Stevie Wonder Announces John Lennon`s Death Live to his Audience 1980 (...

Stevie Wonder Announces John Lennon`s Death Live to his Audience 1980 (Rare) 1,140,446 views 15 Aug 2011 6.2K 96 

 

 

Share Save Colin Locke 1.25K subscribers God bless John`s memory. Colin Locke Jeez I haven't been on this my own account in years 119 Laura Agigian I was there. I was at that concert. It was at the Oakland Stadium on December 8, 1980. During the concert, I remember feeling disappointed because Stevie seemed to be "off," disconnected from the songs he was singing, and just going through the motions. He played many of his songs back to back in a medley, as if to get it over with. At the end of the concert, I knew why. Even now, in 2014, I remember almost every word of that speech, which left me speechless. I remember getting more and more worried as he started to talk. I remember the collective "gasp" upon hearing the name of the artist who had been shot, and the incredible silence for a few moments afterward. The stadium, filled with thousands of people, was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. I was so overwhelmingly shocked, I could not speak. I couldn't believe that most of the audience were singing along with Stevie after that. I don't remember if he sang, "Give Peace a Chance" or "Imagine." I was just crying my eyes out. When I got home, I turned on the radio and they were holding an all night call-in vigil. I called in and told my story of the Stevie Wonder Concert. I stayed up all night with all the other callers, trying to make sense out of it, or even to believe it. Wow. I never, ever, ever thought I would hear this speech again. I feel like I was there all over again. Wow. And it is almost exactly how I remembered it. 2K HAHA HAHA So sad. You can hear the pain and sadness in Stevie's voice when he announced John Lennon's death. R.I.P. John Lennon. 877 Vitality Massage Thank you. Your comment brings us all together. 51 3replybiz The morning after this happened we had a music lesson at my school and all our teacher did was play material from The Beatles. That was the lesson that day. I was 12 years old and I have never forgotten it and never will. 522 OldskolFan Awe Stevie...he's had to see a lot of young artist go. He sang at Michael and Whitney's funerals. Marvin Gaye and the Temptations, who he worked with. 221 Maureen McFadden How and where did you find this? It's incredible. I was there - my ex-husband was one of the truck drivers on that tour - Hotter Than July. We were due to go out on the Imagine Tour with Lennon in January. What the video doesn't capture is how it felt inside the Oakland Coliseum that night. I will never forget it. How Stevie delivered the message had everyone in the place on the edge of their seats. It seemed like he talked for longer before he revealed Lennon's name. Every show we closed with the "Happy Birthday Junior" song from that album. Can't believe it was 34 years ago tonight. Thanks for posting this. 161 Jose Polanco stevie man...so much respect for this man...fuck violence... 123 ohsnapiam59 Still shake my head at his death...such a meaningless thing. Thank goodness his music lives on. 343 Ellie Louise My mum was 15 when he was killed, she told me that the whole of England (as I'm sure the rest of the world) was in utter shock. 470 Tio Pancho Stevie Wonder played music with John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1974. It was the last time John and Paul played music together! I love John, Paul, Stevie, & The Beatles! 120 Clapton Dennis John's Death is coming back, very often when I listen to the Beatles. Just a wound in my heart which will never go away. Hard to just enjoy listening, sometimes. Makes me sad and angry, I just love the man. 70 Alec L You can tell that Stevie had the thought in the back of his mind that he may have been next. "I expected that, in time, this type of thing would begin to happen to artists who express how they feel in that form." Stevie Wonder has always been very outspoken and I believe this was even before he lobbied to make Dr. King's birthday a holiday. Stevie is as courageous as any artist from this era. 49 M&M Papaya This beautiful man has lost so many friends in his life. It's so sad. 23