John Lennon's Legendary 'One to One' Concert Film 'Power to the People' Ends Japan Run on May 28

The film 'Power to the People: John & Yoko Live in NYC' brings the 'One to One Concert'—the only full-length performance John Lennon gave after the breakup of The Beatles—back to the big screen with peak audio and visual quality. The film features Lennon passionately performing solo classics such as 'Imagine,' 'Mother,' and 'Give Peace A Chance,' alongside The Beatles' hit 'Come Together.'

On May 22, a talk event featuring producer/director Naoki Tachikawa was held at Tachikawa Cinema City in Tokyo to mark the opening day. Tachikawa commented, 'Among all the rock live films I've seen, few capture the raw essence of rock 'n' roll as vividly as this one,' adding that the film makes one feel 'to the bone' that John Lennon is the personification of rock 'n' roll.

Key highlights noted include Lennon performing a full 15-song set and his moving introduction to 'Mother,' where song and poetry become one. The unique chemistry with his backing band, Elephant's Memory, and the significant presence of Yoko Ono were also emphasized as central to Lennon's performance.

The film underwent a painstaking restoration process led by Sean Ono Lennon and a seven-time Grammy-winning team, taking 20 years to restore frame by frame. The audio was similarly enhanced to 192kHz/24bit quality. Originally held on August 30, 1972, at Madison Square Garden as a charity for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the concert drew 40,000 people. Due to licensing agreements, the final Japan screening will be on May 28, 2026.