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September 2014

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September 30, 2014 -- PM.com

New Wings 'Call Me Back Again' Lyric Video

To celebrate the November reissue of the classic Wings albums Venus and Mars and At The Speed Of Sound MPL have worked with artist Thomas Hicks to create a new lyric video for the track 'Call Me Back Again'.

A firm favourite amongst fans, 'Call Me Back Again' appears on the re-mastered Venus and Mars and features a rousing vocal performance by Paul.

Thomas hand-painted frames throughout the video to create a montage of memories from Paul's childhood, including several photos from the archives.

Eagle-eyed fans may notice and wonder about the number on the phone in the video. It has now been disconnected but had you called GAR 6922 a few years back you would have reached the McCartney residence, it being the family's home number when Paul was growing up.

Watch the video below:

CLICK TO WATCH

The 'Call Me Back Again' video will feature on a new Wings microsite which will be unveiled to fans in the coming days.

The re-mastered Venus and Mars and At The Speed Of Sound will be reissued on Monday 3rd November (Tuesday 4th November in the US) on the following formats:

Standard Edition: Starting with a 2-disc (2 CD) Standard Edition, the first CD will feature the original remastered album and the second CD will include bonus audio made up of material including demos and unreleased tracks.

Deluxe Edition: The 3-disc (2CD, 1DVD) Deluxe Edition will be housed in a hardback book featuring unpublished photographs, new interviews with Paul, material from Paul's archives and expanded track-by-track information. The deluxe version bonus DVD will be comprised of filmed material from around the time of each release, some of which has never been seen before.

Vinyl: The albums will also be available on special gatefold vinyl editions (vinyl editions include a download card).

Digital: Digitally Venus and Mars and At The Speed Of Sound will be made available as both standard and deluxe versions ­ including Mastered for iTunes and Hi-Res formats.

In addition, fans who pre-order Venus and Mars through iTunes will receive 'Listen To What The Man Said' instantly, and likewise if you pre-order At The Speed Of Sound you will receive 'Let 'Em In'.

Autumn has arrived here in the UK. The days, although golden, are quickly becoming shorter (did you know that there are only 12 more Friday's left until Christmas ­ this year has flown by!).

Sandals and sunglasses are steadily replaced with boots and coats, and here at MPL towers we're beginning to find it more difficult to get up in the mornings!

Some folks do love an early start - despite the bite in the air ­ whilst others prefer to extend their evenings and wrap up inside.

And this brings us to our latest question for 'You Gave Me The Answer'.

Kristen in the US asks of Paul:
"Are you an early bird or a night owl, and what effect does this have on your work?"

PAUL: "Thank you for your question Kristen. When I'm taking my youngest daughter to school, I'm an early bird but when I'm not I like to lay in bed in the morning. I often end up getting to bed at a reasonable time but occasionally have a night owl moment, but these are much less frequent than they were in the 60s! That said, it doesn't really have to affect my work in any way."

It was a night to remember as the former Beatle and veteran solo star Sunday performed his first public San Diego concert since 1976.

The sustained roar of cheers and applause rising out of Petco Park Sunday night was loud enough to suggest the San Diego Padres had, improbably, just won their first World Series (despite having wrapped up another losing season earlier the same day).

Then again, Paul McCartney has had so many championship seasons - musically speaking - that sustained roars greet him in every stadium he performs. Given that this was his first public concert here since a 1976 show at the San Diego Sports Arena, Sunday's roar was perhaps even louder for the former Beatle and veteran solo star, who made his area debut in 1965 with the Fab Four at Balboa Stadium, barely a mile away.

Many in the sold-out crowd of just over 42,000, which included basketball legend Bill Walton (and the unfortunate man in a wheelchair seated directly behind him), were on their feet when the spry and playful McCartney took the stage shortly after 8:30 p.m. When he launched into his first song, the 1964 Fab Four chart-topper "Eight Days a Week," time almost stood still as Beatlemania was seemingly reborn at an ecstatic downtown celebration.

"It was almost like the Pope came to town!" said veteran San Diego musician Bart Mendoza. "The streets were filled with people. The San Diego tourism board has got to be very happy. Sunday was the 10th time I've seen Paul and it was spectacular."

Eager to demonstrate he has more to offer than nostalgia fueled by timeless songs from all those years ago, McCartney, 72, followed "Eight Days" with "Save Us," a bristling selection from his often terrific 2013 album, "New." Then, in quick succession, came winning versions of The Beatles' "All My Loving" and two favorites from his post-Beatles band, Wings, "Listen to What the Man Said" and a searing "Let Me Roll It."

This blend of different musical eras set the tone for the marathon concert, which had some fans exulting and dancing one moment, then wiping tears from their eyes the next. The emotion of the night was a potent reminder that several generations have grown up with McCartney and his music, and that so many of his songs strike a deep and resounding chord with his listeners.

After "Save Us," McCartney engaged in a playful bit of pandering to the hometown crowd. "Hey, San Diego," he said. "Woo hoo! Go Chargers!" (Wisely, he did not mention the Padres.) Prior to "Let Me Roll It," the first of a number of songs that he switched to guitar from bass, he removed his natty blue jacket and quipped: "That is the first and only wardrobe change of the evening."

True to his word, McCartney let the music talk for him, even when he did a stirring solo acoustic version of "Blackbird," while perched on a hydraulic lift about 20 feet above the stage. He dedicated the song, which was enhanced by simple yet stunning visuals, to the brave Civil Rights workers of the 1960s who had inspired his gently uplifting ballad.

"How many people here tried to learn (to play) 'Blackbird'?" he asked afterwards. When the crowd responded with a loud affirmation, he said: "Hey, how cool does that make me feel?" He then playfully added: "And you all got it wrong!"

McCartney dedicated "Maybe I'm Amazed" to his deceased first wife, Linda McCartney, and his jazzy 2012 song, "My Valentine," to his third wife, Nancy Shevell.

"She used to live in San Diego," he told the crowd, but offered no more information. (A New Jersey native who attended Arizona State University, Shevell apparently lived here in the early 1980s, while her then-husband, future New York state politician Bruce Blakeman, attended California Western School of Law.)

The flow of Sunday's concert was carefully calibrated to build to several musical peaks, as McCartney mixed and matched classics and more recent selections. He played at least four songs from "New," plus a slew of Beatles favorites, which ranged from "We Can Work It Out" and "Lady Madonna"" to "Paperback Writer" and "Let It Be." He also performed such deep album cuts as 1982's "Here Today" (a poignant ode to deceased former Beatle John Lennon) and 1973's "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" from Wings' "Band on the Run" album.

He remained true to the spirit of each song, while adding little tweaks here and there to keep the songs fresh. Even the few lesser pieces he included, such as "All Together Now" and "Lovely Rita," were delivered with undeniable panache and infectious enthusiasm. It was a textbook example of how, through skill and sheer force of personality, a great artist can elevate music that falls below their usual lofty standards.

At one point early in the evening, McCartney told the crowd: "It's great to be back in San Diego. ... I'm going to take just a moment to soak it all in for myself."

He did not note that it has been 38 years since his last public concert here, and 49 years since his Balboa Stadium debut with The Beatles. Of course, it's possible that, after more than five decades of touring and thousands of concerts, he just didn't recall. But for an audience that has waited so long for McCartney's overdue return to San Diego, not acknowledging just how long it's been seemed like a missed opportunity.

So did the moment when he and his excellent, four-man band returned for their first encore, which offered a galvanizing, one-two-three punch of "Day Tripper," "Hi Hi Hi" and "Get Back."

As they came back on to the stage, McCartney held aloft an American flag, guitarist/bassist Brian Ray a California state flag, keyboardist Paul "Wix" Wickens a British Union Jack, and drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr., a small pirate's skull-and-crossbones. Guitarist Rusty Anderson was flag-less. Perhaps one band member could have held a Mexican flag at their concert in America's largest border city?

Happily, McCartney's musical memory seems as sharp as ever. He performed each song Sunday with a near-perfect mix of well-honed poise and undeniable commitment. He also managed the difficult feat of making a stadium concert somehow feel intimate, with help from enormous video screens that magnified his every move for fans in even the most distant seats on the upper levels. The audio quality was impressive in many parts of Petco Park, especially by stadium concert standards. The sound was superior to that heard at his Dodger Stadium show last month.

Some other rock legends of this former Beatle's vintage are content to phone in much of their performances, and to use Teleprompters to help them remember their lyrics. Not so, McCartney, who needed no help with his lyrics and sounded fully engaged throughout. Sunday's show kicked off his fall U.S. tour, after six weeks of vacation, and he and his band sounded fresh and vibrant.

For added oomph, during their literally explosive version of Wings' "Live and Let Die," the second-to-last number before the encores, there were enough lasers, deafening pyrotechnics and bursts of flame to put Kiss to shame. Just as he did during his Aug. 10 concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, McCartney reacted to the deafening blasts of "Live and Let Die" with a mock stagger, then pretended he had suffered hearing loss.

He was in strong voice throughout, including during the almost heavy-metal-like "Helter Skelter." This was doubly impressive, since "Helter Skelter" - one of five numbers in his second batch of encores - was his 36th song of the night and came two-and-a-half-hours into his performance.

Moreover, as McCartney moved from one number to the next, it was hard not to be dazzled by just how many great songs he has written and recorded in his remarkable career.

In one segment alone, he performed back-to-back versions of such Beatles and Wings' gems as "Something" (which began with him strumming a ukulele in honor of George Harrison), "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," "Band on the Run," "Back in the U.S.S.R.," "Let It Be," "Live and Let Die" and "Hey Jude."

In another segment, he stacked "Maybe I'm Amazed," "I've Just Seen a Face," ""We Can Work It Out," "Another Day," "And I Love Her," "Blackbird" and "Here Today," then ripped into "New" and the rollicking "Queenie Eye," both from his latest album.

If his energy lagged, it was difficult to tell. At an age when many of his peers are retired, McCartney is 72-going-on-just-17. His band followed his every move, combining enthusiasm and precision with impressive expertise. That's not surprising, though, since McCartney's current band has been together for 12 years, two years longer than The Beatles were together.

Goose-bump Sunday moments came with "Yesterday," "Blackbird," "Hey Jude," "Eleanor Rigby" (which featured Wickens ably simulating a string quartet with his electric keyboard) and the concert-concluding medley of the concluding songs on side two of The Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" and "The End."

McCartney still looks as trim and slender as in his Fab Four heyday and he carries the weight of his super-stardom with grace and an endearing "Aw shucks" demeanor. He also made the interminable 38-year wait since his last San Diego concert seem worthwhile. Let's hope he'll be back a lot sooner for his next show here.

Pre-concert concert

For the several dozen fans who could afford VIP ticket packages, Sunday's show began with a reception, followed by a pre-concert sound-check by McCartney and his band (whose set included "Midnight Special," "Lady Madonna," "Bluebird," "Flaming Pie," Carl Perkins' "Matchbox" and Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy"), drinks and a catered dinner.

"The sound-check began around 5 p.m. and lasted close to an hour," said DAC Media Consultants' Dan A. Clark, who lives in North County and took his wife, Becky.

"It was very informal but Paul and his band are the ultimate professionals. As you might expect, the dinner was vegetarian. For a meat-and-potatoes guy like me, it wasn't up my alley, but my wife loved it. Then we went down for the concert and it was an amazing night."

Clark paid $1,500 for each of his two VIP tickets (the top price was $2,000).

"It was expensive, but definitely worth it," he said.

His wife agreed.

"I told my husband what he paid for our VIP tickets would probably have paid for half a facelift. But it was worth every penny," said Becky Clark, who also attended The Beatles' 1965 concert here at Balboa Stadium.

"I was re-living my teen years, watching Paul again," she continued. "It was a magical experience. I've seen him three times, once as a Beatle and twice solo. I'm getting chills even now, thinking about Sunday's concert. It was overwhelming. I would pay again for the experience."

Macca Reporter, McCartney Giannoni reports that Paul and band arrived around 7:30pm at Petco Park for a rehearsal. Paul and Abe got out of the car and waved to the waiting fans.

Songs heard at the rehearsal - Petco Park - Saturday, September 27

1. Honey Hush
2. Blue Suede Shoes
3. Honey Don't
4. Sing The Changes
5. Save Us
6. C Moon
7. Celebration
8. It's So Easy
9. Every Night
10. We Can Work It Out
11. Another Day
12. Dance Tonight
13. For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
14. Birthday

When the rehearsal finished Paul came out, got into his black Cadillac Escalade Ltd and left. The band came out, went to their cars, and left.

SOUNDCHECK September 28 - Petco Park - San Diego
from Laura Waskin and McCartney Giannoni, Macca Reporters

Songs heard at sound check (not in order)

1. Matchbox
2. Honey Don't
3. Flaming Pie
4. Highway
5. Let 'Em In
6.C Moon
7. It's So Easy
8. San Francisco Bay Blues
9. Every Night
10. Ram On
11. We Can Work It Out
12. Midnight Special
13. Bluebird
14. Lady Madonna

Paul arrived around 5:30pm for the sound check, which finished approximately at 6:15pm. The gates were set to open at 6:00pm.\

CONCERT SETLIST

1. Eight Days A Week
2. Save Us
3. All My Loving
4. Listen To What Man Said
5. Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady
6. Paperback Writer
7. My Valentine
8. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five
9. The Long And Winding Road
10. Maybe I'm Amazed
11. I've Just Seen A Face
12. We Can Work It Out
13. Another Day
14. And I Love Her
15. Blackbird
16. Here Today
17. New
18. Queenie Eye
19. Lady Madonna
20. All Together Now
21. Lovely Rita
22. Everybody Out There
23. Eleanor Rigby
24. For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
25. Something
26. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
27. Band On The Run
28. Back In The USSR
29. Let It Be
30. Live and Let Die
31. Hey Jude

Encore 1
32. Day Tripper
33. Hi Hi Hi
34. Get Back

Encore 2
35. Yesterday
36. Helter Skelter
37. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/ The End

CONCERT NOTES
from Laura Waskin, Macca Reporter

Paul performed to a sold out crowd at Petco stadium. In general, Paul looked great and rested.

His vocals were a bit rough at times during "Listen To What The Man Said" but after that were fine.

During "Maybe I'm Amazed" Wix was making silly gestures including holding his throat to make Paul laugh.

After "Maybe I'm Amazed," Paul commented "... my baby in my jacket there, (photo of Mary) now has four babies of her own." The crowd really went wild after this song. Paul seemed really touched.

The crowd seemed unfamiliar with any of Paul's recent material.

During "Here Today," the Paul's guitar made a funny "zzzang!" almost like a boing type of sound twice with one of the strings during the song. Was a bit weird! I guess the string maybe needed tightening or something, as it was fine by the next song he used it for.

After "We Can Work it Out, "Paul read a couple of the signs: "Can I touch your Hofner?" Pau made a face showing he definitely wouldn't allow it, or was there a double entendre there also? Another sign said "Can you sign my butt?"

Also at one point during the show, Paul mentioned the fact that his wife Nancy had lived in San Diego.

Beatles icon joins One For The Boys charity single alongside Jennifer Hudson

Paul McCartney is set to record a charity single which will take on this year's X Factor winner for the coveted Christmas Number One spot.

McCartney is among a number of musicians and celebrities who will record vocals on a cover of A Great Big World's 'Say Something' for the Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson's cancer charity One For The Boys. The Sun reports that Jennifer Hudson will also appear on the song.

In addition to Hudson and McCartney, it is reported that a recording session hosted by BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw took place at Abbey Road Studios in London earlier this week with Game Of Thrones actress Maisie Williams and model Daisy Lowe joining the song. Samuel L. Jackson also contributed vocals during the session.

Meanwhil, McCartney recently announced plans to release an expanded edition of his 2013 album 'New'. The updated version spans two CDs and a DVD, and is presented as a hardback book.

The second disc includes previously unreleased tracks 'Hell To Pay' and 'Demons Dance' plus 'Struggle', previously only available as a bonus track in Japan. The DVD includes Don Letts' documentary Something New, which features interviews with McCartney plus producers Paul Epworth, Mark Ronson, Ethan Johns and Giles Martin.

* Sir Paul McCartney bought High Park Farm, Kintyre, in 1966
* It was was the first house he shared with former wife, Linda McCartney
* His visits to Mull of Kintyre became fewer after Linda died in 1998
* Staff were told their services would no longer be required last year
* Sir Paul and advisers are no longer willing to accept losses on his farms
* Mull Of Kintyre was the first single to sell two million copies in Britain

Scotland has been kind to Sir Paul McCartney. When, in 1970, he found himself aimless and bereft following the break-up of The Beatles, it was to a small farm in the country that he retreated.

High Park lies on the Kintyre Peninsula, that snake of land on the country's south-west coast stretching 30 miles from Tarbert in the north to the Mull (headland) of Kintyre in the south.

The life McCartney and his new wife Linda adopted there - simple, basic, shorn of luxury - proved his salvation.

Gradually, the drug-taking and heavy drinking threatening his well-being subsided and he again began to write music. Happiness, once sought in the nightclubs of London and New York, was to be found in patching up a leaky roof or shearing a sheep.

In 1977, McCartney repaid his debt to his adopted home with an anthem. Mull Of Kintyre was the first single to sell more than two million copies in Britain and established for good the musician's association with this remote strip of land

The ties between the surviving Beatles and Britain are particularly moot given that this month the news broke that his former bandmate Ringo Starr is selling his rural 200--acre Surrey estate and moving to the United States.

Ringo and his wife Barbara Bach, a former Bond Girl, are set to make Los Angeles their main home.

Yet what many people do not realise is that Sir Paul, too, has quietly all but severed his connection with his own peaceful corner of the nation.

Since his arrival on the Mull of Kintyre in 1966, he has expanded his estate into one of considerable size.

And yet I have learned that he has not been seen by some locals who live there for half a decade. Today, he is married to the American Nancy Shevell, and prefers to divide his time between London and New York.

'Over the years, Sir Paul has bought what used to be about seven different holdings,' says David Young, a farmer and neighbour on the Mull of Kintyre. 'The aim seems to have been to ensure privacy by purchasing neighbouring stretches of land. I would say the estate covers approximately 1,000 acres now.'

For many years, the McCartney family were allowed to enjoy their breaks at High Park in peace - there is no great mansion, only a modest farmhouse - and were rarely stopped in the street.

Locals in the nearby fishing port of Campbeltown have always harboured warm feelings towards the McCartneys, and Sir Paul is still respected widely in the area.

But there is one sour note: the treatment new management meted out to two long-standing employees at High Park, one of whom found himself thrown out of his tied cottage and banished to a caravan after 20 years of faithful service.

Farmworker Jimmy Paterson and his partner Marion Pope now inhabit a small corner of the former Royal Air Force station at Machrihanish, a few miles from High Park.

Some eight months after being forced to quit their home on the McCartney estate, High Ranachan Farm, they are still looking for permanent accommodation.

Estate manager Bobby Cairns, who worked for Sir Paul for some 30 years, was also dismissed in a shake-up of the estate which placed it on a more commercial footing under the supervision of a new manager.

'I don't know why they were removed,' says Mr Young, whose family has farmed in the area for generations. 'They were perfectly capable of doing what they were asked to do. They were told to manage the farm in the way they did. It was out of the blue. Really unexpected.'

But what do the two men say about their treatment?

'You won't hear anything from them,' he says, making a zipping motion across his mouth.

Down at the vast, deserted airfield, a venue for some of the most secret operations of the Cold War, Miss Pope is saying nothing.

'I can't speak out of respect for Jimmy's wishes,' she says about her partner who was sacked.

Do they feel betrayed by Sir Paul? She smiles but refuses to elaborate.

The reason, according to local people, is a gagging clause in the severance agreement signed by both men. Is that true?

'All I will say is that money is power,' Miss Pope adds. Sir Paul certainly has plenty of that. Never extravagant in public, he has built a financial empire running into hundreds of millions of pounds.

Such fortunes are rarely subject to detailed public analysis, but a light was shone on the singer's wealth in 2008 when he faced his second wife, Heather Mills, across the floor of the High Court in London to hammer out a divorce settlement.

Miss Mills demanded £125 million ($203 million) from her former husband, claiming his fortune amounted to some £800 million ($1.3 billion). The judge calculated McCartney's fortune at half that and awarded Mills £24 million ($39 million).

During the hearing, the extent of Sir Paul's property empire became known, including the obligatory repertoire of superstar homes in London, Manhattan, the Hamptons and Beverly Hills, as well as his farm in Sussex and house in Arizona.

That High Park Farm survives in Sir Paul's portfolio is due mainly to sentiment. It is thought to have been bought initially to minimise the young McCartney's exposure to tax. The year was 1966, Eleanor Rigby was playing on the nation's radios and the lad from Liverpool was enjoying his first season as a millionaire.

McCartney's then girlfriend, the actress Jane Asher, helped him select High Park from a pile of properties for sale, and visited it with him.

But it was Linda, Lady McCartney, who took the place to her heart, renovating the three-bedroom farmhouse while Paul installed a recording studio.

The song The Long And Winding Road was inspired by the area, as well as, of course, Mull Of Kintyre, accompaniment for the latter being provided by Campbeltown's pipe and drum band.

'It was a love song really,' explained Sir Paul, 'about how I enjoyed being there and imagining I was travelling away and wanting to get back.'

Converts to vegetarianism (this week Sir Paul appeared in a video in which he gave an impromptu rap, encouraging fans to give up meat one day a week), the McCartneys allowed the farm to grow wild.

Deer multiplied, fields became overgrown and the couple's four children, Heather, Mary, Stella and James, found themselves at home in an enormous playground, isolated from prying eyes.

Drive along the tracks linking Sir Paul's holdings and you enter a dreamscape of rolling hills topped by conifers, a quiet, otherworldly place of loch and burn.

'Local people didn't bother Sir Paul - they let him be,' says Mr Young. 'The great attraction was that he could fly into the small airport in his private jet and within 20 minutes be in a different world.'

Linda's death in 1998 was a turning point.

Gradually, visits to High Park tailed off. Perhaps there was too much pain in its associations, but the singer has refused to part with a property replete with family memories.

There are still visits to High Park by relatives and friends of Sir Paul, but visits by the singer-songwriter are now virtually unknown. It is thought that he has not dropped in on his Scottish home for around five years, one of the last great influxes of McCartneys being in 2003 for the wedding of Stella, a clothes designer, on the nearby Isle of Bute.

'The gates to the estate are padlocked now,' says Mr Young.

'I wouldn't say it's hostile but a relationship that was once close is now strained. I have nothing against the new manager; it's the policy that's changed.'

Once, the principled McCartneys would not allow fodder from their farm to be sold to feed animals destined for slaughter. High Park was a hippie paradise in which profit counted for little.

But that appears to have changed, too. Sir Paul and his advisers are said to be no longer willing to accept losses on his farms and are renting out fields to neighbours, while encouraging forestry.

'Basically, the place became a wildlife haven,' says Mr Young. 'It was quite a sight to see the hundreds of deer roaming over the land - beautiful. It's a shame. It was very beautiful the way it was. I am very sad at the changes made.

'But despite those changes, I personally have very great respect for Sir Paul. He has done an enormous amount for the area and injected an enormous amount of money into the local economy.

'There were never any airs and graces. He and his family are truly pleasant people.'

Others are less effusive. One woman, who refuses to give her name, says: 'We don't care about these celebrities if they are not living here or contributing to life here.'

Down in Campbeltown is a memorial garden dedicated to Linda McCartney. Her image sits there, in bronze, cradling a lamb. Sir Paul did not attend its unveiling.

In Mull Of Kintyre, McCartney sings of wanting 'always to be here'. But 37 years after the song seduced the nation, it seems his ardour has cooled.

The versatile musician, who has been in Sir Paul's band since 2012, was only 19 when he joined Etta James' band in 1974.

Since making his debut as a member of Paul McCartney's band at the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans, Brian Ray has done nine world tours with the legendary English musician and played with him at Coachella, Bonnaroo, the Isle of Wight and other top festivals around the world.

"Coachella (in 2009) was the first festival Paul ever played with this (band) lineup," Ray said. "For months after, 18-year-old kids would come up, and say: 'Dude! Are you the guy who played guitar with Paul at Coachella?' "

But one of the most memorable performances he recalls doing with the veteran solo superstar and former Beatle was also one of the smallest. On Feb. 22, 2003, McCartney and his four-man band did a private birthday party at Delicias Restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe.

"It was a surprise show, a party for a producer (Wendy Walker) from 'Larry King Live,' given to her by her (then) husband," Ray said. "I think she was led to believe James Brown would perform, and then Paul walks on stage. It was a really good ruse, with maybe 120 people in the audience and a stage smaller than at the Belly Up! We were shoulder to shoulder, with small amps, and it was a a thrill for us. It was like playing a tiny club."

When Ray, a Los Angeles native, returns to San Diego Sunday, it will be to perform a sold-out concert with McCartney at Petco Park. Apart from McCartney himself, Ray plays more instruments than any other band member, switching between bass and an array of electric and acoustic guitars, on which he alternates between lead and rhythm parts.

"Paul really calls on the very best of you," Ray said. "He makes you a better musician."

What is it like playing bass on classic Beatles' songs, while standing next to the classic Beatle who created and first played them? Does McCartney suggest how notes should be phrased in bass lines he came up with in the first place?

"I have to be honest," Ray replied. "In 13 years, he may have had a comment for me on my bass choices, maybe 5 times. It's a credit to this whole band that we come in prepared. That means we listen to these great songs we've grown up with, songs that I've adored since I was a child. The songs each have things we all feel are nonnegotiable, like the hooks, which are everything on those records.

"But you can't play them all, note for note. and nobody wants us to be a karaoke band; there are other bands that do that. So Paul trusts us to get the essence of those records, and he also trusts us enough to just play. That's the big thrill: We get to be musicians and Paul gets to stretch and try something new, every night. There's nothing in the concert that can be phoned in.

"We could be playing in Fargo or at the White House, and he'll never play even one song, or concert, with less zeal than the next. It's all done with 110 percent devotion."

Ray was still a teenager when he became the lead guitarist for blues vocal dynamo Etta James in 1974. After playing with her a year later at Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival, he was singled out for praise by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page. (Zeppelin's John Paul Jones was James' bassist for that performance.)

"So many people would sit in with Etta," Ray said. "I got to play with Keith Richards, John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon, Big Joe Turner, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison. It was a dream come true for a kid like me."

It was during his tenure with James that Ray first performed in stadiums during a string of concerts opening for the Rolling Stones.

"It was insane," he said. "Our first show with the Stones was at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. As we were playing, I looked over and there were the Stones, standing behind the curtain, watching us. It was a huge moment. I was an enormous Stones and Beatles fan when I was a kid.

"Etta was the original punk-rocker. She was a rebel and bad-ass, and she had the voice of a locomotive train and indomitable spirit. Nobody could touch that spirit, the light of a of a million candles, when she performed live."

Ray's other credits include several solo albums, along with collaborations with Smokey Robinson, North County singer Rita Coolidge, Nicolette Larson, French rock pioneer Johnny Hallyday, former Runaways' singer Cherie Curie, Laura Brannigan, Mylene Farmer (who is considered France's answer to Madonna) and more.

This summer saw the release of the album "Crash Boom Bang!" by The Bayonets, a trio that teams Ray with Argentinian singer, bassist and guitarist Lucrecia López Sanz and American producer and drummer Oliver Leiber (whose dad co-wrote such Elvis Presley hits as "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock.") Leiber and Ray are the co-writers and co-producers of "Crash Boom Bang!"

The blues-rocking "Whatcha Got," a standout song on the album, evokes the bristling feel of the 1969 Fleetwood Mac classic, "Oh Well," one of the finest songs written by original Mac guitarist Peter Green. Or does it?

"You wouldn't be far off at all," Ray said. I was a kid in awe of, and enamored by, Peter Green's playing in Fleetwood Mac, the early blues stuff, in 1968, 1969 and 1970. And one of my favorite songs I played in my high school band was 'Oh Well.'" So 'Whatcha Got' is a little inspirational tip of hat. The song has a different structure, but it's got the same feel."

Several tracks from "Crash Boom Bang!" have earned the coveted "coolest song in the world this week" designation on "Little Steven's Underground Garage," the syndicated international radio show hosted by longtime Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt. His on-air enthusiasm helped The Bayonets secure a record deal before the album was officially released and classic-rock radio airplay has followed.

"It is a stunning turn of events to have such a great response, like we've had on radio and from fans, for a couple of guys who clearly are not 19. We couldn't be more pleased," Ray, 59, said. "The only place we've played live so far is in Buenos Aires. We're trying to plan shows for after Paul's (current) tour, maybe in December."

He chuckled.

"I've had a wild and varied career," Ray said. "But all of it was a warm-up for playing with Paul."

Enter HERE: http://www.paulmccartney.com/out-there-ticket-contest

Paul by Linda featured on the cover of The Beatles '4' EP. FREE on iTunes

Download '4', a free digital EP from iTunes and experience a taste of the individual brilliance of John, Paul, George and Ringo.

The Beatles combined four singular talents to become the biggest, most influential band of all time. As sad as it was when the band split in 1970, fans would be consoled by a wealth of brilliant solo work for decades to come. A new free sampler courtesy of iTunes presents one song from each of the Fab Four, showcasing the distinctive musical journeys that they undertook as solo artists. 

Opening with John Lennon's gorgeous piano ballad 'Love' (from 1970's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band), the collection includes Paul McCartney's simmering 'Call Me Back Again' (a highlight from Wings' 1975 Venus and Mars), George Harrison's explosive 'Let It Down' (off 1970's All Things Must Pass), and Ringo Starr's lush 'Walk With You' (from 2010's Y Not). 

These songs' extraordinary emotional and sonic range offer a fittingly diverse introduction to the band members' deep and richly satisfying work.

Get the EP now by clicking HERE!

Several of Paul's albums have been Mastered for iTunes. Check out Paul's updated iTunes store profile by clicking HERE!

The remastered Venus and Mars and At The Speed Of Sound are now also available to pre-order through iTunes. Pre-order Venus and Mars and download 'Listen To What The Man Said' straight away. Likewise, pre-order At The Speed Of Sound and receive 'Let 'Em In'. 

iTunes Pre-order links:
 
Venus and Mars - Click HERE!
At The Speed Of Sound - Click HERE!

http://pledge.meatfreemondays.com

Paul McCartney calls on people to back #MFMclimatepledge ahead of the UN Climate Summit on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014.
 
With just days to go until the UN Climate Summit in New York, Paul has called on people to back the Meat Free Monday Climate Pledge campaign.
 
#MFMclimatepledge - launched at tibits on Monday, September 8th by the RT Hon Greg Barker MP, Energy and Climate Advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron, and Stella and Mary McCartney - aims to get people to commit to a weekly meat free day so that global leaders can see the magnitude of support and enable them to take the idea forward.
 
Tuesday's UN Climate Summit will be the first time global leaders ­ from government, finance, business, and civil society ­ will meet to tackle the subject of climate change since Copenhagen in 2009. #MFMclimatepledge wants the leaders to commit now to agreeing an ambitious climate treaty at the COP 21 Conference in Paris next year, with the subject of meat reduction firmly on the agenda.

Tuesday's UN Climate Summit will be the first time global leaders ­ from government, finance, business, and civil society ­ will meet to tackle the subject of climate change since Copenhagen in 2009. #MFMclimatepledge wants the leaders to commit now to agreeing an ambitious climate treaty at the COP 21 Conference in Paris next year, with the subject of meat reduction firmly on the agenda.

Watch Paul's video below:

CLICK TO WATCH

As well as being responsible for a huge chunk of global greenhouse gas emissions, meat production requires increasingly unsustainable levels of precious resources ­ land, water and energy ­ and is a major contributor towards global environmental degradation.

30% of all the land on Earth is already used for livestock and feed production. So with the world's population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, raising enough animals to keep up with our current meat-heavy diets spells disaster for the planet. In fact, if everyone in the world ate as much meat as those in western countries, we would need 4 to 5 more planets to sustain ourselves!

Please take a couple of minutes to visit http://pledge.meatfreemondays.com pledge to go meat free for one day a week and share the idea with others.

Something new from Paul McCartney's international hit album NEW

NEW to be released as special 2CD & DVD Collector's Edition in a hard bound book featuring bonus content including behind the scenes footage, music videos, live recordings, album documentary and previously unreleased tracks

Available from October 28th 2014 PRE-ORDER

Released in October 2013, NEW was greeted with rave reviews all around the world. In both the UK and US it entered the Album Charts at Number Three. Within months it had sold almost quarter-of-a-million copies in America alone and counting. NEW also went Top 10 in 17 different countries including a Number One position in the Japanese charts. Since its release it has achieved Silver sales status in territories including UK and France, Gold status in Japan and Platinum in Russia, to name just a few international sales achievements.

This special collector's edition is packed full with exclusive content that tells the story of the making of the album as well as capturing unique moments during the international promotion campaign, which saw Paul make global headlines by creating traffic stopping moments in the US and UK with pop up performances in New York and London.

Channeling the spirit of adventure that has forever characterised McCartney's approach to making music, NEW was born out of his collaboration with a bunch of young British producers whose records he rated. Paul Epworth, who had enormous, Oscar-winning success writing with Adele on her album 21 and on their James Bond theme Skyfall. There was Mark Ronson, the DJ/musician who had helped the late Amy Winehouse create the classic Back To Black. And there were Ethan Johns, the son of Beatles engineer Glyn and himself a renowned producer, and Giles Martin, son of Sir George and a previous collaborator with The Beatles on the Las Vegas theatrical production Love.

The original idea for the then-untitled project was that Paul would work on a few songs with each, see who he felt most comfortable with and inspired by, and proceed with that producer. But such was the flood of ideas, and so strong were the songs pouring from Paul's fingertips, that he decided to take the best of all worlds: he'd work with all four producers. The result was one of the most ambitious and acclaimed efforts of Paul's solo career-an album hailed by Rolling Stone as "the music of eternal youth energized and full of joyous rock & roll invention" as its title track, 'Queenie Eye', 'Save Us' and 'Everybody Out There' quickly became staples of the McCartney live set.

This story is perfectly told in Paul's own words as well as those of the producers in Something New, a documentary about NEW directed by Don Letts, which features on the DVD.

The release of NEW saw Paul and his band perform a variety of intimate concerts along with some surprise huge events for good measure. This special edition relives some of the highlights including the opening of the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, a Hollywood Boulevard performance, pop up shows in New York and London, an intimate album Q&A filmed at The Shard in London, two concerts in one day at BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios, chat show performances and footage of Paul bringing London's Oxford Street to a standstill at a signing session at HMV's flagship store.

CD 1 tracklisting is the same as the original 14 track deluxe edition released last year.

CD 2 includes two previously unreleased tracks ('Hell To Pay' and 'Demons Dance') taken from the album recording sessions as well featuring 'Struggle' which was previously released as a Japanese bonus track. The second CD also includes live versions of 'Save Us', 'New', 'Queenie Eye' and 'Everybody Out There' recorded at the Tokyo Dome, Japan in November of last year.

Along with the documentary and a collection of behind-the-scenes footage from Paul's international promotional trail, the DVD also features the music videos for 'Queenie Eye', 'Save Us', 'Appreciate' and 'Early Days'. Also included is footage from the making of the 'Queenie Eye', 'Appreciate' and 'Early Days' videos.

COLLECTOR'S EDITION [2CD +1DVD]
Disc 1
1. Save Us
2. Alligator
3. On My Way To Work
4. Queenie Eye
5. Early Days
6. New
7. Appreciate
8. Everybody Out There
9. Hosanna
10. I Can Bet
11. Looking At Her
12. Road
13. Turned Out
14. Get Me Out Of Here Plus Scared (hidden track)

Disc 2
1. Struggle (previously available only in Japan)
2. Hell To Pay (previously unreleased)
3. Demons Dance (previously unreleased)
4. Save Us (Live at Tokyo Dome 2013)
5. New (Live at Tokyo Dome 2013)
6. Queenie Eye (Live at Tokyo Dome 2013)
7. Everybody Out There (Live at Tokyo Dome 2013)

Disc 3 - DVD
01. Something New
02. New Interview (Bang & Olufsen Presents The Living Room Tour: Launching Paul McCartney's Album 'New')
03. The Promo Tour
03.1. MGM Grand for iHeartRadio Music Festival, Las Vegas, 21st September 2013
03.2. Hollywood Boulevard with Jimmy Kimmel, Los Angeles, 23rd September 2013
03.3. NBC Studios with Jimmy Fallon, New York, 7th October 2013
03.4. Times Square, New York, 10th October 2013
03.5. The Shard, London, 15th October 2013
03.6. BBC Maida Vale Studios, London, 16th October 2013
03.7. The London Studios with Graham Norton, London, 17th October 2013
03.8. Covent Garden and HMV Oxford Street, London, 18th October 2013
04. Music Videos
04.1. Queenie Eye
04.2. Save Us
04.3. Appreciate
04.4. Early Days
04.5. Making Of Queenie Eye
04.6. Making Of Appreciate
04.7. Making Of Early Days

Total DVD Running Time: 1 hour 58 minutes

As some of the world's biggest fashion designers have come together for London Fashion Week, it was Stella McCartney's Green Carpet Collection show on Sunday that everyone wanted to be seen at.

The special showcase ­ which was led by Green Carpet Challenge co-founders Livia Firth and Lucy Siegle ­ displayed ethical bespoke outfits designed by the British designer, with a hope to change people's perceptions of 'green' fashion.

Stella's collection has being showcased as part of Firth's campaign, with the pieces 'designed and produced in accordance to the highest sustainability standards'.

Speaking recently about the collection, the 43-year-old fashion icon said: It's a very holistic approach for me. It's the way I live my life and it's my message. We're trying to have just a little more conscious consumption. For me it's all one thing, because my business is based on these kind of ethics.

The Bluebells frontman reveals the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his friendship with pop icon McCartney as the band prepare to launch retrospective album, Exile On Twee Street.

They were the unlikeliest of pop stars, part of a burgeoning jangly guitar Sound of Young Scotland in the 80s.

Glasgow band The Bluebells enjoyed a string of hits, including "Cath", "I'm Falling" and "Young At Heart" and graced the covers of teen magazines such as Smash Hits.

But geeky guitarist Bobby Bluebell, who became the envy of pimply teenage males the length of the UK when he dated Bananarama's Siobhan Fahey, admits he was too innocent to enjoy the success.

Bobby, who moved to London to live with Siobhan, said: "When we had our first hit, we got an old-fashioned telegram from Paul and Linda McCartney saying they loved our record and did I want to come to a party?

"The rest of the band were in Glasgow and Siobhan couldn't make it so I thought, 'I'm still going to go'.

"I bought eight cans of Skol and a bottle of wine because I thought it would be like the parties I went to back in Glasgow.

"I arrived at his house in Mayfair wearing a duffle coat and with the carry-out in a plastic bag.

"There was a red carpet with all these photographers and police around so I went to the door and this guy said, 'Where do you think you're going?' I told him I was going to see Paul because he had invited me to a party. Eventually, Mary McCartney came out and said, 'Wait there. I'll go get my dad'.

"Paul came out and just laughed.

"He asked 'Did you really bring a carry-out?' Then he turned around to all the celebs and the paparazzi and said, 'See. There's one person who is not a hanger-on. These Scots know how to turn up to a party'.

"It was all posh with champagne and canapes. But it was a great night and Paul and I got on great from then on."

CLICK TO WATCH

Get this song instantly when you pre-order on iTunes (US)

The Art Of McCartney is a long awaited and very special project celebrating one of the most universally acclaimed songwriters of all time, Sir Paul McCartney. With backing provided by McCartney's long time band, (Brian Ray, Rusty Anderson, Paul 'Wix' Wickens, Abe Laboriel, Jr.) classic tracks such as Maybe I'm Amazed, My Love, The Long And Winding Road, When I'm 64, Let It Be, Helter Skelter, Eleanor Rigby, Live And Let Die have been recorded by some of the world's greatest artists.

The calibre of artists showing their respect to Paul's songwriting genius is truly staggering. Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, The Cure, The Who's Roger Daltrey, Brian Wilson, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard, Dr John, Yusuf, Barry Gibb, Jamie Cullum, KISS, Chrissie Hynde, ELO legend Jeff Lynne, and many more have recorded McCartney songs exclusively for this album.

Pre-order from The Art of McCartney CD (US) Amazon.com
Pre-order from The Art of McCartney CD (UK) http://smarturl.it/taomccartneyd2c

Official Website: http://www.theartofmccartney.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theartofmccartney
Twitter: http://twitter.com/artofmccartney
Instagram: http://instagram.com/artofmccartney/

'Chaos and Creation in the Backyard' album cover. Photo taken by Paul's brother Mike...

CLICK TO LISTEN

CLICK TO WATCH

In this video, Bungie's Marty O'Donnell and Mike Salvatori show off their new their compositions for Destiny and talk about their collaboration with Paul McCartney.

Destiny OST "The Traveler's Light" (instrumental)

CLICK TO LISTEN

"The Traveler's Light" Composed by Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, and Paul McCartney

More About Destiny (mmorpg.com)

Destiny (PlayStation 4 gaming console) developed by Bungie and published by Activision Blizzard takes place in the future in the milky way solar system in which a catastrophic event has stricken Earth. There's only one city left on Earth protected by a large sphere called The Traveler. Players are put in to the role of a Guardian powered by The Traveler. Guardians will work together as the last hope of mankind to try and discover what led to the downfall of humanity. Especially after the golden age allowing humans to travel to other planets.

The next evolution of the first-person action genre that provides an unprecedented combination of storytelling, cooperative, competitive, and public gameplay, and personal activities that are all seamlessly woven into an expansive, persistent online world. Venture out alone or join up with friends. The choice is yours.

Personalize and upgrade every aspect of how you look and fight with a nearly limitless combination of armor, weapons, and visual customizations. Take your upgraded character into every mode, including campaign, cooperative, social, public, and competitive multiplayer.

CLICK TO WATCH

PAUL, MARY AND STELLA McCARTNEY JOIN FORCES WITH GREG BARKER MP TO LAUNCH

Meat Free Monday Pledge

On Tuesday 23rd September global leaders ­ from government, finance, business, and civil society ­ will meet at the UN headquarters in New York to discuss climate change. It will be the first time the UN has tackled the subject since Copenhagen in 2009. We want the leaders to commit NOW to agreeing an ambitious climate treaty at the COP 21 Conference in Paris next year.

Let's show them our commitment to reducing global emissions by making one small and easy change ­ skipping meat for one day a week. Show your support below by pledging to go meat free on Mondays and together let's urge world leaders to act!

SIGN THE PLEDGE
http://pledge.meatfreemondays.com/

Farewell to Candlestick Park - Macca Report Review

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

August 14, 2014 - Candlestick Park - San Francisco, CA

SOUND CHECK SETLIST

1. Matchbox
2. Blue Suede Shoes
3. Honey Don't
4. Junior's Farm
5. Drive My Car
6. Let 'Em In
7. C Moon
8. It's So Easy
9. San Francisco Bay Blues
10. Every Night
11. Leaning On A Lamp Post
12. Midnight Special
13. Bluebird
14. Lady Madonna

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

THE SOUND CHECK

Prior to the sound check around 2:50 pm, the 150 VIP ticket holders were ushered into a large private dinning area inside Candlestick where hot veggie hors d'oeuvres were served by waiters with food trays. There were cheeses, crackers and fresh veggies for dipping on buffet tables and a well stocked open bar. Inside the room was an "Out There" backdrop to take photos in front of.

We were told that Paul was expected early, around 4:00 pm because Candlestick opened their gates to the public at 5:30 pm. He had to finish the sound check before that time.

At 3:10 pm there was an announcement that Paul was coming earlier than expected and we were quickly escorted outside to wait for him. We got set up about 60 rows back from the stage. Paul showed up around 15 minutes later.

Paul arrived on stage at 3:32 pm, greeted the band and waved to us. Things got started quickly.

MATCHBOX ­ After singing the line, "I'm a lone poor boy, a long way from home," Paul shouted, "THAT'S TRUE!!!"

Paul addressed the enthusiastic cheering crowd with, "Thank you, small but vociferous group!"

BLUE SUEDE SHOES ­ Paul ripped into this classic Carl Perkins' song.
 
HONEY DON'T ­ Another Carl Perkins' song done Macca-style!

After "Honey Don't," John Hammel (Paul's assistant) brought out the Hofner. Paul took the Hofner and the audience responded with loud cheers.

Paul eyes a Sounchecker's sign that says, "When is the Hofner Bass meet & greet?" He jokes, "Welcome to the Hofner bass meet and greet! The Hofner bass will be meeting other Hofner basses in approximately a year's time. We're fixing it up. It's going on tour!" (Congrats to Macca Reporter, Ron Lavallee!)
 
JUNIOR'S FARM ­ A high energy rocker had everyone dancing and singing along. Hope this song makes it back into the setlist.
 
Next is a brief jam with Abe banging a Latin beat on a cowbell to test out the sound.
 
DRIVE MY CAR ­ Nice to hear this one though no Macca 'rockstar pose' during the song. Afterwards the audience cheered.

Paul responded with, "Thank you kindly, on this crazy afternoon."

Abe says, "Gonna try a different snare to see what it sounds like."

A group of Soundcheckers yell loudly, "WE LOVE YOU ABE!"

Abe waves to them.

Paul notices and says, "Thank you, girls and BOYS, oh, yeah."

Paul goes to the grand piano and noodles the "Let 'Em In" chords, and says to the Soundcheckers, "Alright! It's like a little holiday camp. Very nice. Let me take you to the rockin' Calypso Ballroom. HAH! DON'T EVEN GO THERE!" (people giggle)

Paul begins to whistle... though hard to hear what song it might be.

LET 'EM IN ­ A nice rendition of the song complete with graphics on the screen.
 
C MOON ­ Paul begins the song, but stops abruptly. "One minute, one minute! That's what sound checks are for!"

The guitars are out of tune and need to be tuned, which takes some time. Macca takes that time to noodle on dissonant piano keys to make the piano sound out of tune. He tells keyboard tech Phil at the sound board to "fix them". Then he plays an arpeggio, exclaiming "PERFECT!" The piano is tuned and lovingly taken care of by Phil!" Paul continues noodling and restarts the song. He gives Wix a shout out with "Mr. Paul Wickens!" during Wix's keyboard solo.

Paul reads a sign held up by one of the Soundcheckers. "'Chicago nurses rock'? Oh, yeah, oh yeah, that is true." (Congrats to Toni Johnson!)

IT'S SO EASY ­ Back on acoustic guitar, Paul sings with a Buddy Holly style hiccup! He substitutes the lyric, "It's so squeezy" for "It's so easy" during the latter part of the song.

Macca announces, "The fine Ms. Shelley Lazar (VIP Ticket Maven) returns to her home place, San Francisco!" Shelley is there and waves to Paul.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY BLUES ­ During the song's instrumental, Paul leaps in the air and lands with a dance shuffle. Throughout song Shelley dances in the aisle in front of Soundcheckers.

Paul acknowledges Shelly in the final verse of the song with, "when I met Shell." After the song he laughs as he tells Shelley, "You're exhausted, now, Shelley!"

Then he tells us, "Shelley does more in that number than we (the band) do. Good workout, though, yeah! Okay!"

EVERY NIGHT ­ Paul strums the first chord of "Every Night" but stops cold. "Whoops, hang on, hang on! Alright, get the chord right!" he chides aloud to himself. He restarts the song and rejoices at playing the right chord with, "That's IT!"

LEANING ON A LAMP POST ­ Out comes the ukulele. No "Ram On" this time. After the song Paul shouts to his soundman Paul Boothroyd at the soundboard platform, "Enough ukulele, Pab?"

Pab nods and Macca agrees with, "More than enough!" 

Paul tells the Soundcheckers, "That's a song by George Formby." He asks, "Ever heard of George Formby?" (people yell, "Yeah!")

"Give it up for George!" (loud crowd cheers)

Paul whistles again this time with about six ascending notes that are not from any known song. Maybe a new song is brewing.
 
MIDNIGHT SPECIAL ­ Paul introduces the song with, "This is a song about a train that ran past a jailhouse and legend has it that if the light from the train shone on you, you would released.
(He sings) "from that jailhouse!"

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

BLUEBIRD ­ After the song, Paul takes a drink from a Fuji bottle with a concoction of water (?) mixed with what looks like orange juice and says, "Cheers!" Before taking another swig, he jokes, "It's only a Margarita!" Then, feigning drunkenness, he slurs, "Show me the way to go home," which evokes giggles from the audience.

Macca quickly heads to the 'Magic Piano' while The crowd attempts to finish singing "Bluebird," but they are drowned out by Paul's opening piano chords' to his "mass-sage music".

LADY MADONNA ­ Paul tells the crowd, "It's time for your mass-sage" and proceeds to sing drawn-out "whoo's" and "yeah, yeahs' over the dreamy piano chords. He ends the intro by emitting a hearty, suspiciously belch-like yawn, before stomping into "Lady Madonna".

He ends the song, and heads over the center microphone.

"Thank you Soundcheckers! I do believe we're finished with sound check.

"Pablo, have you got enough of everything?

"Soundcheckers, have YOU got enough of everything?"

He is answered by very loud "NO's!!!"

Paul retorts, "I'm afraid that's just TOO BAD!

"Very nice having you here. Thanks for coming along." (crowd cheers)

"We'll see you later. I believe there's a few more people gonna come and join us. See you later for the bit of fun in the sun!"

The sound check ended at 4:38 pm for the Soundcheckers who were escorted back to the dinning area. A veggie hot food buffet was waiting.

The concert was scheduled to start at 8 pm. The gates opened early for the public at 5:00 pm and long lines began to form at all the merchandise stands, of which there were few. A limited edition Candlestick bookmark was given away at the gates to people coming in. It said, "Last Pick At the Stick - Paul McCartney - Farewell To Candlestick Park - San Francisco - August 14, 2014". The backside said, "I WAS THERE!" Those were gone in less than an hour!!!

CONCERT SETLIST

1. Eight Days A Week
2. Save Us
3. All My Loving
4. Listen To What The Man Said
5. Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady Coda
6. Paperback Writer
7. My Valentine
8. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five
9. The Long And Winding Road
10. Maybe I'm Amazed
11. I've Just Seen A Face
12. San Francisco Bay Blues
13. We Can Work It Out
14. Another Day
15. And I Love Her
16. Blackbird
17. Here Today
18. New
19. Queenie Eye
20. Lady Madonna
21. All Together Now
22. Lovely Rita (Video2)
23. Everybody Out There
24. Eleanor Rigby
25. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
26. Something
27. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
28. Band On The Run
29. Back In The U.S.S.R.
30. Let It Be
31. Live And Let Die (Video2)
32. Hey Jude

ENCORE ONE
33. Day Tripper
34. Hi, Hi, Hi
35. I Saw Her Standing There

ENCORE TWO
36. Yesterday
37. Long Tall Sally (Video2)
38. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

THE CONCERT

The pre-show DJ played mixes that included songs from The Beatles 1966 concert tour. When he finished, video screens on both sides of the stage, rolled photos and video footage from Paul's life accompanied by music that included studio outtakes, mash-ups and Paul's favorite covers by other artists.

The concert started almost an hour late, due to growing the traffic jam in parking lots. The lots had filled up quickly with people who did not have tickets wanting to tailgate the concert. There was such a demand for tickets, Candlestick was selling standing room only tickets days before the show. Unfortunately, several thousand concertgoers, who did not heed the warning to arrive early, never got in.

For those wondering how the empty seats in the first two rows get filled, it is by upgrade. Macca's people comb the nosebleed sections and find enthusiastic fans to fill those seats. I'm happy to say that some of these people were first generation fans who had grandchildren in tow.

At 8:53 pm Paul McCartney walked out grinning and was greeted by the deafening roar of 50,000. He looked dapper in a long maroon topcoat decorated with floral kimono-print cuffs, buttons and inside jacket liner. Macca's ensemble included: black Acne jeans; a white designer shirt accented with a black collar and cuffs, neatly trimmed with a black panel that ran the length of the shirt; navy blue suspenders (braces) with Union Jack (British) flags and black non-leather Beatles boots.

Paul slowly walked from one side of the stage to the other, as the thunderous applause escalated. That prompted a "YOU are so HOT" gesture from Paul.

It felt and sounded like August 29, 1966. Many who saw The Beatles at Candlestick that year, were present, with their children and grandchildren. Magic was in the air as a youthful 72-year old McCartney sang like he was 24. The 'WOW!!! and AWESOME!!! factor' was off the richter scale as many got their first glimpse of a BEATLE!

Paul launched into "Eight Days A Week" as the standing audience unleased their frenetic energy. There were clench-fist salutes, Beatlemanical screaming and disruptive cell phone selfies, with people turning their backs to the stage. Macca didn't know where to look first, but was visibly amused. The audience was putting on a show for him.

Keeping the energy level sizzling, he unleashed the first song from his "NEW" album, "Save Us". The audience responded with enthusiasm rocking to the beat.

After "Save Us" he addressed the crowd with, "Hey, San Francisco! Welcome to Candlestick Park!" (loud cheers) Then began, "All My Loving."

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

When the song finished Paul said, "Hey, listen, this is such a cool event. I'm just gonna take a minute to drink it all in, OK?"

To the delight of people in front of the stage, Paul strolled, nonchalantly, pausing to peer out into the audience, making eye contact with people who went crazy!

Following "Listen To What The Man Said," Paul removed his jacket to female screams of "MORE!" He retorted, "Am I really taking my clothes off? OK, that's the one and only wardrobe change of the whole evening."

"Let Me Roll It" ended as usual with the "Foxy Lady" coda -- Paul's nod to Jimi Hendrix. Paul and band try unsuccessfully to encourage feedback from the backline of amps by putting their guitars up against the amp speakers much like Hendrix did in the day.

Next comes a guitar change and Paul shows off his vintage 1964 Epiphone Casino guitar featuring the "vibrator bar".

"Thank you! That little bit we stuck on the end there of 'Foxy Lady,' was a tribute to the late, great Jimi Hendrix, and I tell the story..." Paul talks about seeing Jimi Hendrix play the entire Sgt. Pepper album days after its release and jokes about Hendrix asking Clapton to tune his guitar after it goes out of tune from pressing the 'vibrator arm' (Bigsby).

He continues his introduction, "The reason that I got this guitar out is that, this is the one that I played on the original record in the '60's." He begins "Paperback Writer."

When the song is over, Paul heads over to the grand piano and says, "I wrote this next song for my wife, Nancy. (audience cheers)

"She's with us tonight. This one's for you, Nance!"

He sings the love song, as the video for "My Valentine" is projected behind him.

The crowd applauds with enthusiasm and Paul responds with, "Thank you! And thank you to Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp who signed the words in the background!"

Paul makes the 'Wings' sign with his hands and says, "OK! This one is for the Wings fans!" He launches into a blistering version of "Nineteen Hundred And Eight Five."

After "The Long And Winding Road" he addresses the crowd.

"Yeah Alright! OK, thank you. This next one I wrote for Linda." (loud cheers from audience)

Paul's attention during this song is concentrated on Wix who tries his best to get Paul to smile by making silly gestures. It is apparent that this emotional homage to Linda, is difficult for Paul to sing and Wix's antics help him get through it. Wix was successful. Paul cracked a few smiles during the song.

Crowd applauds as Macca returns to center stage and dons his Martin acoustic guitar.

"Thank you! How ya doing? Alright? OK, so I'm sure you know this is gonna be the last gig at Candlestick Park, so we're gonna party it up!"

He begins The Beatles' toe tapper, "I've Just Seen A Face."

The next song is one that is normally played at sound checks, so it was a treat to hear it performed by Paul for 50,000 in the city the song was named after. The audience went wild every time Paul sang "San Francisco Bay." Candlestick is on the Bay. Paul dedicated the song to a 'special lady.'

"Thank you! This is a song that we always do. One of the ladies on our tour here - she's the one who handles all the tickets - she's brilliant! And Shelley, she's from this town and we always do this one for her, and for you!"

Paul does a 'special' version of the song for Shelley and sings at its end, "Walking with my baby down by the San Francisco Bay, without my Shell..." Shelley Lazar is shown on the video screen dancing to the song and throwing kisses to Paul.

Paul shields his eyes from the spotlight so he can look out into the audience and read the signs.

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

"We've got all these signs people hold up. All these signs. And you know, you're doing the song, and you're trying to remember your chords, and the words, and the melody and everything, trying to concentrate. And your mind says, 'Do NOT read those signs!' And there's another half of your mind that says, 'Yeah, go on read it! It doesn't matter.' So, you do. (looks at signs in the audience) Here's one, 'Have you hugged a disabled vet today?'" 

"No. I must say I haven't ..."

He reads another sign, "'SIGN MY BUTT!!!'"

Paul looks at the sign holder and says, "Come on, let's have a look at it!" (audience laughter)

"Anyway, we love the signs. Thank you for doing them, but if anything goes wrong, I'm blaming YOU!"

After "We Can Work It Out," Paul takes a look around and and acknowledges the audience by sections.

First he points to the right side and asks, "How you doing over on the sides there? You OK?" (loud cheers)

Then he looks at the nosebleed sections at the back of the stadium. "And the people right at the back? You good?" (more loud cheers)

"How about this side? (points to the left side and gets loud cheers)

"And you guys? (points to the center section in front of the stage to loud screams and cheers) OKAY!!!"

Following "Another Day" he says, "Alright, thank you! Yeah! So I suppose you know that the very last gig we ever did with The Beatles was at THIS place. (loud cheering) Yeah!"

"We got so pissed off, we never did it again." (audience laughter)

"Well, anyway, so here we are back again, you know and it's a bit of déjà vu. And great memories. And you know it's sad to see the place closing down, but we're gonna close it down in style!" (more loud cheering)

The next song is "And I Love Her." This one was greeted by screams from the audience. More screaming during Rusty's guitar solo when Paul turns his back to the audience and does a butt wiggle for the ladies.

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

When the song finishes, Paul moves to the very front of the stage to get on the platform and pauses to look at the people in the front row. Women closest to him scream. Paul smiles and refrains from laughing.

He begins the intro to "Blackbird". "Yeah, you know, I always say that way back in the Sixties there were a lot of troubles as you know over civil rights, particularly in the southern States in America. And we used to get the news back in England. I wanted to write a song, that if it ever got back to Arkansas, Little Rock, and the people who were going through those troubles, that it might just give them a little bit of hope." He starts the song.

During the song, the platform slowly rises and the audience waves and tries to get Paul's attention. He sees, but doesn't acknowledge until the song is over.

"Thank you, thank you. Alright, thank you. One of the things that I'm proud of you know, having written that song is, I go around the world and a lot of people come up to me and say, 'Hey, man, you know, I tried to learn 'Blackbird' on guitar when I was a kid.'"

"How many people, here, tried to learn 'Blackbird'? (people raise hands and cheer)

"Paul smiles and says a bit choked up, "How proud does that make me feel? (more cheers)

"And YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG!!!"

Paul gives the audience a mock stern look and noodles on the guitar neck demonstrating someone playing it wrong.

"So I wrote this next song after my dear friend, John, passed away. Let's hear it for JOHN!!! (loud roar and applause from the audience) Paul pauses to let the audience finish and continues.

"I wrote this song, like I say, after he passed away. This is kind of in the form of a conversation that we never got to have."

Paul sings "Here Today," choked up and fighting back tears. About halfway through the song, he regains his composure

The platform lowers and Paul embraces the audience, smiling and looking at the packed stadium cheering for him. He is clearly touched by the outpouring of love.

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

Out comes the 'Magic (psychedelic) Piano'. Paul sits down and says, "Alright gonna lift the mood now. This next one's from our NEW album."

"NEW" went over very well. People in the audience were singing along and dancing.

After the song ended Paul bent over the top of the piano, resting on one elbow and stared intently at audience fluttering his fingers around his mouth like he was thinking. Then he rested his chin on his hand and waited for the reaction. The crowd went wild.

"Okay, thanks. This next song started off when I was a kid. We used to play a street game and the game was... It's too long to explain, but anyway, the chorus of the game goes "Queenie eye, queenie eye, who's got the ball? I haven't got it. It isn't in my pocket. O-U-T spells out!" (people laugh)

"Well, it was the way we used to entertain ourselves, in the street. We didn't have normal written things..." (more laughter from crowd)

"Queenie Eye" went over big with the audience raising their arms and shouting "OUT!" at the appropriate time.

"All Together Got" some giggles from people when they saw the animated graphics on screen behind the band.

Paul noted and said, "OK, that one was for the kids. One of my more serious compositions."(audience laughter)

This next one is off the Sgt. Pepper album." (people cheer)

Paul launches into "Lovely Rita." Fans singalong and 'pant' with Paul.

"Thank you! This next one is called 'Everybody Out There.'"

"Everybody Out There" was unfamiliar to the part-time "wanna see a Beatle" crowd at Candlestick, but they caught on quickly vocalizing the "Who-oh-oh-ohs" in the song.

After the song, Paul led the "Who-oh-oh-oh" a cappella singalong and the audience was more than happy to participate.

Paul was pleased.

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

"Thank you, good people of San Francisco!" he said to resounding cheers.

Now it was time to take a census. "Hey, how many people here are FROM San Francisco?" (loud cheers)

"And how many people are NOT from San Francisco?" (louder cheers)

"Welcome, all of you people who are not from San Francisco." (raucous cheers)

After "Eleanor Rigby," Paul referred to the last Beatles' concert at Candlestick "... and so when we finished touring on that fateful night in, uh, whenever it was. Sometime in the (slurs the decade on purpose) nineteen-sixties, we went off and we started making an album, which is the Sgt. Pepper album. This next song is from it."

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

The audience loved the light show during "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!" And even though there was no ceiling, the projected laser beams did manage to work and create a dazzling light show above the audience.

Paul explained how the song came about. "That was one of those songs, that, I used to go 'round to John's house. We'd have some writing sessions and he had this poster up on his wall and it said, 'For the benefit of Mr. Kite, Henry the Horse, Pablo Fanques' fair...' It was all there on the poster. So we just kind of wrote this poster down!" (audience laughter)

"Okay, I don't' know if you know, I THINK you do, that George Harrison was a great ukulele player. Let's hear it for George! (cheering) Yeah, he really loved the ukulele, and I was 'round his house one day, and we were jamming around, playing songs, and I said, 'I've written,' NOT written... (corrects himself) 'I've LEARNED one of your songs on the ukulele'. So he said, 'You're kidding!'"

"So anyway we're sitting there, jamming. So we played it together and we'd like to play it for you now."

Paul, begins "Something" on the ukulele and it morphs into the wonderful electric guitar version.

"Thank you! Thank you, George, for writing such a beautiful song! (cheers)

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

Macca's intro to "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" lets the audience know there's another a cappella singalong coming.

"OK now, we've got a song we want you to singalong with. There is a bit in the middle of this song where I'll go, 'Now, YOU!' and you will sing, most gloriously. OK, let's see."

The audience did sing gloriously.

Paul gets a surprise during the chorus of "Band On The Run" when 28 Macca fans in the third row simultaneously hold up signs that say, "LOVE (heart) YOU PAUL," Beatlefan's Rick Glover's brainchild. Rick held up his famous "FANS ON THE RUN" banner as well.

Paul acknowledged the third row fans by singing "fans on the run" at the end of the song and pointing to all the sign holders.

"Back In The U.S.S.R." was next and Paul talked about his Russian experience after the song. "At the shows I tell the story..."(He continues with familiar Red Square story talking with a Russian accent...)

During "Let It Be" thousands of people turned on their smart phone lights. It was quite spectacular. Paul was clearly impressed."Thank you for the lights! Let It Be!"

For "Live And Let Die," extra fireworks were used on stage during the song and even more at the very end of the show behind the stage! Paul mocked the audience's reaction by covering his ears, then sticking his fingers in his ears and pointing at people while shaking his head and pretending to have a heart-attack.

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

The cellphone lights came out again for "Hey Jude."

Paul did his usual singalong asking, "This time just the guys. Just the fellas!" Paul encouraged them with a fake spit and a knee slap.

"Hey guys, one more time. Just the boys!" They got a Paul muscleman pose.

"Now I want to hear the women! Just the girls!"

Paul gestured with a feminine pose, swaying his hips and complimented the women with, "I love that sound. One more time ladies!"

Paul made an outline of a woman's shape with his hands.

"Now EVERYBODY all together!" The entire audience sang along with thousands being shown on the screens behind Paul.

At the song's end, Paul and the band, gathered at center stage, joined hands, bowed and crossed their legs at the same time. Macca waved and blew kisses to people before he left the stage.

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

They came back out for the encore waving flags. Paul had the American flag. Brian had the California State Flag. Wix had the Union Jack flag and Abe had a tiny Pirate flag!

Paul strapped on the Hofner, looked at the audience and asked, "MORE?" (cheers of "YEAH!!!")

"Oh, yeah, It's a party at Candlestick!"

A tireless Macca bounced into "Day Tripper," with the audience feeding off his energy.

"Wanna keep goin'? (screams of "YEAH!") "Let's get high on life with WINGS!"

"Hi, Hi, Hi" another blast from the past that identified that funny pungent smell permeating the air throughout the night.

"You're a fantastic audience and beautiful. Thank you!" said Paul before he launched into a blistering version of "I Saw Her Standing There."

After the song, Paul raised up his iconic bass and did a little dance swaying his hips. He was joined by the band. They all clasped hands holding them in the air as they kicked out their left leg, bowed and jumped back at the same time. Paul waved and pointed to people as he walked across the stage before exiting.

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

Just Paul on stage with Wix for this next song. All was silent as Paul began the opening chords to his most famous song "Yesterday." Slowly people began to singalong. No encouragement needed.

When it was over Paul bowed and carried the Epiphone Texan acoustic guitar (played on the Ed Sullivan Show) across his shoulder and was met by John Hammel who took the acoustic and handed Paul the Hofner. They had a mock conversation with Hammel giving Paul a 'thumbs up.'

Paul lets the audience in the conversation. "He (Hammel) tells me you wanna keep on rockin'!" (loud cheers of "YEAH!") 

"OK, I'll tell you what we do. We'll do the last song the Beatles ever did on Candlestick! With that announcement Candlestick erupted!

Paul belted out this rocker, taking no prisoners. He sang "Long Tall Sally" in its original key with Wix banging on the keyboards in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis. Behind Paul the giant screen flashed a montage of never before seen black & white photographs of The Beatles taken at Candlestick Park by famed photographer Jim Marshall. The song ended with a graphic that said "Farewell Candlestick 1966 - 2014" which brought the house down.

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

Paul raised the Hofner in a salute to his fans before he headed to the grand piano.

"Listen guys! Its been a great evening for us and you've been a fantastic audience. Thanks so much for being so cool!

"But there does come a time when we've got to go home. (audience boos)

"Yeah, it's just about the same time as, you've gotta go home. (louder boos)

"Well, listen, you know, to bring you a big show like this at a place called Candlestick, we've got some fantastic people here working along side of us. We've got Pablo on the sound there. We got Wally on the lights. We got Marcy and the team... We got all our the guys here. We got the guys who do the guitars, the keyboards, the drums. The riggers, the truckers. You name it.

"Let's hear it for the best crew on the planet! Yeah, they are the best. They're family. (loud cheers from the audience)

"And I want to thank this fantastic band of mine! (more cheers)

"As we always say, most of all, we want to thank YOU! (thunderous ovation)
 
"You guys, thank you so much for coming along and sharing the evening with us and saying goodbye to the Stick with us. We love ya!"

So, Paul began the last song of the night and the last song to be performed at Candlestick Park.

"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End," was an appropriate and bittersweet ending with "The End" taking on new meaning for the 54-year-old park.

Paul screamed, "Oh YEAH! Alright! Are you going to be in my dreams tonight? WELL ARE YA?"

He scurried from the piano down to center stage to join the power-riffing guitar jam.

When the jam started Paul pointed to Rusty and Brian when it was their turn to play a riff.

At the song's end, Paul took off his Les Paul guitar, balanced it precariously on its bottom and casually let it go just as Hammel grabbed it.

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

Once again, the band gathered and took their final bow at center stage, wiggling their joined arms down to the floor.

As Paul slowly strolled across the stage, he surely was absorbing every last second of his Candlestick farewell concert. It was the same for the fans.

He looked out and waved, making contact with as many faces as possible. And what a sight he must have seen. Everyone at Candlestick was on their feet. The thunderous applause echoed around the stadium.

Paul stopped at center stage, stood at microphone on last time and said, "Hey San Francisco, thank you! And Candlestick, you were cool all along. You were cool tonight. You were cool back then. We love ya! Goodbye, Candlestick Park!" 

PHOTO: © 2014 Jorie B. Gracen

And added, "Hey listen folks. I'll tell you what though, we'll see ya next time!"

Fireworks exploded in the air behind the stage as red, white and blue confetti fell on the seats in front of the stage.

Paul continued to wave to the vociferating crowd, until he left the stage at 11:44 pm. As promised, Candlestick was closed down in style.

PHOTOS AND CONTENT FROM THIS ARTICLE IS COPYRIGHTED © 2014 copyright Jorie B. Gracen

Fans can watch an exclusive 29 minute behind-the-scenes jamming session filmed at the 'Early Days' video shoot. The official video was launched earlier this summer and the end of it sees Paul playing with a group of blues guitarists, including Johnny Depp. This exclusive footage captures an impromptu jamming session that broke out between Paul and the musicians on the day of the shoot.

CLICK TO WATCH

An official 'Making of Early Days' film will be made available later this year as part of a special collector's edition of 'NEW'. The special collector's edition will feature highlights and exclusive material chronicling the release and promotion of 'NEW'. More details to be announced in the coming weeks. 'NEW' was originally released in October 2013.

Watch the video for 'Early Days' HERE!

Paul at the 1991 premiere of his 'Liverpool Oratorio' in Liverpool Cathedral...

We're coming to the end of the school summer holidays here in the UK (and our unfortunately short summer!). Lots of you will have noticed the additional noise, chaos and excitement that summer brings when school's out!
 
It's certainly a very exciting time and really does seem to last forever through the eyes of a child. It's a shame that the older you get, the shorter those precious months become!
 
August's question for 'You Gave Me The Answer' comes from Donna Simmons in the US who asks...
 
"As a child, what was your favourite holiday and why?"
 
We caught up with Paul recently to find out. He replied, 
 
"When I was about 11 or 12 our family went to a holiday camp in Wales called Butlins Pwllheli.  It was the first time we had done anything like it and I was very excited.  We were given daily bulletins listing all the events happening in the camp, these might have been a Beauty Contest or a dance in the Rock and Calypso Ballroom or a talent show. My brother, Mike, and I ran around all day trying to go to everything on the list."

Remember, if you have a question for Paul, send it through the website HERE and maybe next month it'll be yours that is answered! 

Other famous signatories to the so-called "Letter to Scotland," organized by the Let's Stay Together campaign, include Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, physicist Stephen Hawking, actress Dame Judi Dench and celebrity TV producer Simon Cowell.

The campaign describes itself as a UK-wide effort giving a voice to "everyone who doesn't have a vote in the decision to break up Britain."

Anyone living in Scotland who is aged 16 and over on September 18 will be able to vote in the referendum.

However, Scots living outside Scotland don't have a vote, nor do the residents of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has been part of the United Kingdom for more than 300 years.

Addressed to the voters of Scotland, the letter reads: "The decision on whether to leave our shared country is, of course, absolutely yours alone.

"Nevertheless, that decision will have a huge effect on all of us in the rest of the United Kingdom.

"We want to let you know how very much we value our bonds of citizenship with you, and to express our hope that you will vote to renew them.

"What unites us is much greater than what divides us. Let's stay together."

National treasure

McCartney added his name to the open letter while the campaign was canvassing for support in Liverpool.

"We are absolutely delighted to be able to have Sir Paul's support for Let's Stay Together, as he is not only a national treasure but somebody who loves Scotland for what it is: a beautiful and inspiring country, and one that we are proud to count as part of the United Kingdom," a post on the Let's Stay Together blog said.

McCartney, who owns a farm in Scotland, co-wrote the hit song "Mull of Kintyre" there in 1977 with his band Wings, formed after the Beatles split.

'I know I'm gonna be sad if the Scottish quit the UK,' said Paul.

'Bad for business'

On Wednesday, more than 120 business leaders, employing 50,000 people in Scotland, published an open letter in The Scotsman newspaper in which they said the "business case" for separation had not been made.

"Uncertainty surrounds a number of vital issues including currency, regulation, tax, pensions, EU membership and support for our exports around the world; and uncertainty is bad for business," it said.

Prime Minister David Cameron backed their appeal in a speech Thursday to business leaders in Glasgow.

A young Blantyre woman came face to face with a musical icon recently as she graduated from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).

Jacklyn McConnachie, of Rosebank Avenue, has achieved a BA (Hons) in Music and was presented with her degree certificate by Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney himself.

LIPA was co-founded by Sir Paul and Mark Featherstone-Witty in 1996, and was the college of choice for Jacklyn since a young age.

Now at 21, the former St Blane's Primary and John Ogilvie High pupil, will pursue a career in song writing and performance having successfully completed her course.

Delighted Jacklyn, a former HND student at North Glasgow College in Springburn, told the Advertiser this week: "I have really enjoyed my two years at LIPA. I have made friends with people from all over the world and got to work with students from all different courses, sound technology, stage design and management to name a few.

"It has been fantastic and all that I imagined it would be, but meeting Paul McCartney at my graduation took it to another level."

Her proud dad Allan added: "As her parents we were very proud of her achievement, as she said in early secondary school she would like to study at LIPA.

"She worked very hard to get there, achieving pupil of the year awards and song writing awards along the way at North Glasgow College.

"It was because of her hard work and determination at North Glasgow that she was accepted into the second year at LIPA after a personal interview, followed by a few more years of hard work and study before finally meeting one of her heroes, Sir Paul McCartney, on stage at the graduation ceremony last month."

Top 20 Concert Tours from Pollstar

The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.

1. (1) Paul McCartney; $3,229,604; $131.84
2. (3) Katy Perry; $1,743,092; $116.26
3. (4) Bruno Mars; $1,177,984; $87.28
4. (5) Cher; $1,106,826; $90.71
5. (6) Zac Brown Band; $1,071,113; $48.93
6. (7) Dave Matthews Band; $1,059,266; $54.34
7. (8) Michael Buble; $910,823; $88.51
8. (9) Romeo Santos; $812,171; $82.14
9. (10) Cirque du Soleil - "Michael Jackson: The Immortal"; $776,239; $85.29
10. (11) Journey/Steve Miller Band; $760,936; $58.17
11. (12) Motley Crue; $735,479; $51.03
12. (13) James Taylor; $629,601; $72.03
13. (14) Rascal Flatts; $540,829; $33.59
14. (15) Brad Paisley; $518,729; $33.57
15. (16) Tim McGraw; $475,776; $37.12
16. (17) Florida Georgia Line; $461,691; $38.84
17. (18) Backstreet Boys; $415,290; $47.57
18. (New) "Vans Warped Tour"; $382,413; $30.79
19. (19) Widespread Panic; $313,800; $44.81
20. (21) Willie Nelson/Alison Krauss + Union Station feat. Jerry Douglas; $280,662; $58.26

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If you think Wings deserves to be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

Should WINGS be nominated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? There's a debate amongst Beatles/Paul McCartney fans whether Wings is covered by Paul's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a "solo artist." Does Wings qualify as a band and are they worthy with a string of number one hits during the '70s? Should its band members be recognized for their contributions?

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Macca Report news continues with October 2014

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Jorie Gracen