AUSTIN, Texas -- Sean Lennon was having a bad day, and it was only

noon.

It was the Sunday after Lennon's first major live show in promotion of his

upcoming debut solo album Into the Sun and the youngest son of the late

Beatles legend, John Lennon, had a lot on his mind, not to mention his plate.

For one thing, his plane reservations had been canceled and were in the

process of being rescheduled and his plans to fly out West for a video shoot

were in jeopardy. He was to film in Los Angeles the video for his first single,

"Home," the following morning (March 23) and he stood to lose more than just a

night's sleep, if he didn't get to Tinsel Town in time.

"I'm just a little stressed," Lennon said, as he paced around the ticket

counter at Gate 25 in Austin Airport with his backup band at his side. "I have

a video to film at 7 in the morning and if I don't show up in time, I could

lose a lot of money."

While video shoots have certainly become a concern now that Lennon's first solo

album is scheduled for release May 19 on Grand Royal, the Beastie Boys label,

there was obviously much more on the mind of the only child of John Lennon and

Yoko Ono. His show the previous night at Liberty Lunch here, part of the 12th

annual South By Southwest music convention, had not exactly gotten his solo

career off to a flying start.

"I don't know what people were expecting," said Lennon, donning his black horn-

rimmed eyeglasses, which while more square framed are vaguely reminiscent of

his dad's trademark granny glasses. "I'm used to a much more intimate type of

show."

Lennon's observations of his own performance were astute. It wasn't clear

whether the more than 300 people packed into the club the previous night had

gotten what they came for. One of the five-day conference's most well-attended

events, Lennon and his three-piece backup band played to celebrities including

Brit-pop rocker Robyn Hitchcock, as well as numerous industry professionals.

Certainly the pressure of living up to all the exceptions played a part in his

unbalanced performance. Or maybe it was the pre-solo-tour jitters for the

22-year-old who has up until now gained much of his musical experience playing

on his mother's album Rising, as well as with members of the Japanese

band Cibo Matto.

Either way, the crowd seemed to spend more time staring curiously at the

young Lennon than responding enthusiastically to his music. He ran through

several of his new songs, including "Home," a song called "Mystery Juice" and

another titled "Spaceship," a name that seems to fit the electronic-pop elements

he's incorporated into his sound. The songs vary from warm guitar

melodies with basic rock drum beats to experimental techno buzzes and beeps

wrapped inside synthesized rhythms.

His stage mannerisms are frighteningly similar to his father's -- a sly

smile and coy shrug of his shoulders to acknowledge applause eerily recalls

the famous black-and-white film clips of John Lennon playing in the early

1960s. And like his father, Sean Lennon nervously pushes his eyeglass frame

upon the bridge of his nose at every segue in his show.

However, his songs -- those he played that night at least -- sound nothing

like his dad's during his Beatles era or solo years. And aside from the mock

Liverpudlian accent Sean Lennon used to introduce one number, he never made

reference to his father. Instead, Lennon, who is smaller and more stout than

his father, chose to cover a song by one of his dad's most famous rock peers,

Brian Wilson, when he sang the Beach Boys classic "God Only Knows."

Though not a truly inspired version -- pretty much mimicking the original --

it was a daring choice for the young Lennon. Still, it wasn't enough to move

the crowd that night, drawing lackluster applause at best. His mostly mid-

tempo tunes did little to inspire dancing, or celebration of any kind and, in

turn, his show suffered. In contrast, the follow-up band, Buffalo Daughter,

provoked shouts of joy at every turn of a phrase, as well as dancing bodies

which went a long way in upstaging the son of one of rock's greatest

celebrities.

"I felt like people weren't really getting it," Lennon said, the next day.

"They weren't really reacting. It was a little weird."

And while things may not have gone as well as he might have expected, Lennon

still has several weeks to get his act into gear before he begins a world

tour to promote his debut record. After Los Angeles, he said he planned to

head back into the studio in his hometown of New York, and from there he was

off to Europe.

But at that very moment in the airport in Austin, waiting for his rescheduled

flights to bring him to his destination, those future plans seemed a long way

off.

"I'm just really pissed right now," he said, explaining his nervous pacing. "I

didn't expect any of this."