After the Beatles broke up…
Paul formed Wings, made many hit records, and toured. Paul still records, tours and performs today.
Ringo & His All-Starr Band have toured for a long time.
How about the two dead Beatles?
Did George or John ever tour with a band? I know they recorded records. Did they ever tour to promote them?
I remember reading an article in Hit Parade/Circus/Creem around 1976 about George on a tour.
I don’t remember whether Lennon toured. Based on what I’ve read, he preferred his time away from the public an awful lot, and may have also been battling substance abuse. I think those shows with the Plastic Ono Band right after the Beatles broke up were mostly one-offs. He also did a show with Elton John in New York City in the mid-1970’s - the flip side of Elton’s version of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was their live duet of “I Saw Her Standing There”.
George had at least one tour that I know of–to promote his album “Dark Horse.” (Detractors called it the “Dark Hoarse” tour because George had some laryngitis.) You can find out a little more about the album and tour here.
One complaint about the tour was that when George DID throw in a couple of his classic Beatle songs, he changed the lyrics to reflect his personal spiritual transformation or his personal life. (He sang “In my life, I’ve loved God more.”)
You’re absolutely right on both counts. I saw George on the Dark Horse tour in Chicago. It was very religiously flavored. Not bad, but a bit disappointing if you attended hoping to see a Beatle.
I goggled whether John Lennon ever did a solo tour and actually came back to this old Straight Dope thread with some interesting answers… John Lennon - Did he ever tour or do one-off shows as a solo artist? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board
George, Ringo and a band of dozens did two shows in New York in 1971 for charity relief for Bangladesh.
His 1974 tour had mixed reviews. Fans, hungry for the first solo Beatles tour, liked it while some media, notably "Rolling Stone" were less enthusiastic. He didn't tour again until 1991 with Eric Clapton in Japan.Thanks guys. Kind of sad that John never toured. Maybe he would have in the 1980’s given the opportunity. But a crazed fan took his life.
I saw a documentary on Wings. McCartney went back to basics in the beginning. Literally piling into a bus and hitting the road. They stopped at a colleges. Ask the Student Union director if they wanted a free show. There was no schedule. They just played where ever an opportunity was available. It was like Paul & Linda were reliving his teenage band days before the Beatles. Apparently that kind of informal touring helped Paul get past his Beatles burnout. He got excited about music again. Then they took Wings on world wide tours and of course recorded quite a few hits. I still enjoy listening to Wings. It’s has best band other than the Beatles. imho
“In My Life” wasn’t one of “his classic Beatles songs,” to be picky – that’s a Lennon song.