Free at Noon Flashback: Celebrating John Lennon’s 75th birthday with Jim Boggia and Friends

Jim Boggia and Friends | Photo by Liz Waldie | lizwaldie.com

The already packed house continued to grow at Free at noon following Arkells departure as fans got ready for a one-of-a-kind birthday celebration for the late, great John Lennon. It is no simple task for any band to stand in for The Beatle legend, but Jim Boggia and friends did a fantastic job of bringing Lennon’s songs to life in a way we haven’t see for some time.

They played many of the favorites from Lennon’s post Beatle career including the sentimental and touching, “Beautiful Boy”, a song that becomes all the more heart-breaking in hindsight. The band traded singers every song, featuring Pete Donnelly, Ben Arnold, Nina Shallman and Jacob Snider just to name a few of the talented musicians that graced the stage Friday afternoon.

The group finished the on-air portion of the concert with Lennon favorite, “Instant Karma”, to a loud ovation. Before saying goodbye, Jim Boggia and Friends — not to mention most of the Free at Noon crowd —  finished the afternoon with a spirited rendition of “All You Need Is Love”, which served as a perfect ending to as awesome a birthday celebration as anyone can hope for.

Setlist
Watching the Wheels
Beautiful Boy
Jealous Guy
Mind Games
Whatever Gets You Thru the Night
Instant Karma!