Dancers took to the stage at the Massey University Humanities Auditorium when he gave an earlier talk on Aretha Franklin.
A "Happy Birthday Bob" show, honouring Dylan's 50th birthday, saw a packed Globe Theatre, with 50 people turned away at the door.
John says extensive reading and listening go into the spoken commentary that links the songs to the life and times of each artist.
"I love two streams of music: the singer/songwriter line, from Woody Guthrie to Bruce Springsteen; the African-American line from spirituals to hip-hop.
"As other critics have stated, there is a superior sound to vinyl, which is maybe why sales of master vinyl from the past is a 'sign of the times'.
"The shows are free," says John.
"Warm up in the library for these one-hour stories in song by three pop artists who can be acclaimed as true 'icons' of their art."