Travel: John Lennon – New York City to Ann Arbor

John Lennon and Yoko Ono flew from New York City to Ann Arbor, Michigan, on 9 December 1971.

It was to perform at the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, which was held at the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor the following day.

Lennon and Ono stayed for two nights in the Presidential Suite at the Campus Inn, and returned to New York on 11 December.

The rally, which was attended by 15,000 people, was in support of American writer and political activist John Sinclair, who had been arrested and given a 10-year prison sentence in 1969 for distribution of marijuana. The musical performers included Lennon and Ono, Phil Ochs, The Up, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Bob Seger, Stevie Wonder, Archie Shepp, Joy Of Cooking, David Peel, and Teegarden & Van Winkle. Speakers included Bobby Seale, Jerry Rubin, Allen Ginsberg, Rennie Davis, James Groppi, Sheila Murphy, Johnnie Tillmon, Ed Sanders, and Jane Fonda.

The Plastic Ono Band performed four songs, all of which appeared on the 1972 album Some Time In New York City: ‘Attica State’, ‘The Luck Of The Irish’, ‘Sisters, O Sisters’, and ‘John Sinclair’. The performance was filmed, and included in the short film Ten For Two.

Page last updated: 5 March 2026

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