John Lennon and Yoko Ono flew from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to New York City on 11 December 1971.
They had been in Ann Arbor to perform at the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, which was held at the Crisler Arena the previous day. The event, 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.