How a Toronto Music Festival May Have Led to the End of The Beatles
There are many theories behind why The Beatles broke up. Some fans blame Yoko Ono, some blame Paul McCartney, and some blame John Lennon. It’s still unconfirmed what the exact reason was behind the split, but a 1969 Toronto Music Festival may have hinted at the end of The Beatles.
A Toronto Music Festival wanted John Lennon to perform at their music festival
On Sept. 13, 1969, the Toronto Rock N’ Roll Festival celebrated many of the most iconic figures in rock music, with performances from legends like Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Alice Cooper, Chicago, and Little Richard. While a music festival with these headliners should sell out in five minutes, it was reportedly not selling well at the time.
In the documentary Revival 69, promoters John Brower, Ken Walker, and Thor Eaton were looking for ways to improve their sales. In a last-ditch effort, Brower made a phone call to John Lennon, inviting the Beatle to perform at the festival. However, Brower said he would only perform on one condition.
“When I talked to John, he said he would only come if they could play,” Brower told the Star. “And I said, ‘What? The Beatles?’ And he said, “No, me and Yoko (Ono). We’ll put a little band together.”
John Lennon performed at the festival without The Beatles
Lennon agreed to perform at the festival in a last-minute decision. However, the “Imagine” singer went to Toronto without The Beatles, marking the debut of Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band. The band that played at the festival included Eric Clapton on guitar, Alan White on drums, and Klaus Voorman on bass. The five musicians rehearsed together on the plane before making their debut together.
The impromptu set included songs like “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Money (That’s What I Want),” and The Beatles’ “Yer Blues.” There were also a few live premieres including “Cold Turkey” and “Give Peace a Chance.”
Did the Toronto festival break up The Beatles?
A week after Lennon’s Toronto performance, John and Yoko went into the studio and announced to the rest of the band that he would leave The Beatles. There is a myriad of reasons why Lennon was feeling this way, but conveniently, he announced his departure right after playing with another band. However, Brower said he doesn’t believe that the Toronto festival led to the downfall of The Beatles.
“I think the Beatles were due to break up,” Brower shared. “I think John getting his mojo back onstage and feeling what it was like to play; feeling what it was like to be John Lennon with a 100-motorcycle escort, I think it gave him a vision of a lot of potential possibilities, and he just decided, during that moment, that he was empowered. Ringo was quoted saying that when John and Eric came back from Toronto, the Beatles were over. Maybe that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but I certainly don’t think we should be documenting ourselves as breaking up the Beatles, not any more than Yoko would be accused of that.”
