28 November 1974: Elton John jammed with John Lennon at Madison

By editorial board on November 28, 2022

Elton John made John Lennon 'physically sick' before last live performance

In 1974, John Lennon joined Elton John onstage at one of Elton's record-breaking shows at New York City's Madison Square Garden, performing a version of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and a fiery version of I Saw Her Standing There. Sadly, this was the last time John Lennon performed live in front of an audience.

Elton remembered: "I don’t think he’d played since the Peace Concert in Toronto [in 1969], to be honest with you, and certainly not in New York, I don’t think, since The Beatles. He was terrified."

"I can tell you that he was physically sick before the show – absolutely physically sick.  When he came on stage he was fine," Elton said. "Because [of] the reception that he got. I’ve never heard a noise, a roar like it."

There is one 1974 concert at the Garden that stands out from all the rest they have done in New York.

That’s when John Lennon joined them onstage on Thanksgiving Day as part of a deal he’d made when Elton played piano on the Beatle legend’s single “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.”

Lennon had no plans for Elton to contribute anything on “Whatever gets You Thru the Night,” a track he was working on in the summer of ’74. But when Elton showed up at Lennon’s recording session, he asked the former Beatle if he could try some piano on it.

Lennon agreed and loved what he heard from Elton, with whom he’d never jammed in the past. After hearing him on keys, Lennon had him sing harmony and really liked that, too. So he kept it on the track that got released as a single from Walls and Bridges.

So to prove himself right, he bet Elton that if it reached number one he would get on stage and perform it live with him. This was a big promise considering John had not performed in nearly ten years at that point. And, surprise surprise, Whatever Gets You Thru the Night went straight to number one in the USA.

What's more, this was the first time John had reached number one with a single outside of The Beatles. So he had to keep his promise to Elton.

It began with the bet. Elton John sang and played piano on both "Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" and "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" for Lennon's 1974 album Walls and Bridges. To that point, Lennon had been the only former Beatle who'd never achieved a solo No. 1 single -- a streak

Elton suggested would be snapped by "Whatever." So confident was Elton, in fact, that he suggested a little wager.

And did he ever: Lennon sat in for “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” plus two Beatles classics

— “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “I Saw Her Standing There” — in what would be one of his last concert performances. “It was insane,” says Johnstone, 67, of the surprise appearance that is referenced in “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny),” Elton’s 1982 tribute to the slain Lennon.

The concert took place on 28 November 1974. Lennon's onstage appearance was unannounced prior to the event, and the crowd reaction was ecstatic.elton

Lennon looked resplendent and sober with long hair and a black suit, and played a black Fender Telecaster guitar. He performed three songs with Elton John's band, opening with Whatever Gets You Thru The Night and following with versions of The Beatles' Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and I Saw Her Standing There.

It was great. He was more nervous than I was, because he was nervous for me as well.

Elton used to be in the Dick James office when The Beatles sent in their latest demos, so he had a real emotional feeling for The Beatles.I went to see Elton at Boston and I was nervous just watching him.

I was thinking 'Thank God it isn't me', as he was getting dressed to go on. I went through my stage fright at Boston so by the time I got to Madison Square I had a good time, and when I walked on they were all screaming and shouting. It was like Beatlemania.

I was thinking 'What is this?' 'cause I hadn't heard it since The Beatles. I looked round and saw someone else playing the guitar. It brought the house down. It was déjà vu for me, not like The Beatles screaming bit, but the place was really rocking.

 

We'd had a rehearsal but we weren't that together. By the time we got to I Saw Her Standing There Elton's piano was jumping off the floor.

It was his idea to do that song. We had to do Whatever Gets You Through The Night because of a bet we had... and naturally we did Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds because I did that with him at Caribou. That's me out of tune in the background, doing the reggae bit. I got it wrong just like I did the original on Pepper.

 

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