suggestion, was "I Saw Her Standing There." Lennon introduced it with a joke, as a number by an old, estranged fiancé of his called Paul^[6][13]; with the Beatles, McCartney had sung the lead^[14]. Elton's band backed them: Davey Johnstone on guitar, Dee Murray on bass, Nigel Olsson on drums and Ray Cooper on percussion^[15].

Lennon and Yoko Ono were living apart at the time, but he had arranged tickets for her, and the orchids he and Elton wore onstage were her gift. The two met backstage after the show^[8][6]. Of the night itself, Lennon said it was good fun, but not something he would like to do for a living^[6].

What the show left behind

The recordings came out in stages. "I Saw Her Standing There" appeared in February 1975 as the B-side of Elton's single "Philadelphia Freedom"^[6][16]. In 1981 all three songs were issued together as a single, 28th November 1974, credited to the Elton John Band feat. John Lennon & The Muscle Shoals Horns^[15]. Elton's 1976 live album Here and There paired a 1974 London concert with this New York show, and its two-CD reissue in 1995 added the three songs with Lennon^[10]. In Japan, the expanded edition came out in 2010 as a two-disc SHM-CD, Here and There +16^[17]. No official video has been found.

Which performance counts as Lennon's last depends on what is being counted. His last full-length concert of his own was One to One in 1972, and its afternoon and evening shows were released together for the first time in 2025^[5]. Elton John's official website calls the Madison Square Garden guest spot Lennon's last concert appearance^[10], and Ultimate Classic Rock did the same in 2019^[6]. A year later, the same outlet noted that most fans regard this night as his last live performance, but that the three songs he taped for the Lew Grade special in April 1975 came after it^[7]. Counted by full concerts, the last was in 1972; by concert appearances, this night in 1974; and by any performance before an audience, the television taping in 1975.

Elton later described the night as one of the most magical moments of his life^[18]. Lennon and Ono asked him to be godfather to their son, Sean^[8].

A bet over a chart position brought John Lennon to a concert stage for the last time.