John Lennon Repaid a Lost Bet to Elton John by Making a Surprise Concert Appearance
John Lennon might have been the first Beatle to mentally check out of the band. As he fell into a deep depression in the mid-1960s that he compared to going through murder, Paul McCartney became the de facto leader of the band. By then, the whole group had committed to not playing live, though John performed one more concert without his bandmates before leaving the group. Still, John lost a bet to Elton John and made one more proper, final concert appearance in the mid-1970s.
John Lennon lost a bet with Elton John that led to his final major concert appearance
John all but stopped playing live when The Beatles stopped touring. Elton John single-handedly got the ex-Beatle back on stage in 1974, and it was the final time John Lennon played original songs in front of a massive concert crowd.
The duo collaborated on two songs in 1974. Elton’s cover of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” included John on guitar backing vocals. Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” featured Elton on piano. The former Beatle dismissed its potential as a single. The “Rocket Man” singer believed it would shoot to the top of the charts. They made a wager on the outcome, and John Lennon lost the bet.
“Whatever Gets You Through the Night” reached the top of the Billboard charts on Nov. 16, 1974, less than two months after it debuted. The song’s success made John the final Beatle to have a No. 1 solo song. It also meant John had to make good on his lost bet — by joining Elton in concert. He paid up less than two weeks later by joining Elton on stage for three songs at Madison Square Garden (per Mental Floss). Lennon played originals “Whatever Gets You Through the Night,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” and “I Saw Her Standing There” during his appearance.
The concert appearance made John physically sick, perhaps because it had been more than two years since his last live show.
John performed his last concert as a headliner in 1972
More than two years before John repaid his lost bet and joined Elton John in concert, he starred at an MSG show in 1972.
He headlined the One to One benefit concert, leading an impressive bill that included Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, and Sha Na Na. John’s extended set included “Power to the People,” “New York City,” “It’s So Hard,” and “Instant Karma” from his early solo career. He performed The Beatles’ classic “Come Together” later in the proceedings and finished with “Give Peace a Chance,” according to Ultimate Classic Rock.
The One to One show was John’s final appearance as the main draw, but a 1975 mini set at a concert for music insider Lew Grade (the person who bought a controlling stake in John and Paul McCartney’s Northern Songs in 1969) was his final public performance, writes UCR. Lennon played two covers and trotted out “Imagine” during a brief set in which he barely hid his contempt for Grade, per UCR. John’s concert appearance with Elton at least saw him play originals, unlike his 1975 performance of covers and the well-known “Imagine.”
His first non-Beatles concert happened just before he quit the band
It would have taken a miracle to keep The Beatles together for any significant amount of time beyond 1969. The formal announcement of the break up came in 1970, but the band had all but dissolved by the end of the previous year.
John got a head start on performing live without his bandmates when he played his first non-Beatles concert on Sept. 13, 1969. His hastily assembled Plastic Ono Band — Yoko, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann on bass, and Alan White on drums joined him — played the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, and John complained about being there just before going on stage.
A week after the show in Toronto, John told his Beatles bandmates he planned to leave the group. By early 1970, Paul and Ringo Starr had solo records out, and the Fab Four had officially folded. John and George Harrison dropped their solo debuts later in the year.
His 1969 show as the Plastic Ono Band was part of a festival lineup, and he took center stage at a 1972 benefit. Yet John Lennon’s lost bet with Elton John led to his last concert appearance where he played only originals, in 1974.
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
