Justin Bond: "What a Bastard the World Is"


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Tonight in Brooklyn, the legendary Plastic Ono Band will reassemble for a rare performance paying tribute to Yoko Ono’s music through the years. For those under 40, The Plastic Ono Band was John Lennon‘s first solo project outside the Beatles, and were his support group in Toronto for the Rock and Roll Revival, his first show without the guys. Most of the original members will be there tonight, including Yoko, the Beatles’ famous friend from Hamburg, Klaus Voorman; Eric Clapton; Jim Keltner sitting in for Alan White (on tour w/ersatz Yes – feh) and a cast of younger musicians influenced by Yoko.

At last night’s dress rehearsal, I snagged a bit of video, including this fantastic version of “What a Bastard The World Is,” which Jody Denberg said might be the quintessential Yoko song. Yoko joined Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth for those over 40) for “Mulberry” and climaxed the show with “Yer Blues” and a moving version of “Give Peace a Chance.” I was particularly entertained by Sean’s excellent stage patter and direction of the band, and I hope he is as loose and spontaneous tonight for the big show. His guitar and piano playing was impressive/more than adequate.

On a day when we are reading that the Beatles’ (and Pink Floyd and many others) studio Abbey Road will be sold to pay EMI’s insurmountable debt to Citibank, it’s nice to know that the creative forces that built that empire and moved the world are still cooking with gas, in Brooklyn, no less.

Plastic Ono Band performs “Yer Blues” after the jump…

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