Presented by Geraldo Rivera, then a young investigative journalist, the exposé showed scores of troubled, ill-nourished children left bored and unattended, some covered in their own faeces. “It smelled of disease, and it smelled of death,” Rivera later said. The two concerts – held at Madison Square Garden, in Manhattan, on August 30th of that year, featuring performances by Lennon and Ono along with their backing group, the Plastic Ono Band – raised more than $1.
5 million for children with special needs across the United States. The gig found Lennon performing both solo songs and some Beatles hits, as well as collaborations with Ono, including Imagine, Give Peace a Chance and Come Together. The event was recorded and eventually released, in 1986, as a live album and film titled Live in New York City.
Fans have long expressed dissatisfaction. “This was this remarkable concert, which was the only full-length concert that he gave after leaving The Beatles,” says Kevin Macdonald, the director of a new documentary, One to One: John & Yoko. “If you’re a Beatles or Lennon fan, it’s of huge significance.
But it had never really been seen in anything like its full glory, because it was released once on VHS, in 1986, with terrible sound. It was actually Phil Spector, who was a big friend of John’s, who was in charge of the recording. He messed it up.
“It was never re-released. It was only recently, with the advent of technology that allows you to isolate and cl.
