To celebrate John Lennon’s birthday today, Sean Ono Lennon, Mercury Studios, and Universal Music Group have announced the release of the Blu-Ray Film Editions of POWER TO THE PEOPLE. The highly acclaimed multiscreen concert film captures John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s legendary 1972 One-To-One live shows at Madison Square Garden alongside Elephant’s Memory and special guests. Newly restored, re-edited, and remixed by the Lennons' seven-times GRAMMY-winning team, the music is produced by Sean Ono Lennon.
Performed to a combined audience of 40,000 people, the sold-out charity concerts raised over $1.5 million for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Crucially, these historic performances marked the only full-length concerts John Lennon ever performed after leaving The Beatles.
The extensive film restoration was over twenty years in the making. Directed by Simon Hilton and overseen by Executive Producer Yoko Ono Lennon, vintage film negative trims were hand-cleaned, rejoined, retransferred, and re-edited to build a captivating multiscreen experience. The audio multitracks were digitally restored and remixed in High Definition Stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos. The electrifying setlist features Lennon classics such as "New York City", "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)", "Imagine", and "Mother", alongside Yoko Ono’s "Don't Worry Kyoko" and "Open Your Box". The shows also boast rousing renditions of "Come Together" and "Hound Dog", culminating in an incredible encore of "Give Peace a Chance" with guests Stevie Wonder, Sha Na Na, and Melanie Safka-Schekeryk.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE is available in multiple home video formats, including a 2-Blu-Ray Standard Edition, a Collector’s Edition, and a 4-Blu-Ray Deluxe Box Set. The expanded release pairs the concert film with ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO, an award-winning documentary directed by Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards that offers a rare look at the couple’s first year in New York City. The Deluxe Box Set features the hybrid multiscreen presentation, both individual afternoon and evening shows, the documentary, a 128-page hardback book, postcards, and a poster enclosed in a 10-inch lenticular slipcase.
