"Garden Party" is a 1972 country rock song written by Rick Nelson and recorded by him and the Stone Canyon Band on the album Garden Party. The song tells the story of Nelson being booed at a concert at Madison Square Garden. It was Nelson's last Top 40 hit, reaching 6 on the U.S. Billboard charts The concert On October 15, 1971, Richard Nader's Rock 'n Roll Spectacular Volume VII concert was given at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The playbill included many greats of the early rock era, including Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Bobby Rydell, with Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band listed in advertisements as a "special added attraction". Nelson came on stage dressed in the then-current fashion, wearing bell-bottoms and a purple velvet shirt, with his hair hanging down to his shoulders. He started playing his older songs like "Hello Mary Lou", but then he played the Rolling Stones' "Country Honk" (a country version of their hit song "Honky Tonk Women") and the crowd began to boo. While some reports say that the booing was caused by police action in the back of the audience, Nelson thought it was directed at him. Nevertheless, he sang another song but then left the building and did not appear onstage for the finale. The song "Garden Party" tells of various people who were present, frequently in an oblique manner ("Yoko brought her Walrus", referring to Yoko Ono and John Lennon), with a chorus: But it's all right now, I've learned my lesson well You see, you can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself One more reference in the lyrics pertains to a particularly mysterious and legendary audience member: "Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes, wearing his disguise". The Mr. Hughes in question was ex-Beatle George Harrison, who was a next-door neighbor and good friend of Nelson. Harrison used "Hughes" as his traveling alias, and "hid in Dylan's shoes" most likely refers to an album of Bob Dylan covers that Harrison was planning but never recorded. Lyric references A garden party; October 15, 1971's Rock 'n Roll Spectacular concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City My old friends; fellow performers at the concert Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Bobby Rydell Yoko; Yoko Ono Yoko's walrus; John Lennon (Lennon's song "I Am the Walrus") Mr. Hughes; George Harrison (Mr. Hughes) hid in Dylan's shoes; Harrison's