Dozens Gather for John Lennon Tribute at Belmont Library

Nearly 200 people gathered in the on Wednesday night to pay tribute to rock 'n' roll legend John Lennon on the 30th anniversary of his death.

The audience included several young children, as well as a number of adults who remembered where they were when John Lennon was killed.

But the majority of the audience, however, were teenagers.

"Kids from Carlmont come to perform poetry, play an instrument, or sing a song," Belmont Library Manager Kathleen Beasley said.

Joseph Hill, an English teacher at , attended the tribute to see the teens who are part of Logos, Carlmont High's Club for Literature and Language.

"I love to come to these open mics," Hill said. "It is wonderful to see the students outside the context of high school."

Of the more than 20 people who came to the stage, one was an older couple who spoke of visiting England and how awe inspiring an experience it was to see John Lennon's boyhood home.

The woman read a passage from a book written by Lennon's sister, Julia Baird. Her husband shared a rare Christmas recording of the Beatles with the audience.

Back in April, the Belmont Library hosted its first open mic night -- a poetry slam. Since that night, the event has evolved into an open mic venue for teens to express themselves in a number of ways, including playing instruments, rapping, and singing songs.

One Carlmont student who exemplifies the move beyond poetry is Eddy Finau. A senior at Carlmont High, Finau performed three songs on Wednesday night.

He took the stage to calls of "Go, Eddy!" and "Eddy, you rock!"

Finau opened with John Mayer's "Daughters." He then provided the backing instrumental while another performer rapped, and Finau closed with the Beatles "All You Need is Love."  

Finau performed "All You Need is Love" in two languages. He opened the song by singing it in Tongan and finished the song in English.

Hill said he would like to see the open mic grow into something where people in the community come out to support the students who take to the stage.

"This is a chance for them to grow, get better and find their voices," Hill said.

Despite the open mic having a reputation as a teen event, the audience at the tribute was supportive and receptive to all performers, applauding all for sharing their art as well as memories and appreciation of John Lennon.

"This crowd, obviously, has people my age because John Lennon was an icon for us," Beasley said.