John Lennon was murdered 29 years ago this week. As always, with the anniversary of his death, we hear recollections of that horrible night, we see old news clips on television, we hear his songs on the radio, and often, we see stories in newspapers and in magazines. It wasn't as prevalent this year, as a 29th anniversary just doesn't seem to have the same ring to it as a 25th or a 30th, but I assume we'll once again hear a lot more about the fallen Beatle at this time next year.

Four years ago, however, on that 25th anniversary, the milestone was noted everywhere. And the Weekender was no exception. In fact, our concert, "We All Shine On: A Tribute To John Lennon," remains one of the most memorable nights of music I've ever witnessed.

The event was held on Dec. 8, 2005, 25 years to the day of Lennon's death. We worked on it for about two months in advance. We found great local talent, the acts on the bill all cooperated in working out a setlist so that no songs would be repeated during the show, and on a cold wintry night that reminded many of the events of Dec. 8, 1980, a group of good-hearted and engaging musicians came together at the River Street Jazz Cafe to celebrate John Lennon's life and music and sing his songs.

The entire two-hour event was also broadcast live on 102.3-FM, The Mountain.

To this day, some of the acts that were on the bill that night still tell me how special it was and that it remains one of the most rewarding nights of music they'd ever been a part of. The spirit in the room and the sense of camaraderie was incredible, and the folks at the Jazz Cafe still say it was the most jam-packed the club has ever been. In the days following the show, we received many e-mails from people that listened on the radio, telling us how much they enjoyed it and appreciated it. At the club, people in the crowd often embraced and sang along to the songs.

Emotions ran high, all throughout the night.

Some of the artists on the bill were Smith, k8, John "Fud" Zavacki, Bret Alexander, Eddie Appnel and Pat Flynn, George Wesley, Don Shappelle, plus members of Strawberry Jam and Plus 3. Songs such as "A Day in The Life," "Watching The Wheels," "In My Life," "Imagine," "Starting Over" and "Norwegian Wood" were played with care and passion, and the show ended in an all-star jam of "Instant Karma."

Today, thanks to some great improvements to our Web site since that time, we can now bring you that special tribute concert once again. It's linked right here, in several parts, so you can listen to it anytime you choose. If you missed it, we hope you'll now enjoy hearing it for the first time. And if you were there four years ago at show, or were listening on the radio, I'm sure you wouldn't mind hearing it again.

It really was a beautiful night of music and a wonderful tribute to one of the most important songwriters of our time. And here at www.theweekender.com, it now shines on.

Thank you once again, John Lennon, for the wonderful songs.

About the Author

Alan K. Stout is the music columnist at The Weekender and has been covering rock and pop music in NEPA for more than 15 years. His column, "Music on The Menu" appears every week in The Weekender.

Alan has won a Keystone Press Award for Excellence in Journalism for his music coverage and has been voted Northeast Pennsylvania's "Favorite Newspaper Columnist" six times.

Alan's interviews include conversations with Billy Joel, Steven Tyler, Eddie Van Halen, David Bowie and Ray Charles. He also wrote the liner-notes to the entire Motley Crue catalog, he is the host of the monthly "Weekender/Mountaingrown Original Music Series" and is the founder of NEPA's annual "Concert For A Cause." He also hosts a weekly radio show, "Music On The Menu Live," which can be heard every Sunday night at 8 p.m. on 102.3-FM, The Mountain.

In addition to his work with The Weekender, Alan also serves as the Newspapers In Education Manager at The Times Leader.

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