Spacey Shines at Lennon Peace Tribute

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/03/2001 at 10:03 AM EDT

Kevin Spacey brought the audience of Radio City Music Hall to its feet Tuesday night. The host of a tribute to John Lennon, the "American Beauty" Oscar winner took the microphone and sang Lennon's "Mind Games." There were few dry eyes in the house. "This evening is now dedicated to New York City and its magnificent people," Spacey said beforehand at the two-hour event, which was broadcast on both TNT and the WB. (Those networks, like PEOPLE, are owned by AOL Time Warner.) Referring to those recently lost in the attack on America, especially those at New York's World Trade Center, Spacey, 42, said: "John Lennon's spirit is with us tonight, and so are the spirits of 5,798 others. While I'm honored to be here, I'm incredibly pissed off that this passionate prophet of peace and so many others aren't with us tonight, because we live in an increasingly violent world." Also on the great stage paying homage to the late Beatle, who was felled by an assassin's bullet in 1980 (Lennon was 40): Marc Anthony (who sang "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"), Natalie Merchant ("Nowhere Man") and Stone Temple Pilots ("Revolution," backed up with photos of rescuers and firefighters at the Trade Center). Lennon's son Sean, 25, sang his father's vocal part from the Beatles song "This Boy" with Rufus Wainwright and "The Princess Diaries" actor Robert Schwartzman. Cyndi Lauper sang "Strawberry Fields" from Central Park, where a garden is named "Strawberry Fields" in the musician's memory. Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, 68, thanked the firefighters, police officers and rescue workers for their sacrifices during the attacks on the Twin Towers, saying, "You have restored my faith in the human race." The show ended with the ensemble singing "Give Peace A Chance." This segued into "Power to the People."