©
2003 COPYRIGHT JORIE GRACENMarch 28 - Palau San
Jordi
- Barcelona, Spain
March 29 - Palau San
Jordi
- Barcelona, Spain
April 1 - Sportpaleis
Antwerpen
- Antwerp, Belgium
April 2 - Sportpaleis
Antwerpen
- Antwerp, Belgium
April 5 - Hallam Arena - Sheffield, England
April 6 - Hallam Arena - Sheffield,
England RESCHEDULED
April 9 - Manchester
Evening News Arena
- Manchester, England
April 10 - Manchester
Evening News Arena
- Manchester, England
April 13 - NIA
(National Indoor Arena) - Birmingham, England
April 14 - NIA
(National Indoor Arena) - Birmingham, England
April 18 - Earls
Court
- London, England
April 19 - Earls
Court
- London, England
April 21 - Earls
Court
- London, England
April 22 - Earls
Court
- London, England
April 25 - Gelredome - Arnhem, The Netherlands
April 27 - Köln
Arena
- Cologne, Germany
April 28 - Köln
Arena
- Cologne, Germany
April 30 - Preussag
Arena
- Hannover, Germany
May 2 - Parken
Stadium
- Copenhagen, Denmark
May 4 - Stockholm
Globe Arena
- Stockholm, Sweden
May 5 - Stockholm
Globe Arena
- Stockholm, Sweden
May 8 - Koenig Pilsener
Arena
- Oberhausen, Germany
May 10 - Colosseum - Rome, Italy (inside)
May 11 - Via
dei Fori Imperiali
(in front of the Colosseum) -
Rome, Italy
May 14 - Stadthalle - Vienna, Austria
May 15 - Budapest
Sportarena
- Budapest, Hungary
May 17 - Konigsplatz - Munich, Germany
May 18 - Konigsplatz - Munich, Germany
May 21 - AOL
Arena
- Hamburg, Germany
May 24 - Red
Square
- Moscow, Russia
May 27 - RDS
(Royal Dublin Society) Stadium - Dublin, Ireland
May 29 - HallamFM
Arena
- Sheffield, England
June 1 - Kings
Dock -
Liverpool, England
Concert-goers
don't forget to bring your mobile/cell phone to Paul's "BACK IN
THE WORLD" concerts.
A special phone number will be posted on the screen before the
show that you can call and send a 'text message' to Paul or whoever.
If your message is selected it will be shown on the big screen
before the concert and at the end of the show. Anyone who sends
a text message will be entered into a drawing to win a front row
seat upgrade for two! They will also receive a text message from
Paul and be entered to win a chance to be a balloon carrier in
the pre-show (Moscow).
DETAILS: LET
YOU IN
Audience participation
and interplay is a big part of the tour which kicks off on Tuesday
(25th March) in Paris. You can now join in with a mobile phone.
It's textual intercourse - but we call it "Let You In."
Anyone in the audience at the gigs with a mobile phone can send
a text message to a special number (which will be on screen as
the doors open) and we will get as many as we can displayed on
the screen by the stage before the show begins, and at the end.
You can send a message to Paul, or to a friend - whatever you
want!
All messages will be displayed on a special page on the Paul McCartney
website. Also all day long you can see if your message appears
after the show.
Everyone who sends a text message will automatically be entered
into a draw and win the chance to upgrade themselves plus a friend
to seats in the front row for that nights show. They'll get a
message from Paul and also be entered into a very special prize
draw, the prize for which will be to be part of the show at a
spectacular event on the tour.
So if you're a text maniac, look for the number and send now!
You may see this text message on your mobile phone at the concert:
"Are you ready to rock? please call this number...you have 4 front row seats, Paul."
The "Back in the World" tour program (20 to 22 Euros) is different than the U.S.A. tour program, with new photos and pages dedicated to the "Driving Mexico" and "Driving Japan," shows. There is info about the Dublin and Moscow shows and the two dates for Rome are also in the program.
The tour program mentions that the Mexican audience was the wildest and best so far on the world tour.
There are new T-shirts with
the European dates and new photos on them ranging from 30 to 33
EUROS.
Two new posters costing 8 to 10 Euros.
Paul was staying
at the Hotel Bristol in Paris. He did some radio interviews before
the concert and some songs were broadcast on the radio thought
to be from the show. Paul arrived at the arena at 5:30pm for the
sound check.
The concert started a half-hour late due to a large anti-war demonstration
that held up traffic around city center. Paul was in great voice
and the Paris audience was very enthusiastic.
At 9pm the pre-show began and was the same as the 2002 tour.
Paul wore a
new black Nehru jacket with an embroidered collar and cuffs and
a banded embroidered edging at the bottom of the jacket. He had
on a long sleeved red T-shirt and blue jeans. The concert was
sold out with a capacity of more than 15,000 with a general admission
(no seats) floor.
He introduced "Getting Better" saying, "This song was from the Sixties -
the decade that gets applause."
In the audience were French politicians, atheletes, actors, recording
artists, VIPs and celebrities. Sting was also spotted.
Paul spoke some French in his introductions warning the audience
that he would try out his French on. He told them, saying in French,
that he speaks "un petit peu" (a little bit). For "Your
Loving Flame" he dedicated it to "Pour ma femme Heather."
(for my wife, Heather). Before he started "All My Loving"
he said, "Bonsoir
Paris! Salut les copains! - We have come to rock you tonight."
(Good evening Paris! Hello buddies!)
For the introduction to "Getting Better" Paul said in
French, "C'est la première fois qe je fais cette chanson
en France !" (this is the first time I am doing this song
in France)
He said before "Lonely Road" the first new song performed
in the show, "Une nouvelle chanson, maintenant." (a
new song now)
At the beginning of the acoustic set when the band left Paul alone on stage, Paul said, "Je suis seul..." (I'm alone) "... Avec vous !" (with you)
He played the 'massage' music on the piano before "The Fool On The Hill" but didn't tell his massage stories.
He did the fake beginning of
"We Can Work It Out" singing "As I was walking
down the road.." stopping abruptly as the crowd egged him
on. Paul told the audience, "I know you like it, but I'm
not playing this tonight." Then he launched into "We
Can Work It Out."
His song introductions were similar to the 2002 tour. For "Here
Today" the tribute to John Lennon he said, "Sometimes
you don't say what you mean to say to people in life. Sometimes
you miss the opportunity, sometimes it's too late and you regret
it." Part way through his introduction a fan in the front
row yelled out Paul's next sentence before Paul could say it.
Paul not missing beat said, "You probably were here before,
but I was going to say, 'Je vais chanter cette chanson pour mon
ami John.' (I will sing this song for my friend John) When Paul
finished the song the 15,000 + Paris audience starting singing
"Give Peace A Chance." A very surprised Paul gave the
peace sign and joined them in singing the song a capella.
He performed
"Calico Skies" right after "Here There and Everywhere"
on acoustic guitar with the band. "Freedom" was not
performed.
For part of
his "Michelle" introduction he spoke French. "...et maintenant une chanson dont
vous allez facilement comprendre les paroles ..." (this song
will be easy to understand the words)
For "My Love," Paul said, "I wrote this next song
for Linda. C'est une chanson pour les amoureux. (it's a song for
the loved ones) Now it's for the lovers in the audience, you know
who you are."
Paul introduced "She's Leaving Home" in English. "Now
it's a song from the sixties ...", and added "It's probably
the first time this song is played in France."
Right after "Can't Buy
Me Love" Paul said, "Bon anniversaire !" (Happy
birthday) and launched into "Birthday." After "Birthday"
Wix said in French "Un
jour tres special pour moi." (one day very special for me).
Paul appeared to be having 'private jokes' with audience members
in the front row throughout the show.
At the encore he came out wearing the "no more land mines"
red T-shirt and waved the French flag which brought thunderous
applause and a standing ovation from the French audience.
After "The End" when the band was waving their goodbyes,
the crowd started singing "She Loves You." Paul went
over to the microphone and sang the chorus of "Yeah! Yeah!
Yeah!" at the appropriate time. Paul did not sign any autographs
from the stage.
back to itinerary
Paul arrived at the venue around 5pm in a white limo. When he
stopped at the venue gate he rolled down the window and said "Hola"
waving to the 100 or so fans and closed the window as he said,
"Adios!" Prior to Macca's arrival the band played "All
My Loving," "Getting Better" (mostly instrumental
with band singing vocals) and "Helter Skelter (full and well
rehearsed). There were 10 fans at the soundcheck (who won a contest)
where Paul performed "Honey Don't," "Bring it to
Jerome," "Midnight Special," "You Never Give
Me Your Money," "Band On the Run" (slower version),
Lady Madonna," "India," "Two of Us" (done
four times) and "The Fool On the Hill." The fans applauded
after the songs and Paul said in Spanish, "Gracias, pequeña
audiencia." (thank you, little audience)
Before the show Paul met
informally with the Mayor of Barcelona, Joan Clos and then had
a press conference. Paul greeted
a small group of fans and waiting journalists with "Hello,
good noooooches" (evening) and waved to each one and answered
questions. He was videotaped meeting with the mayor who he wasn't formally introduced
to. Paul didn't realize the mayor was there until an aid told
him. "Oh, the Mayor of
Barceloni, pretty city yours," Paul said. Then Paul asked
the people gathered in the press room to chant "Long Live
Spain." Nobody did because Barcelona wants to be independent
from Spain and Paul wasn't aware of that.
In the hall near the press conference room stood a bewildered
young male fan. He let out a little yell, and giggled. Then Paul
crossed a crowded room of journalists with open mouths and directed
his question at the boy. "You like the Beatles?" he
asked. The boy nodded his head yes. "Give me your T-shirt!"
Paul ordered. The poor kid was so scared he was ready to take
it right off.
Text messages from audience cell phones were shown on the screens
before and after the concert.
Macca was in great voice and peformed to a multi-generational
audience of 18,000 at the sold out Palau San Jordi. Paul wore
a sky blue, shiny Nehru jacket, red long-sleeved T-shirt and blue
jeans. The concert started a half hour late. While the crowd was
waiting in anticipation they began chanting "Ole´-ole´-ole´-ole´,
Pauly, Pauly...
ehh-ooh, ehh-ohh," and collectively did 'the wave.' A group
of fans held a signed that read: "all We need is love, STOP
THE WAR."
The pre-show was the same as the Paris show.
Paul addressed the enthusiastic
crowd after "Jet" saying "Hola españa! Hola
bona nit Barcelona!" (Hello Spain! Hello good evening Barcelona!)
"We have come here tonight to rockkk youu!!"
After "All My Loving"
the crowd started to scream, "PAUL-PAUL-PAUL!" Macca
said, "Oh, muchas gracias. (oh, thank you) Tonight
I'm gonna speak sometimes in English and sometimes en Español."
(in Spanish) Then
the crowd cheered, "TORERO! TORERO!" (Bullfighter) Paul said, "So fantantics.
Esta es la primera vez que he tocado esta cancion en españa." (You're fantastic! This
is the first time I've performed this song in Spain). Then he
launched into "Getting Better."
Before "Let Me Roll It" the crowd chanted "OLE´!
OLE´! OLE´! OLE´!" The song featured an
instrumental of "Foxy Lady" at the end.
After "Let Me Roll It" a hot and sweaty Macca said,
"Hace mucho calor!" (it's very hot) and removed his
jacket, neatly folding it before throwing it on the stage floor.
As he took off the jacket the band played "The Stripper."
He said, "Esta cancion es nueva." (this song is new)
and then he sang "Lonely Road."
Before "Driving Rain" he said, "It's great for
us to be here in Spain, in Barcelona, beautiful."
Paul introduced Abe in Spanish.
"Ahora les presento nuestro fabuloso bateria, Abe Laboriel,
Jr." (And now I introduce you to our wonderful drummer..)
Then Abe said, "Hola Barcelona, cómo estan? Les tengo
una pregunta, estan listos para el rock? Nosotros también."
(Hello Barcelona, how are you? I have a question for you. Are
you ready to rock? We are also.)
In his introduction to "Your Loving Flame" he said,
"Esta me gustaria dedicarla a una persona muy espacial aqui
esta noche... ma meve donna extraordinaria Heather." (I'd
like to dedicate this one to a special person who is here tonight...my
extraordinary wife Heather) There was a "peace" sign
on Paul's piano only visible on the big screen when the camera
focused on it. The crowd clapped when they saw it.
Signs in the audience: "Vivan los Beatles de Cádiz" (Long live the Beatles in Cadiz), "Canta Yesterday con Beth"( Sing Yesterday for Beth), "Soy Álex y tengo cuatro meses" (I'm Álex and I am four months old)."
For the introduction of "Blackbird"
Paul said, "Ahora estoy solo con vosotros totalmente solo."
(now I am totally alone with you.) He explained in English about
the inspiration for the song -- the 1960's civil unrest in America.
After "Every Night," Paul said, "Oh muchas gracias
Barcelona! (Thank you very much) and the crowd began to chant,
"OHHHOO ... OHHOOO," And then Paul joined them singing
"OOHHHOOO... OOHHOO" as he strummed his guitar.
Paul said to the man (dressed like a strongman) who carried the
piano out, "Come muchos est... (He eats lots of...) Wait
a minute! Esteroides! (steroids) It's a joke in Spanish,"
he added.
A Spanish newspaper commented that "A loose McCartney unfolded his peculiar domestic humor that once again punished his fans by reciting (in Spanish) Paul's beloved but incomprehensible poem, 'Tres conejos' (Three rabbits) before a bemused crowd."
After "The Fool on the Hill" Paul took his acoustic guitar and began to mumble "Besame,...besame mucho..." (kiss me...kiss me more...) The audience caught on and started a singalong of the Spanish language classic (originally written in Mexico), singing the first verse, which surprised Paul. People egged Paul on to sing the whole song. Paul played the song to it's final chords and made silly faces ("no, no, ... not that one..) as he showed his objection to performing the song all in good fun. He ended the song like the Beatles version in "Let It Be."
Paul said in his intro to "Here Today," "He escrito esto despues de la muerte de mi amigo John" (I wrote this after my friend John died). Before Paul started "Here Today" the audience began singing "Give Peace A Chance, with the addition of "no ala guerra" (no war). Paul strummed the chords of the song and sang some verses off mic.
He introduced "Something"
for "Mi amigo
George le gustaba el ukulele.. el ukulele. (My friend George liked
the ukulele) He was a very good player of the ukulele. Yesta noche
me gustaría tocar esta cancion para el." (Tonight
I'd like to play this song for you) At the end of the song, Paul
did not play the 'fast' version of "Something" that
he played in the US.
After "Eleanor Rigby" Paul said, "Oh, muchas gracias
ESPAÑA y Barcelona...Barcelona." (Thank you Spain
and Barcelona).
During the show Paul had a mock 'argument'
with someone in the audience that he pretended to reprimand. He
pointed to that person and spoke gibberish in a high-pitched voice
and pretended to be very annoyed. That brought laughter from the
audience.
When Paul introduced "Michelle" a woman yelled out to
Paul and he answered her back with a "Hi." Then he said,
"Ahora, venid con nostros a Francia." (Now come with
us to France)
Right after "Back in the
USSR" the audience began to chant "ehh-ohh" again,
and Paul mimicked them. Paul introduced Rusty in Spanish, "Os
presento nuestro fantastico guitarrista Rusty Anderson!"
(I present our fantastic guitarist to you...) Then Rusty brought
out his Spanish to English pocket translator and said, "Hola
Barcelona, como esta.. (Hello Barcelona, how are you?) My Spanish
is pretty awful so I have a message I'm gonna play for you."
He spoke an English phrase into the translator and held it up
to the microphone so the audience could hear the female robotic
voice speaking in Spanish. "La banda quisiera agredercles
por la calurosa bienvenida, y tambien a los que nos sorprendieron
con sus cortos y sexys vestidos en la calle de la Ramblas."
(The band would like to thank
you for the warm welcome and also to the ones who surprised us
with their short and sexy dresses in Ramblas Street)
That got a good laugh from the
audience.
For "My Love" he said, "He escrito esto para Linda...y
a esta nite es para todos los enamorados. (I wrote this for Linda
and tonight this if for all the lovers) This is for you, you know
who you are..."
The onstage teleprompters had
Spanish on them so the band could speak Spanish if they wanted.
In Barcelona there is a language called Catalan which is a regional
Spanish and the telepromters had both the Catalan and the broader
Spanish language on them. Paul and the band did not know the difference
between the two languages resulting in a hodge-podge of the Spanish
language.
Paul introduced Wix and said, "Ahora os presento mi pianista
unico, Paul Wix Wickens!" (Now I'll introduce my unique pianist...)
Wix mentioned that the night before was his birthday and the audience
started to sing "happy birthday" to him. Paul said,
"We say to you.. FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!!" (Happy Birthday!)
For Brian's introduction Paul said, "Y aqui esta el magnifico
Brian Ray!"(And here is the magnificent...)
An audience favorite was "Live and Let Die" with the same exploding pyrotechnics as seen in America on the second leg. After the song Paul went through his usual pantomime of feigning fright, patting his heart with an expression of "too much for my heart" and leaning on the grand piano with his elbows with a big smile on his face to the audience's delight. The crowd chanted "OLE´! OLE´! OLE´! OLE´!" and Paul answered back with an "OLE´- OLE´! OLE´- OLE´!"
For the "Hey Jude" introduction Paul said, "Cantad con nosotros." (You sing with us) Paul exclaimed, "Solamente los hombres!" (just the men) and posed like a bodybuilder while the men sang the "nah-nah-nahs." For the women he said, "Solamente las mujeres!" (just the women) and put one hand at the back of his head and the other on his moving hip imitating a female exotic dancer as the women sang. "Y todos juntos!" (Now everybody)
After "I Saw Her Standing
There" and before the band left the stage, someone in the
audience threw a Catalonian flag (Barcelona flag) onstage. Paul
picked it up and waved it. The crowd went wild. The band left
the stage and came back with Paul carrying a large Catalan flag
and other band members carried Spanish flags. Wix waved a tiny
British flag and walked in an exaggerated manner hopping up and
down.
Right after "Yesterday" Paul said, "Ahora los tenemos
que dejar." (Now we have to leave). The crowd screamed "NooO!"
Paul thanked the band in Spanish. "Y muchas gracias especialmente
a mi fantastica banda.. pero
sobre todo...VOSOTROS!" (And thank you very much especially
to my fantastic band...and most of all ...YOU!). Then he began
"Sgt. Peppers/The End."
When the concert finished,
Paul walked across the stage and waved to the audience and said
before he left, "Adiós, Barcelona" (Goodbye,
Barcelona).
back to itinerary
Paul arrived at the venue around 5:30pm. The soundcheck followed. Songs heard at the soundcheck: "Coming Up," "Honey Hush," band jam, "Getting Better" (guitar test), "Honey Don't," piano improvisation," Waiting for Your Train to Get In" (long version), "Celebration," "Things We Said Today" (Beatles version), "All Things Must Pass," "I've Just Seen A Face," "Barcelona" (new song improvisation), "Two of Us," "Blackbird" (shortened version), "Calico Skies"(shortened version), acoustic improvisation, "You Never Give Me Your Money," "10 Minutes To Go," (jam), "Lady Madonna."
The show started more
than 30 minutes late. Paul wore the purple Nehru jacket, red long-sleeved
T-shirt and blue jeans. Heather, her sister Fiona and Wix's wife
all sat together inside the photo pit in front of the stage. Fiona
took photos and all of them sang along with the songs.
Prior to "Getting Better"
people started to chant: "PAUUULL! PAAUULLL! OOHHHHO!, OHHHHOO!"
Paul repeated the, "OHHHOO!" and strummed his electric
guitar. Then the audience repeated the "OHHHOO!" and
Paul answered by strumming a guitar chord.
Someone on the front row threw a bag onstage that had something
in it. Paul picked it up and said, "Oh, that's my laundry!"
After "Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady" he took off his jacket
and said, "Mucho calor..CALIENTE!" (much hot..heat!)
The crowd cheered.
For his introduction to "Lonely Road" he said, "Esta
cancion es nueva." (This song is new.)
Paul messed up the words for "Driving Rain" singing
"Uuhu...I said," instead of "Let's go there and
back again..."
After the song he said, "Thank
you all you little Barcelonies!! Ahora Les presento a nuestro
fabulosos batería, Abe Laboriel Jr." ( Now I present
our fabulous drummer...) Abe said, "Hola Barcelona, como
están? Están listos para el Rock? Nosotros también.
Aquí está Paul McCartney." (Hello Barcelona,
how are you? Are you ready to rock? So are we. Here is Paul...)
And Paul said, "Gracias Abraham. (thanks ...)
On "Here Today" the audience cheered when Paul said
"mi amigo John" and started to sing "Give Peace
A Chance" (as they did on the first night) singing before
Paul started "Here Today." This time Paul played the
chords to the song, conducted the audience (with his arms) and
joined in singing the song.
For "Your Loving
Flame" Paul said, "Tonight I'm gonna speak in English
and a little bit of Spanish as well. Cuando
yo tenía 11 años en la escuela estudia español.
Cuando era un pequeño niño." (When I was 11-years-old, I studied Spanish
in school...when I was a child). He dedicated the song in Catalán and Spanish to Heather, "A la meva
dona extraordinaria Heather." (to my extraordinary wife,
Heather)
Before his introduction to"Blackbird"
the audience started to chant, "NO A LA GUERRA! NO A LA GUERRA!"(NO
WAR) And a member of the audience requested the song, "Besame
Mucho." Paul said, "Besame Mucho? Later.. Later.."
Then he began the introduction to "Blackbird."
When the strongman carried out his psychedelic piano Paul said,
"Come muchos esteroides." (It eats many steroids) "It's
a joke folks!"
After the song he said, "Muchas
gracias, Barcelona. Bona nite." (Thank you very much, Barcelona.
Goodnight) Then he sang the false intro to "We Can Work It
Out," "when I was walking down the road.." and
recited his
"Three Rabbits" poem. "Tres conejos en un árbol, tocando el tambor. Que si. Que no. Que si.
Lo he visto, yo." (Three
rabbits, in a tree, playing a drum. Why yes? Why no? Why yes?
I have seen it.) The audience roared with laughter. Then he began
"We Can Work It Out."
He introduced "Here Today," as the night before saying,
"He escrito esto despues de la muerte de mi amigo John."
(I wrote this after my friend John died). People started to chant,
"JOHN! JOHN!" and then sing "Give Peace a Chance."
When Paul first heard it, he put his hand on his ear like he wanted
people to sing louder and motioned to the audience to continue
singing. Paul sang along off mic.
For the "Something" intro Paul said, "A mi amigo
George. A mi amigo George." (to my friend George) People
began to chant, "GEORGE! GEORGE! GEORGE!" And Paul chanted
along with them. Then he told the story about George's passion
for playing the ukulele and began, "Something" with
the audience singing along. Paul did not do the fast version of
"Something" at the end of the song.
After "Something" the audience began to chant, "RINGO!
RINGO! RINGO!" And Paul said, "Oh yeah, Ringo as well...Yeah
Ringo." Paul began to sing, "In the town, where I was
born..." Then he stopped, but audience continued to sing.
Paul started to play his acoustic guitar and Abe his drum. Paul
again sang off mic with the audience until the chorus and stopped
the song.
He sang a little bit of "Besame
Mucho," after "Calico Skies," saying first "OLE´!"
And then "Besame, besame mucho..." (kiss me, kiss me
more) He stopped but the audience kept singing very loud and Paul
finished with "Besame, besame mucho.. NO, NO, NO! NO BESAME!"
Right after he introduced "Michelle"
he said "Venid con nosotros a Francia!" (Come with us
to France).
After "Back in the USSR" Paul said, "You're a good
rockin' crowd!" and Introduced Rusty in Spanish. "Os
presento nuestro fantastico guitarrista Rusty Anderson!"
(I present our fantastic guitarist to you...) Rusty again played
his pocket translator, but this time he had a problem with it.
He pushed the wrong button which changed the speed of the electronic
voice. The result was a female voice that sounded like Alvin the
chipmunk!
For "My Love" Paul
said, "Muchas gracias Barcelona ... Y España.. thank
you... He escrito esto para Linda.. y a esta nite es para todos
los enamorados..." (Thank you very much Barcelona and Spain...I
wrote this song for Linda and tonight it is for all the lovers...)
Then Wix did
his introduction for "She's Leaving Home" and said,
"A song that's never been played live..." Paul said
teasingly into the microphone, "Is it 'Yellow Submarine'?"
Wix said, "No, this is another
one!"
At the end of "Birthday"
Paul said, "Feliz cumpleaños!" (Happy birthday!)
Paul introduced Brian Ray in Spanish, "Aqui esta el magnifico
Brian Ray." (Here is the magnificent Brian Ray) "It's
wonderful to be here in your city. We can feel your heart up here,"
Brian added.
At the end of "Let It Be" Paul said, "Gracias por
la Luz." (Thanks for the light)
Paul did the fake intro
of "Baby Face" before "Hey Jude" and laughed
at the crowd's reaction "Oh,
you're enjoing that one!! Haha!"
When Paul began the singalone he said, "Hey...VIVA España!"
(Long live Spain) and "OK, solamente los hombres! (OK, just
the men)...Solamente las mujeres! (just the women)...Oh, todos
Juntos! (everyone all together)...Everybody, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon."
At the song's
end, Paul pointed to people in the audience and said, "You
were great! "And you were great!" Then he looked at
Heather in the pit and made a funny face and did a hand movement
to suggest she was only half great and then smiled. The audience
screamed, "OLE´!OLE´!OLE´!" Then he
and the band left the stage.
When Paul came
back he wore the red "no more land mines" T-shirt and
was waving the Catalan flag. Brian had the Spanish flag and Wix
had his tiny British flag. Paul said, "Muchas
Gracias!" and played "The Long And Winding Road"
and "Lady Madonna." Then he said, "I know you want
to keep on rockin'!" The audience screamed, "Yes!"
Paul added, "I knew you did!"
Before "I Saw Her Standing There" Paul said, "Quereis
todavia mas?" (Do you want more?) The audience said, "OK!"
He told the audience before "Yesterday" that they were
fantastic in Spanish. "So FANTASTICS!! (You're fantastic)
"Ahora os tenemos que dejar. Si amigos, si...naturalmente
(Now we must leave, yes friends yes... naturally) Then he thanked
his band and the audience, "Y muchas gracias especialmente
a mi fantastica banda....Pero sobre todo... VOSOTROS!" (And
thank you very much especially to my fantastic band...and most
of all ...YOU!). Then Paul launched into "Sgt. Peppers/The
End."
People who
registered their mobile phones and sent messages to number provided
on the video screens received a message from Paul the next day
saying: "Hope
you had a wonderful time at the concert. It was great to play
Barcelona! Check out the DVD & CD of the show - "Back
In The World" Gracias! Paul McCartney."
back to itinerary
Paul's plane
landed at Brussels Airport because his plane was diverted there
due to bad weather. He arrived at the venue with police escort
around 5:20pm after his white stretch limo was stuck in a traffic
jam on the motorway and had to ride on the shoulder. While he was on the motorway he did a
phone interview with DJ Evert Vedema of radio Donna which went
live on the air.
At the venue he rolled down the window and waved to fans. Just
before the concert he was
presented backstage with a book titled "Art Nouveau in Belgium"
given to him by EMI-chief Erwin Goegebuer.
Songs heard at the soundcheck: "Coming Up," "India,"
"Matchbox," "Honey Don't," "Hey Jude"
(fast version), "C Moon," "Things We Said Today,"
"All Things Must Pass," "Two of Us," "Blackbird"
(shortened version), "You never give me your money/The Fool
On The Hill" (medley), (intro) "Lady Madonna."
Security was tight at the show with metal detectors and people
being body searched. The sold out concert (13,500) started late
at 8:50 pm with the pre-show. Paul came out in a black jacket,
red long sleeved T-shirt and blue jeans. On either side of him
were telepromoters. One with the song lyrics and one with his
stage comments written out. The setlist was the same as the previous
shows.
Throughout the show Paul
and the band spoke some Dutch/Flemish in their intros. Paul told
the audience he was speaking "Belgie!" and "Flem-mish."
He referred to the audience as "Belgies" and "Antwerps."
After "Jet" he said, "Goedenavond Antwerpen! (Good evening Antwerp) We have come tonight to rock you!
Then he began "All My Loving" and messed up the words singing, "I'll pretend that I'm missing the lips I am kissing.."
After "All
My Loving Paul said, "Thank you very much. Good evening everybody
in Antwerp and Belgie. Ok, so I'm gonna try and speak some Belgium
this evening. Watch out! A
lot of it will be in English too."
For the intro to "Getting Better Paul said, "Ok so,
sometimes, you know when you make a record and do a song, you
ah, you record it, you mix it and maybe that's the last time you
ever do the song if you're not going out on tour. This next song
is from the '60s and this is a song that we've only just started
doing on this tour. Het is de eerste keer dat ik dit nummer zing
in Belgie."( this is the first time I sing this song in Belgium)
Before Paul started, "Coming Up" he said, "Everybody,
booogy-woogy."
"I've
got a feeling we are going to have a good time tonight,"
Paul said and launched into "Let Me Roll It" which had
the extended "Foxy Lady" ending.
"Ok, It's
getting hot in here. Yeah?" The band played the "Stripper"
as Paul took off his jacket. "Ok gang all the songs we've
played you so far have been old songs and this is a newer song.
Een nieuw nummer." (a
new number) Then he began "Lonely Road."
After the song he said, "All right thank you. Thank you very
much. OK, this next song we did, uh, we recorded in California
and this one is the title song of our latest studio album. This
one is called 'Driving Rain'."
Paul said, "Are you digging the Belgium? 'Cause I do! It
only took me three years to learn it."
For the introduction to "Your Loving Flame" Paul spoke
in Flemish and said, "Ik
wil dit nummer opdragen aan mijn liefste vrouw Heather."
(I want to dedicate this number to my dearest wife Heather)
When the band left the stage for the acoustic set Paul said, "This
is the bit where I get left alone with you. K ben alleen met jullie,
helemaal alleen." (I'm all alone with you, completely alone)
"This song was written in the 60's and it was at the time
of the civil right struggles in America and I wrote this song
with a young black woman in mind." Then he sang "Blackbird."
After "Blackbird" people started to stamp their feet
on the ground, which shook the complete hall.
Paul introduced "Here Today" and said in Dutch, "Ik
heb dit geschreven na de dood van mijn vriend John." (I wrote
this after the passing of my friend John) A few people in the audience started singing
"Give Peace A Chance" after "Here Today" and
Paul strummed the chords on the guitar and told them to keep singing.
He pretended to direct them and said, "Oh, yeah."
Paul said for
his intro to "Something," "George hield van de ukulele." (George loved
the ukulele). After
"Something," Paul said, "What about Ringo?"
and sang lines from "Yellow Submarine" encouraging the
crowd to singalong. This version was more complete with Paul playing
acoustic guitar while Abe played drums. Someone in the audience began to sing
"Octopus's Garden" and Paul made a remark, "Are
we going to do all of Ringo's repertoire now?" Then Paul
started to sing, "I'd like to be, under the sea.." and
played some guitar chords to the song. After "Eleanor Rigby"
they played a little of "Yellow Sub" again. "
In the town.. No, no.!"
Before "Michelle," he pretended to argue with someone
in the audience who was yelling at him. Paul answered him back
with silly noises and gibberish.
After "Michelle" Paul said, "Merci beaucoup" which was the only time Paul spoke French,
About half way through the concert security let people run up
to the front of the stage. They had been forcing people to sit
down during the show and stay in their seats. The crowd as a whole
did not sing or dance during the songs. The audience was not as
enthusiastic as at the Barcelona shows though security might have
been a factor.
During the intro to "She's
Leaving Home" Wix said, "It was a real pleasure to be
able to play all those beautiful songs and if I get the chords
right on the next number they'll let me play the guitar afterwards."
He did the
fake intro of "Baby Face" for "Hey Jude."
At the end of the "Hey
Jude" the crowd continued to sing the "nah-nah-nah's"
while the band was leaving the stage.
For the encore Paul came out waving the flag of Belgium.
After "Lady Madonna"
he shouted, "Wil je meer ?" (you want more?) The crowed
yelled "Je wil meer !" (we want more!) ...well in that
case.." he immediately launched into "I Saw Her Standing
There."
When the concert was over an a capella version of "Band on
the Run" (as played in his BBC2
commercial
but longer) with Paul singing vocals accompanied by "sounds"
and harmonium, was played on the PA system.
On the video screens before and after the show there were mobile
text messages in English, French and Flemish from fans.
After the show Paul and Heather left for Royal Windsor Hotel in
Brussels.
Tour merchandise: ¤euro
= $1.05
Programs were 20¤, a
set of 4 badges 10¤, T-shirts were at different prices.
A blue denim was at 105¤, a black one for women at 75¤,
a Robles guitar case at 90¤, pins at 10¤, a black
and beige baseball cap at 30¤, a long-sleeve shirt with
"Property of" on it 45¤, "Bring it On"
T-shirt 40¤, Butterfly T-shirt 35¤, White T-shirt
with a heart 30¤. There was an Adopt-A-Minefield booth
selling either a red of black T-shirt with "no more land
mines" for 25¤, plus sleeveless shirts in the same
color. Also a lithograph was sold for 35¤ at the table.
back to itinerary
Songs heard at the soundcheck: "Coming Up," "India,"
"Honey Don't," "What'd I Say," "Midnight
Special," "Things We Said Today," "All Things
Must Pass," and "Lady Madonna."
The pre-show started at 8: 45 pm. Paul wore the purple Nehru jacket,
a red long-sleeved T-shirt and blue jeans. He spoke some words
in Flemish and English calling the combination "Belglish."
He greeted the 13,500 sellout
crowd with "Hallo Belgie!" (hello Belgium). At the start
of the show some people ran to the front of the stage. More joined
throughout the concert. Security seemed more tolerant of the fans
and by the end of the show there were more than 200 fans in front
of the stage.
After "All My Loving" the crowd started chanting "PAAAUL
MC-CART-NEY!!!" with handclaps like on the live single "Coming
Up" from Glasgow, Scotland in 1979. Paul said, "YEAH,
THAT'S ME!!!" and did a little dance and clapped.
"Let Me Roll It" had the "Foxy Lady" ending.
During "Every Night" people began to clap along. After
the song Paul said, "Thank you, lovely bunch of people, are
you having a good time? Then he did the fake beginning to "We
Can Work It Out" singing, "As I was walking down the
road..." And then went into the song.
When the strongman came out with the piano Paul said "steroids"
in Dutch. All the while the crowd was chanting "PAAAUL MC-CART-NEY!!!"
as before. Paul did some noodling on the piano and said, "Paul
Mac-Cart-Nee!" as a fake beginning to "You Never Give
Me Your Money."
Paul sang the correct words
to "You Never Give Me Your Money" He did not sing, "This
is the part were I don't know the words..." Instead he sang,
"Out of college, money spent, see no future, pay no rent,
all the money's gone, nowhere to go." He sang the words with
a big grin on his face noticing fans who were caught offguard
expecting to hear the 'other words.'
Rusty called the Belgium crowd "sexy" and took a photo
of the audience with his digital camera.
For "Something" he said in Dutch, "George
hield van de ukulele. For those ones who don't understand belgian,
my friend George loved to play the ukulele." As at the other
shows, "Something" was not finished with the 'George
style' fast ending that was done on the previous legs. After "Something"
Paul said, "Let's not forget Ringo!" and launched into
a longer version of "Yellow Submarine" with the band
improvising. The audience sang along. "Give Peace A Chance"
was not sung.
Paul said to the audience, "I've been learning some Dutch
to speak to you in your own language. I know that you speak English
very well, but I speak excellent Dutch!" That made the audience
laugh and then Paul introduced Abe in Dutch. Paul introduced Wix
in Dutch and Wix spoke English for his introduction to "She's
Leaving Home."
For his introduction to "My Love" he said in Dutch, "Dit is voor alle verliefden in de zaal." (This is for all the lovers in the audience) After the song he said, "Thank you very much all you lovers... verliefden." (lovers)
He did the fake intro to "We
Can Work It Out" singing "... as I was walking down
the road..."
Paul forgot to sing the beginning of the second verse of "Let
'Em In." Rusty's kept on singing his part which was the only
voice heard for a moment. Paul jumped in to finish the verse.
People clapped at the end of
"Let It Be" while Paul was heading for the psychedelic
piano. He said in Dutch, "sing with us" and began "Hey
Jude" with no fake intro as the night before. He sang just
before the chorus "Judy, Judy don't let me down.. Everybody
in Belgium!" The crowd sang. Then he said, "Let me hear you singing! Oh
yeah....all night... OK, the mannen!" (the men) and "OK...alleen
de vrouwen!" (just the women) The crowd continued to sing
the "nah-nah-nah's" (like the night before) as the band
left the stage.
When he was about to play "Yesterday" he said, "This
is the same guitar I used on the 'Ed Sullivan Show.'" (acoustic
Epiphone with the Detroit Red Wings Hockey team sticker on it).
NOTE: He got that sticker when he performed
with Wings at the Detroit Olympia in Michigan, (home of the Detroit
Red Wings) May 7 - 8, 1976.
He thanked his band in Dutch and also the audience.
"You were a great audience.
Maar nu moeten wij gaan. (But now we have to go) See you next
time! Vaarwel. (Farewell) Ik bedank mijn fantastische muzikanten,
maar vooral jullie." (I thank my fantastic musicians but
most of all you). Then
he launched into the "Sgt. Pepper Reprise/The End."
At the end of the concert the
audience started singing "WE LOVE YOU YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! WE
LOVE YOU YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!" Paul was pleased and thanked
the audience. He said, "Thank you very much to all the people
in Antwerp and Belgium. We love ya! See you next time!" and gave the thumbs up
to fans in the front rows.
Mobile text messages on the video screens: "Hi Paul, sitting
right in front of you," "It's my birthday present to
be here," "Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag Jan"
(Congratulations on your birthday, Jan), "ROCK IT,"
"Love you Paul."
back to itinerary
Paul performed
to a soldout audience at the Hallam Arena. The audience was a
bit slow getting into the concert but Macca was able to unglue
them from their seats. He wore a bright red Nehru jacket, a short-sleeved
red T-shirt with white trim and blue jeans and hit some impressive
high notes. However toward the end of the show his voice was showing
signs of strain and his speaking voice was very hoarse with words
missing as he talked.
Security was busy ejecting some people with still or video cameras
or confiscating them.
Paul welcomed the crowd, "Hello Sheffield! We've been all over, but it's great to be home."
Before "Blackbird," he said, "It's amazing to be
speaking English again...we've been in France and Barcelona and
Belgium, and it's..."blahblahblah" (speaks fake Dutch)
...of course that wasn't really Belgian..."
The dialogue
was much the same as the US shows with Paul bring back the "massage"
stories before "You Never Give Me Your Money." He did
'forget' the words (like US shows) when he sang "You Never
Give Me Your Money" "This
is the part were I don't know the words..."
He also played the "George Harrison style" fast ukulele
encore of "Something," explaining that George H. told
him "no you don't play it like that, you play it like THIS!"
Paul played up Harrison's George Formby connection in a joking
manner pointing out that George H. was in the George F. fanclub
and went to George F. conventions. He delighted the crowd with
his Formby impression of "hey, hey!" when he finished
the song.
After "Calico Skies" he mentioned the song was donated
to the War Child charity album ("Hope") to help the
Iraqi children.
On screen text messages:
"Seems like an awful big crowd for All About Eve, oops I think I'm at the wrong gig!" "Good luck getting out of the car park!" "from Funclub member no. 4," "Watch out Paul my Mum is after you." "If you sing the Frog Song, I'll give you my last Jaffa cake" and a marriage proposal.
Text message from Paul the
day after the show. "Hope you had a wonderful time at the
show! It was great to be back in the UK. Check out the DVD and
CD of the show 'Back in The World.' Thanks Paul McCartney."
back to itinerary
Sir Paul McCartney has canceled his latest UK tour performance after losing his voice. He lost his voice after performing in Sheffield last night, and is suffering with a cold.
Fans for tonight's gig (April 6) at the Hallam Arena have been urged to hold on to tickets as organizers bid to reschedule the show.
Sir Paul said, "I've caught
a cold which made my voice start to go after last night's show.
I woke up this morning with virtually no voice. I've been doing
all that I can to try and get my voice back and I tried singing
a couple of numbers at a sound check this afternoon. But nothing
has worked, and so I am afraid I have to cancel this show in order
to save the other gigs on the tour. I'm sorry to all the people
who all bought tickets for the show, at least we got to do one
gig in Sheffield. We'll be back to do the show here at some other
time."
The show was canceled an hour and a half before showtime at 6:30
pm with people waiting to be let in. An announcement was made
over the PA system saying the show was canceled and that Paul
was sick.
It is Sir Paul's first UK tour in 10 years. He has already taken
his Back in the World tour around the US, Canada, Mexico and Japan,
playing 58 concerts in 37 cities.
His other UK dates include
the MEN Arena, Manchester, on Wednesday. After his UK stint, he
plans several shows in Europe.
Read more about what happened to Paul's voice from Bill Bernstein,
Paul's tour photographer. Click here.
back
to itinerary
Paul arrived at the Manchester Evening News Arena around 4:30pm. He didn't stop but rolled down the window and waved to fans. Paul spent an hour backstage with a doctor before he started the sound check which included: "Coming Up," "All My Loving," "Honey Don't," "C Moon," "Celebration," "Two of Us," "Things We Said Today," "I've Just Seen A Face," and a medley of "You Never Give Me Your Money," "The Fool On The Hill," "Lady Madonna." At the soundcheck there was a discussion by Paul and his band about what songs to drop from the set that would difficult for him to sing with his cold. "Birthday" was suggested as one of the songs to drop but Paul said he really enjoyed singing it and liked the sheer exhuberance of the song.
The show started on time and Paul wore a black Nehru jacket and charcoal striped trousers with a red long sleeve T-shirt. In the audience was Peter Reid, manager of Leeds united football club.
After "All
My Loving" he said, " Yo
Manchester! It is good to be talking again. We have come to rock
you tonight." Paul said that he had been sick and totally lost
his voice and mentioned the "sorry sign." He told the
sellout crowd of 16,000 that he was delighted to be touring again
and would be playing a number of songs that he wrote when he was
with the Beatles, but never performed live. Then he launched into
"Getting Better."
His voice was rough and he appeared to be still sick with his
right eye looking red and swollen. He rubbed that eye a lot during
the show.
"Let 'Em In" got quite a bit of applause.
For "Lonely Road" Paul took the lower vocals while Rusty
sang the higher vocals which is usually Paul's part.
He screwed up the chords to "Blackbird" at least three
times and his voice was strained but improved after the acoustic
set. He also messed up the piano chords to "You Never Give
Me Your Money."
By "Birthday" the audience, which had been glued to
their seats, threw away their 'British reserve" and were
dancing and enjoying themselves. Security allowed fans in the
first 5 rows to move up to the front and several did so.
Some fans yelled
out to him but he couldn't hear them and kept saying, "You
what?"
Paul mentioned one text message that said, "One night in
Sheffield was enough." There was another posted before the
show that read "Goo-Goo Ka-Choo!" Paul pointed to one
of the few audience signs that said, "St Paul Loves Sir Paul."
He said, "Yes I remember."
Highlights
included new songs. He dropped, "Maybe I'm Amazed,"
"Coming Up" and "Driving Rain" and added,
"Things We Said Today," "I've Just Seen A Face,"
and "Two of Us."
Paul said for the intro to "My Love," "This ones
for Linda" which got a lot of cheers. The reaction for his
dedication to Heather for "Your Loving Flame" was lukewarm.
Heather bopped all evening in the photo pit wearing a red outfit
and did a lot of hand waving during "Hey Jude" which
was shown on the video screens.
He did the "Foxy Lady" ending to "Let Me Roll It"
and the "Baby Face" intro to "Hey Jude."
A fan threw a stuffed teddy bear on the stage after "Hey
Jude." Paul looked surprised and asked the fan "Is that
for me?" The fan nodded "yes" and Paul held the
bear up for the audience to see and kissed it. The bear had "Paul"
embroidered on it's chest. Paul clutched it to his chest and left
the stage with it. Macca came out after the encore and put the
bear on one of the amps.
back to itinerary
Paul arrive
at the venue around 4:50pm in one of two silver Mercedes. Paul
rolled down his window and waved to fans as the car passed.
Macca played up to a handful of fans that won a contest to see his soundcheck.
He wore a light check shirt
and dark trousers.
Songs heard
at the soundcheck: "All
My Loving," "Coming Up," "Matchbox,"
"Honey Don't," "Waiting For Your Train To Get In,"
"C Moon," "Celebration," "I've Just Seen
A Face," "All Things Must Pass" (done twice), "Midnight
Special," "You Never Give Me Your Money/The Fool On
The Hill/Lady Madonna" (medley).
The setlist was the same as the previous night with "Things We Said Today "
and "I've Just Seen A Face," played in the acoustic
set before "Calico Skies" and "Two of Us"
followed. Paul wore the purple Nehru jacket, a red long-sleeved
T-shirt and blue jeans.
Paul was in much better voice tonight and seemed to be feeling
much better. The only sign that he had a cold is when he hit a
rough spot at the begining of "My Love" which resolved
itself. His talking voice sounded a bit congested.
The Manchester audience really rocked. Rusty pointed out how good
an audience they were. This audience was much more enthusiastic
than the first night, rushing the stage as soon as the concert
began. Concertgoers were singing, dancing and cheering for Sir
Paul. Women were wolf-whistling at Paul who told them, "Sorry
girls, I'm taken!"
Paul started to say the wrong
introduction for "Your Loving Flame," beginning with,
"I'd like to introduce..." (then realizing he was wrong)
.."I don't know what I'm talking about. I'd like to DEDICATE
this song to a very special person...my lovely wife Heather."
Paul's voice was a little unsteady on "My Love" cracking
on the first "my love does it goo-ee-ood," that sounded
more like a yodel!
Before "She's Leaving Home," Wix said, "We were
at LIPA a couple of days ago talking to the students, and one
of them asked me "do you ever get nervous?" And I told
them, 'Yes, especially when there's family in the audience.' My
big sister is here tonight..."
Mike McCartney was in the audience with and his wife and three
sons. Paul mentioned, "our kid" at least three times
and Mike had a tear in his eyes when Paul sang "brother Michael"
during "Let 'Em In." Paul also added a new relative
to the song, "Uncle Joseph" (Paul's father's brother).
Macca thanked his brother for some of the George photos that were
shown on the screens. "I
have to thank our kid for some of these photos behind us.."
There were
quite a few people from Liverpool who made themselves known and
Paul shouted at them, "'Hey
'ey 'ey! Calm down!"
During the introduction to "Michelle" he got a huge
applause when he mentioned "a black polo neck sweater"
(because of the night before) and in mock horror he said, "There
it is AGAIN! It got a hand last night! What about a red T-shirt?"
The audience cheered.
For the encores fans threw throat lozenges, teddy bears and flowers.
CONGRATS to Chris Swanton, his wife Pat and his daughter Emma
who were upgraded to the front row by Paul's people because of
their enthusiasm. The box of Lem-sips (a
cold and flu remedy in powder form that is supposed to relieve
the symptons of flu etc.) were thrown by his daughter and the
bouquet of Lillies from his wife (see photo). Paul picked up the
flowers and showed the Lem-sips to audience. He had been suffering
from a cold and the Swantons thought it would be humorous. Paul
appreciated it!
Paul also picked up one of the small teddy bears and stuck it
between his knees as he waved and bowed. Then he put it on one
of the amps. He didn't sign any autographs.
Paul and Heather headed for Liverpool after the show.