For John Lennon's 70th Birthday, Concerts, Album Releases, and More

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Above: A free screening of the film "LENNONYC" will be held in Central Park this Saturday, which would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday.

John Lennon would have turned 70 years old on Oct. 9th, and there's no shortage of events coming up to celebrate his birthday (some of which have already taken place). Among them:

* Yoko Ono and her "We Are Plastic Ono Band" held two Lennon tribute concerts in Los Angeles this past weekend. Spin magazine said, "the 77-year-old nodded to her own history, engaged in ear-splitting excursions into the avant-garde and brought the house down with duets with Iggy Pop (the first night) and Lady Gaga (the second)." You'll find more about the concerts, and photos, in their article (link above).

* Remastered versions of Lennon's solo albums were released Oct. 5th, as was a "Signature Box," an 11-CD set that includes all of his solo albums plus two CDs of rarities and a commemorative book.

* The film "LENNONYC," which looks at the musician's years in New York, in the 1970s, will be screened at Central Park Summerstage on Saturday at 7 p.m. (doors open 6 p.m.) PBS will air the movie on Nov. 22nd.

* Another movie, "Nowhere Boy," focusing on Lennon's early life in Liverpool, will be released on Oct. 8th.

* The 30th annual John Lennon Tribute concert will be held Friday, Nov. 12th at the Beacon Theatre. This year's lineup features heavy hitters such as Jackson Browne, Patti Smith, Cyndi Lauper, Aimee Mann, Keb' Mo', Joan Osborne, Martin Sexton, Shelby Lynne, Taj Mahal, Meshell Ndegeocello, Alejandro Escovedo, The Kennedys, Rich Pagano of the Fab Faux, and more.

* If you've got the money to shell out for a good cause, City Winery is having a John Lennon 70th birthday party on Saturday, Oct. 9th featuring Kimya Dawson, Anais Mitchell Freedy Johnston, Jesse Malin, The Chapin Sisters, Lisa Bouchelle, The Kennedys, and Tony Scherr. Tickets are $95 and benefit two charities that provide food for the poor.

And what will Yoko Ono be doing on Lennon's birthday? Reportedly she'll be in Iceland, where she will light what's called the Imagine Peace Tower memorial situated on an island near Reykjavik.