Yoko Ono is arguably the most reviled rock widow this side of Courtney Love. Wrongly blamed for breaking up the Beatles and turning John Lennon from a romantic rock star into the militant who recorded “Revolution 9,” her music has often been mocked by those who know her only from B-sides of Lennon's post-Fab singles, the pair's famous Bed-Ins and other public-art performances. But the reality is that Ono has remained one of the most intriguing figures in art and music, collaborating over the years with figures such as John Cage, Ornette Coleman, Nam June Paik and Joseph Beuys.
So if no one was going to celebrate her career, Ono -- under the musical direction of son and new Plastic Ono Band leader, Sean Lennon -- was going to do it herself, in a series of concerts called We Are Plastic Ono Band.
Following a series of performances earlier this year at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the salute has decamped at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles for two nights this weekend. Ono is backed by Lennon, Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda and the Japanese band Cornielius for these encores, along with family friends Harper Simon, Perry Farrell, the RZA, Carrie Fisher and Vincent Gallo. Friday night's opener also included appearances from (500) Days of Summer star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, Iggy Pop and Minutemen/Stooges bassist Mike Watt, while Lady Gaga is perhaps the biggest draw for Saturday's bill, which also features Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth.
Surprisingly, the first night did not sell out, but those who dared to be there were treated to a consistently enthralling night of music that surely was a revelation to anyone not familiar with Ono's career.
The music was preceded by a 20-minute film that provided a neat overview of that career, including clips of some of her most controversial works, such as Cut Piece and her movies Fly, Two Virgins and Bottom Piece (a collection of naked derrieres), plus footage of her and Lennon marching and walking around New York.> Read the rest of this entry »