Introduction
Everything seemed to finally fall into place for John Lennon when he stepped onto the stage for what would, heartbreakingly, become his last public performance on April 18, 1975.
Earlier that year, Lennon had reunited with his wife, Yoko Ono, after their period apart known as the “Lost Weekend.” Their reconciliation brought joyful news — Yoko was pregnant. Their son, Sean Lennon, would arrive on John’s 35th birthday that October. Around the same time, John achieved another personal victory: a New York State Supreme Court judge overturned his looming deportation order, officially allowing him to stay in the United States.
Lennon had also recently resolved a lengthy legal battle over songwriting royalties with his publisher. This victory brought him to New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel to participate in a television special titled A Salute to Sir Lew Grade: The Master Showman.
Sir Lew Grade was no stranger to Lennon — or to controversy. Years earlier, Grade had successfully outmaneuvered both Lennon and Paul McCartney for control over their Beatles’ song catalog. As both artists embarked on their solo careers, disputes arose when Lennon and McCartney began crediting their wives as co-writers, a move that effectively halved the publishing profits for Grade’s company, Associated Television. While McCartney ultimately won his legal battle, Lennon was forced to compromise in 1974, granting ATV co-publishing rights to his new songs. Thus, when Lennon appeared at the tribute event, his feelings toward Grade remained complicated at best.
Taking the stage under the somewhat cryptic billing of “John Lennon Etc.,” Lennon and his band made a silent yet pointed statement. They wore custom-made masks — positioned on the backs of their heads — crafted by sculptor Ruby Jackson. Lennon, dressed in a bold red jumpsuit reminiscent of the New York Dolls’ style, intended the masks as a jab at Grade’s perceived two-faced business practices. “It was a sardonic reference to my feelings on Lew Grade’s personality,” Lennon later admitted. (The Beatles parody group The Rutles would later satirize Grade even more sharply through a character named “Lord Greed.”)
Viewers paying close attention may have noticed the letters “BOMF” on the bass drum — a subtle clue to the band’s true identity. They called themselves Brothers of Mother Fuckers, an obviously unsuitable name for television, hence the more benign “Etc.”
Among the band members were Mark Rivera — who would later work with Billy Joel and Ringo Starr — and a teenage Vinny Appice, who would go on to join Black Sabbath. These musicians had previously contributed handclaps to Lennon’s chart-topping single “Whatever Gets You Through the Night.” Later, Lennon persuaded the group to change their name again to Dog Soldier, inspired by a line from an unrecorded 1975 song he had written called “Incantation.”
Reflecting on that whirlwind period, Appice recalled, “It was an incredible time. I’d be playing with John Lennon at night, then dragging myself to high school the next morning, barely able to focus.” Interestingly, Rivera shared a slightly different take on the meaning behind the masks: according to him, Yoko Ono wanted the musicians to wear skull caps featuring replicas of their own faces — a symbolic nod to the theme of duality in American society.
During the tribute, Lennon performed two songs from his recently released covers album, Rock ‘n’ Roll: Little Richard’s energetic “Slippin’ and Slidin’” and Ben E. King’s soulful classic “Stand By Me,” the latter of which had been the album’s lead single. He closed his set with a moving new version of Imagine, subtly rewriting the lyrics to reflect his immigration struggles. “Imagine there’s… nothing to kill or die for,” he sang, “and no immigration too.” He dedicated this heartfelt performance to both Sir Lew Grade and Yoko Ono.
The night’s lineup also featured performances by Julie Andrews, Tom Jones, and Peter Sellers — one of Lennon’s early comedic idols — all performing before a glittering audience that included Hollywood legends like Lauren Bacall, Kirk Douglas, Gene Kelly, and Orson Welles.
Oddly, when the special aired in June 1975, Lennon’s performance of “Stand By Me” was edited out, despite the song’s success in the Top 20 charts. That single would ultimately be John Lennon’s final hit before he stepped away from public life to devote himself to raising his young son, Sean. Lennon wouldn’t return to recording until 1980’s Double Fantasy — and tragically, he would never perform live again, as his life was cut short by a deranged fan later that year.
Despite the deep significance of that night at the Waldorf Astoria, A Salute to Sir Lew Grade remains relatively overlooked. Many still mistakenly believe Lennon’s appearance with Elton John at Madison Square Garden in November 1974 was his last performance. In truth, it was this three-song set that marked the final time John Lennon stood before a public audience.
Sir Lew Grade passed away on December 13, 1998, at the age of 91 following heart surgery. By then, the Beatles’ publishing rights had already changed hands — sold by ATV to Michael Jackson, closing yet another chapter in the tangled legacy that had, in part, brought Lennon to that bittersweet stage one final time.