On August 8, the Broad museum in Los Angeles hosted “Yoko Only,” a tribute concert dedicated to the avant-garde music and enduring artistic influence of Yoko Ono. The event, which featured a 19-song setlist, was held in conjunction with the museum’s exhibition, Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind. Musicians including Rufus Wainwright, Kathleen Hanna, and members of the band Yo La Tengo performed reinterpretations of Ono’s catalog, ranging from her early experimental works to her later disco-influenced hits.
The performance, held on the museum’s East West Bank Plaza, served as a live exploration of Ono’s career in sound art and music. While the 93-year-old artist did not attend the event, the concert showcased the breadth of her creative output, spanning over seven decades of activism and conceptual art.
Curating the Sound of Yoko Ono
Yuka Honda, known for her work with Cibo Matto, served as the curator for the tribute and assembled a core ensemble to anchor the evening. Yo La Tengo performed as the house band, augmented by guitarist Nels Cline of Wilco and Honda herself on keyboards. This five-piece group provided the musical foundation for a variety of guest vocalists who interpreted Ono’s specific, often challenging song structures.
The setlist was designed to reflect the diverse phases of Ono’s musical evolution. Performers tackled tracks such as the 1970 avant-garde piece “AOS,” the 1973 anthem “Woman Power,” and the 1981 disco track “Walking on Thin Ice.” According to reporting from Manypress, the concert highlighted the “no filter” approach Ono brought to her songwriting, an aesthetic that many of the night’s performers cited as a major influence on their own creative paths.
Artist Interpretations and Legacy
The concert featured a range of stylistic approaches to Ono’s work. Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards opened the night with “We Are All Water,” while Satomi Matsuzaki of Deerhoof performed the percussive track “Tabeti.” For a more personal turn, Emi Helfrich, Ono’s granddaughter, performed “Remember Love” and “Higa Noboru,” accompanied by acoustic guitars.
Kathleen Hanna and Corin Tucker collaborated on “No, No, No,” a song Ono wrote following the death of her husband, John Lennon. During the event, Tucker noted that Ono’s refusal to adhere to traditional musical norms was a direct influence on the riot grrrl generation. Rufus Wainwright also contributed to the tribute, performing “I’m Going Away Smiling” and “What a Bastard the World Is” while wearing tinted glasses in a nod to Ono’s signature style.
The Music of the Mind Exhibition
The “Yoko Only” concert was directly tied to the Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind exhibition, which opened at the Broad on May 23. The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Tate Modern in London, is the first solo museum exhibition of Ono’s work in Southern California. According to Pollstar, the exhibit explores Ono’s history as a conceptual artist, tracking her work from her childhood in Japan through her decades of political activism and peace-focused art.
Visitors to the exhibition can engage with a variety of interactive installations, including pieces that invite participants to hammer nails or climb inside body-sized black bags. The museum has stated that the programming for the exhibition is intended to allow visitors to experience the full scope of Ono’s production, from Fluxus activations to her recorded music. Ticket holders for the “Yoko Only” concert were granted access to the museum’s third-floor galleries and the shop as part of the event experience.
Readers interested in the intersection of conceptual art and music are encouraged to share their thoughts on the impact of Ono’s legacy in the comments below.
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