NEW YORK (AP) - Organizers of a
John Lennon tribute concert had two immediate thoughts after the terrorist attack that crumbled the World Trade Center: cancel the event, or move it out of New York.
Ultimately, they decided both ideas dishonored Lennon's memory.
The concert, to be telecast live 8 p.m. Tuesday from Radio City Music Hall on the WB broadcast and TNT cable networks, was postponed for a week and will benefit attack relief organizations.
Alanis Morissette, Dave Matthews, Lou Reed, Shelby Lynne, Moby, Stone Temple Pilots and the late Beatle's youngest son, Sean, are among the artists scheduled to perform.
Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, said the terrorist attack rekindled what she felt on Dec. 8, 1980, the night her husband was murdered.
"There's all this talk about numbers, of the thousands of people who died,'' Ono said. "They're not numbers. Each person has a family and friends who miss the person and love the person. It's an enormous situation. I hope that singing John's songs, songs that were written by someone who was also a victim of violence, will somehow help people.''
Ono placed a full-page ad in The New York Times on Sunday simply quoting one of Lennon's lyrics: "Imagine all the people living life in peace.''
"John's music always inspired people and gave power to people and this is what we need in New York at this point,'' Ono said.
Neil Young sang Lennon's anthem, "Imagine,'' on last week's benefit telethon. There's no word on who, if anyone, will sing it Tuesday. Matthews will perform "In My Life'' and Stone Temple Pilots were assigned "Revolution.''
The event was originally scheduled for Sept. 20, taped for broadcast on Lennon's birthday Oct. 9. Not all the musicians could get to New York in time, forcing the postponement.
When the idea was broached to move the event out of New York, perhaps to California, it felt like a capitulation to terrorists, said Ken Ehrlich, co-executive producer of the telecast with Ono.
"When he was alive he was like a first citizen of the city,'' Ehrlich said. "It would have frankly been fraudulent to take it out of there.''
Despite the changed atmosphere, Ono doesn't want a somber show.
"This is a time when we need a sense of humor as well, not just mourning,'' she said.
The rescheduled date forced one act, the Isley Brothers, to drop out because of a conflict. Rufus Wainwright and Craig David are among the last-minute acts added to the bill.
None of the surviving Beatles are scheduled to attend. In fact, except for Reed and late addition Billy Preston, there are no artists on the bill who were active when Lennon was alive.
The American Red Cross, the September 11th Fund, the International Association of Fire Fighters and the New York Fraternal Order of Police WTC Fund are among the beneficiaries. Originally, the concert was supposed to be a benefit for causes that preach nonviolence. Some of those charities - the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the Violence Policy Center - will also benefit.
