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January 2015
January 31, 2015 -- Pitchfork.com
Rihanna Shares Behind The Scenes Video for "FourFiveSeconds"
Featuring Kanye West and Paul McCartney
Last week, Rihanna shared her new single "FourFiveSeconds", which features Paul McCartney and Kanye West. Tonight, she's shared a behind-the-scenes look at its music video. In it, Rihanna discusses the inspiration for the all-denim look of the single and its video: "Kanye came up with the idea of doing just some real street denim, all-American type look," she reveals. Check it out below.
January 31, 2015 -- Korean
Times
Paul McCartney to perform in South Korea for first time
Paul McCartney will hold his first-ever concert in South
Korea.
The former Beatle canceled his "Out There" stop in the
country last year due to illness. He plans to perform in Seoul's
Jamsil Baseball Stadium on May 2, Yonhap
reported.
Hyundai Card, which attempted
to bring McCartney to Korea last year, is again organizing the
event with the music legend.
Hyundai Card CEO Ted Chung posted a link to an ad for the show
on his Twitter Thursday.
McCartney is the composer of
many of The
Beatles' most-loved songs,
including "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be," and
was inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame as a solo artist.
January 31, 2015 -- PM.com
'You Gave Me The Answer' Editha from Germany asks
We hope you have recovered from the festive season and are enjoying 2015 as much as we are it's already been an exciting year here at PaulMcCartney.com!
We started the year with a bang following the New Year's eve release of 'Only One', Paul's first collaboration with Kanye West. This was followed up last weekend with another Kanye collaboration, this time with Rihanna involved!
January also saw the release
of 'Hope For the Future' on 12" vinyl, following its digital
release in December. This was Paul's first-ever time writing for
a video game and the song marks his success in exploring different
genres having written orchestral scores, electronica works, and
film theme tunes. The epic 'Hope For The Future' features a full
orchestra, which has had some of you wondering if Paul has a favourite
piece of classical music...
Editha from
Germany has been in touch to find out:
"What is your favourite piece of classical music and why?"
We caught up
with Paul fresh from his Christmas holiday and he replied:
"Thank you for your question, Editha. I have many favourite
pieces of classical music but one of my favourites is a piece
that was written by Benjamin Britten for the Queen's Coronation
and played by the guitarist Julian Bream. The title is 'Courtly
Dances' from 'Gloriana'".
January 29, 2015 -- Paul McCartney Twitter
Throwback Thursday Photo
Paul with Ringo Starr at TheGRAMMYs last year. That night Paul picked up five awards!
Tuesday 21st April: Kyocera Dome, Osaka
Thursday 23rd April: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
Saturday 25th April: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
Monday 27th April: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
General Ticket
Sales: 28th February, 10:00AM (local)
By the end of 2014 and 18 months since its launch, Paul's incredible
'Out There' tour has been seen by almost two million people around
the world. Paul and his band have performed a total of 63 shows
in 11 different countries in venues of all different shapes and
sizes. Each show on the tour has seen multi generational audiences
from all different kinds of backgrounds come together to share
in the incredible magic of a McCartney live show.
Last year for reasons beyond his control Paul was forced to cancel
his Japanese tour dates. Today it is confirmed that Paul will
bring his show back to Japan in April.
Speaking about
the forthcoming shows Paul said:
"I can't wait to get
back to Japan for some more great nights of rock n' roll and fun.
We had such a great time on our trip in 2013 and we were so disappointed
that we couldn't perform last year. I want to thank my fans for
all the lovely messages you sent me. Looking forward to seeing
you all very soon."
The 'Out There' tour features
music from one of the best loved catalogues in popular music.
Paul will perform songs that span his entire career - as a solo
artist, member of Wings and of course as a Beatle. The set
list will also include material from Paul's most recent studio
album 'NEW', which was a global hit upon its release.
The McCartney live experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity;
in just three hours some of the greatest moments from the last
50 years of music are relived; music which for many has shaped
the very soundtrack of their lives. The last decade has seen Paul
and his band perform in a staggeringly impressive range of venues
and locations, including outside the Coliseum in Rome, in Moscow's
Red Square, Buckingham Palace, at the White House, a free show
in Mexico to over 400,000 people and even into Space! Having played
with his band (Paul 'Wix' Wickens (keyboards), Brian Ray (bass
guitar/guitar), Rusty Anderson (guitar) and Abe Laboriel Jr (drums))
for over ten years now, the show never disappoints.
The tour also uses state of the art technology and production
to ensure the entire audience has the best possible experience.
With massive screens, lasers, fireworks, unique video content
and the best songs in the world, a Paul McCartney show is so much
more than just an ordinary concert.
The 26-year-old pop princess will take to the stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 8 with the legendary Beatles star and the rapper for a rendition of their recently-announced collaboration, 'Four Five Seconds'.
And the Bajan singer is said
to be delighted at the prospect of kicking off her musical comeback
alongside the duo.
A source told The Sun newspaper: 'Rihanna's seriously pleased
to have bagged a big slot at The Grammys and two huge names to
kick off her comeback.
'Paul McCartney's a Grammys regular and it will give Rihanna serious kudos to have a Beatle backing her on stage. It is going to be a huge Grammys moment.'
Sir Paul, 72, performed at last year's ceremony alongside his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr, and has scooped an incredible 18 Grammys throughout his lengthy career.
Rihanna unveiled track on Saturday, which is her first musical offering in over two years.
The 26-year-old Umbrella singer dropped the song on her Twitter page, writing: 'FIRST GLIMPSE AT MY NEW MUSIC!!!'
The track features 72-year-old McCartney on guitar and 37-year-old rapper West doing what he does best.
In the catchy song which is available on iTunes now, Riri croons 'Now I'm four, five seconds from wildin'/And we got three more days 'til Friday,'
Leaving quite a gap between her work, Rihanna's last album was Unapologetic which was released in November 2012.
Yeezy and Macca already got together in early 2014 to write the love song 'Only One' - devoted to his young daughter with Kim Kardashian, North.
The track features the veteran musician playing the keyboard while the Gold Digger star sings from the perspective of his late mother.
'Live And Let Die' crooner
McCartney revealed his appreciation for rap music in a Twitter
Q&A in October saying that his most recent album purchases
were Jay-Z and Stronger hit maker West.
Just a few minutes ago, Rihanna released a new song on her website, with absolutely no warning. As if being the first bit of new music from one of the world's biggest pop stars wasn't enough to get people to listen, "Four Five Seconds" features two of the biggest names in the industry: Kanye West and Paul McCartney.
The track is not only a shocker in the surprising manner in which she announced it-a tweet that simply said "FIRST GLIMPSE AT MY NEW MUSIC!!!"- but in its style. Musically, "Four Five Seconds" is a complete departure for both Rihanna and Kanye West, though it does fit McCartney's style. A simple, pared-down guitar track, the song puts the spotlight on Rihanna's vocals, highlighting them in a way that her club-ready, bombastic tunes don't usually. Aside from one acoustic guitar, the song also features an organ, several layers of the Barbadian pop star's vocals, and a guest verse (that is sung, not rapped) by West.
Rumors about
Rihanna's return to the music scene have been swirling for months,
but only recently did anybody hear about a Paul McCartney collaboration.
The wording of her tweet suggests that this is the beginning of
a new album cycle.
While McCartney is new to this trio, West and Rihanna have worked
together before. The two first worked together on the Jay-Z song
"Run This Town", which appeared on Jay's massive Blueprint
3 album. The track was one of the lead singles, and it peaked
in the runner up slot on the Hot 100. Two years after that, Rihanna
sang the hook on Kanye's "All Of The Lights", a single
from his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album. The track-which
actually featured ten other artists, including Fergie, John Legend,
and even Elton John-would go on to be a fan favorite, and would
add another Grammy to their collections.
This isn't
the first time that Kanye and Paul have worked together either.
Earlier this month, the two dropped a surprise track (this is
starting to become a trend with them) just as the new year was
being rung in. "Only One" is an ode to West's baby daughter
North, and is sung through the point of view of his late mother
Donda. McCartney helped write the song, and he also played keyboard
as well. It's unclear how many songs the two have done together-though
one source said a session they had last year yielded up to nine
tracks-but so far Paul has yet to say a peep, leaving the vocal
duties to others.
Webmaster's
Note: Paul
does not sing on this song. He plays acoustic guitar. Hear song
LINK
DOWNLOAD "Four Five Seconds" on iTunes $1.29
January 25, 2015 -- The New Orleans Advocate
Revisiting a trip to New Orleans during Mardi Gras: Paul McCartney
recalls 'My Carnival' on 'Venus and Mars' re-release
During the 1975 Carnival season in New Orleans, Paul McCartney
celebrated his first and only Mardi Gras.
Forty years ago this month, McCartney, his wife, Linda, and members of the former Beatle's 1970s band, Wings, flew to New Orleans to record their fourth album, "Venus and Mars." And on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 11, 1975, the McCartneys waded into the holiday revelry, masking as a pair of clowns.
"We went on Charles Street," McCartney later told a reporter.
"And Canal Street," Linda McCartney added. "We were in the crowd, man. We were right there."
The recently released, book-style deluxe edition of "Venus and Mars" features the original album, a disc of bonus songs and a DVD. The DVD contains footage of McCartney and Wings recording their Professor Longhair-inspired song, "My Carnival."
The McCartneys, their children and the band stayed at Le Richelieu Hotel in the French Quarter. The entourage, including singer-guitarist Denny Laine, guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and a newly recruited American drummer, Joe English, set up shop in Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn's Sea-Saint Recording Studio in Gentilly.
Recording engineer Alan O'Duffy hired Tony Dorsey, a trombonist and Houma native, to lead the horn section and make arrangements. Dorsey, in turn, hired New Orleans musicians with whom he'd attended college to play horns. Toussaint played piano and guitar for one song, "Rock Show," and the Tuxedo Brass Band recorded a brass section overdub for McCartney's Little Richard-based rendition of "Baby Face."
Later, during a combination album wrap party and press conference on the river boat Voyageur, McCartney said he'd wanted to sparingly use the local talent.
"Mainly we're coming here
to make our own album," he said. "I don't like to come
to a place and use too much of the local talent, because you get
people saying, 'Oh, they're taking our style.' So, generally we
keep pretty much to ourselves - unless there's another special
thing we'd like, and we'd ask someone to help us on."
"My Carnival" was that something special.
"There was no sort of Cajun feel, really," McCartney said, "except for one song - a bonus thing we did, 'My Carnival,' which was very taken from the local feel."
Wings recorded "My Carnival" at Sea-Saint the day after Mardi Gras, with locals George Porter Jr., bassist in The Meters, adding percussion, and Benny Spellman ("Fortune Teller") singing backup. The song's piano, horns, hand-clapped rhythm and celebratory vocals echo the music of Professor Longhair, Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns, and other classic New Orleans rhythm-and-blues acts.
Sidney Smith, a local photographer, was hired to shoot photos of the McCartneys and Wings in New Orleans. Just 20 years old and a Beatles fan since he was 9, Smith couldn't believe his luck. He'd photographed many stars, including The Who, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, the Grateful Dead and Cat Stevens, but nothing topped McCartney.
The Wings entourage, Smith recalled, went to see many local acts perform during those few weeks in New Orleans. Doing so fulfilled a long-held wish for the leader of the band. The Beatles wanted to visit local music clubs in September 1964, when they performed at City Park. The crush and chaos created by frantic fans who mobbed them at every turn, however, made doing so impossible.
McCartney, asked what musicians he'd heard during his New Orleans 1975 visit, said, "Well, we saw Professor play. Professor Longhair. And he's the greatest. He's a classic. I love 'em."
During Wings' Sea-Saint sessions, Professor Longhair, Earl King, Spellman and other local stars visited McCartney and Wings in the studio. Dr. John showed up and showered everyone with glitter dust.
"All the New Orleans royalty was coming to see Paul," Smith said.
"We met all those players," Wings' Denny Laine said. "We were very much part of the scene down there."
In addition to "My Carnival," McCartney recorded his impression of Professor Longhair's Carnival classic, "Mardi Gras in New Orleans," aka "Go to the Mardi Gras." He also sang and played the song in person for the amused Professor Longhair, the deluxe "Venus and Mars" edition's extensive notes report.
Released in May 1975, "Venus and Mars" reached No. 1 internationally. It's sold more than four million copies. The original album featured the No. 1 single, "Listen To What The Man Said," but not "My Carnival."
McCartney's company, MPL, however, released a Professor Longhair album, "Live at the Queen Mary," in 1978. It was recorded on the British ocean liner in Long Beach, California, during the wrap party that followed "Venus and Mars" overdubs and mixing in Los Angeles.
Professor Longhair told Philadelphia journalist Peter Stone Brown about his encounters with McCartney during a 1979 interview.
"Somebody steered him up to wherever we were working and he came and listened and he enjoyed it," Professor Longhair recalled. "So he said, 'Now that I've come listen to you, why don't you come listen to me?' And I said, 'Well, where are you?' And he was making a recording down by Sea-Saint. And the next thing I know he was sending for us to come out and play the gig for him on the Queen Mary."
Ten years after the Sea-Saint sessions and five years after Professor Longhair's death, McCartney released "My Carnival" as the B-side of "Spies Like Us," title song for a 1985 Chevy Chase-Dan Aykroyd movie.
The 45's label says: "Recorded
in New Orleans & dedicated to Prof. Longhair."
January
25, 2015 - Minneapolis Post.com
By Cyndy Brucato
About that
time I met Paul McCartney at a frozen food plant in southern Minnesota
Appearances at plant openings and business expansions are a routine
obligation of being governor. Few are memorable.
But when I read the news this weekend that Fairmont Foods in Fairmont
would be closing its operations in March, I remembered every detail
of my visit there with Gov. Arne Carlson more than two decades
ago. After all, Fairmont Foods is where I met Paul McCartney.
Yes, that Paul McCartney.
In 1993, Fairmont Foods was
chosen to produce a line of frozen vegetarian foods created by
Paul's wife,
Linda, who would die of breast
cancer in 1998. Arne was asked to preside over the ribbon cutting
ceremony, which would also include both Paul and Linda.
I was the governor's communications director at the time, and
neither I nor his wife Susan would usually accompany the governor
on this kind of state business. But Susan and I are baby boomers
of the first order, and a one-on-one with a Beatle was not business
as usual. The governor made room for us.
When we arrived at the Fairmont offices, Arne and Susan were taken
aside for a private meeting with Paul and Linda. I hovered in
the background, grateful for the brief glimpse I had of Paul:
so tall, so English, still cute.
Just before the ribbon cutting was to begin, Paul went into a
private room for some grooming. The door was left ajar and, yes,
I admit it, I peeked in as an assistant touched up his makeup
and hair.
The autographed
"Sgt. Pepper" album
I didn't expect to get any closer to Paul, but I just happened
to be at the door of the room where he was getting his touch up
when he exited. I stammered and smiled. He smiled back. And then
I produced my secret weapon.
Just before I had left that morning, my husband, who fancies himself
the state's foremost authority on the Beatles (or at least their
biggest fan), handed me the iconic cover of The Beatles'
album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Take
it, he said, and ask him to sign it.
So there, standing the offices of Fairmont Foods, I made a request
I'm sure Paul has heard thousands of times before.
I don't remember much more about the visit. I know Linda McCartney's
line of frozen foods stopped production a few years later.
And my heart goes out to the people who will lose their jobs when
Fairmont Foods
closes in March.
But I certainly have a lasting
and beloved memory of the place, one sits on my mantle: an album
cover that reads:
"To Brian
and Cyndy
Love, Paul McCartney"
January 23, 2015 - Paul McCartney Twitter
Throwback Thursday Photo
Paul playing with daughter Mary in Scotland 1969. (Photo by Linda McCartney)
ON BLU-RAY AND DVD 24th MARCH 2015The aircraft then avoided hitting treetops near the couple's East Sussex home by just 2ft, according to an investigation into the incident.
The pilot, who had become 'spatially disorientated', dramatically swung the chartered Sikorsky S-76C to safety with seconds to spare.
His co-pilot was so convinced they were going to crash that he 'momentarily' lost the ability to speak during the drama.
Sir Paul, 72, and his 53-year-old wife, Nancy Shevell, were returning from London after they had attended the launch of a vegetarian cookbook written by Sir Paul's eldest daughter Mary in May 2012.
In treacherous weather, the pilot was attempting a night landing on a helipad encircled by woodland.
A full investigation carried out by the Department of Transport's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that neither pilot heard two audio warnings.
The first said 'LOW TERRAIN', meaning they were 30 seconds from either the ground or an obstacle, in this case the treetops. The second message, 'WARNING TERRAIN', was issued when they were 20 seconds away. Both alerts also flashed on the controls. But despite the 'warnings that the helicopter was approaching the ground, the flight crew were not aware of these warnings', concluded the AAIB report.
The report reveals the terrifying drama in the cockpit before the second of two aborted landings.
As they approached the helipad, the pilot 'switched the landing lights on, but the glare from the falling rain in front of the helicopter prompted him to switch them off again'. The co-pilot later recalled telling the pilot that, at this point, they were below the 'safety altitude without sufficient visual references'.
They pressed on 'even though he believed that the commander's actions were flawed'. Eventually the pilot decided it was unsafe to land and tried another approach.
The report said: 'The co-pilot, who was monitoring the instruments, saw that the helicopter was descending and began to speak to highlight this to the commander.'
Seconds later he saw the altimeter 'winding down towards zero extremely quickly' and then found himself 'momentarily unable to continue speaking, expecting the helicopter to crash'. But the pilot, 'recognising that the helicopter was approaching the treetops, began an aggressive go-around, flaring the helicopter and increasing power'.
The pilot eventually landed safely after diverting to Lydd Airport in Kent, 15 miles from the McCartney home near Rye. The £5 million ($7.5 million) nine-seater helicopter was chartered from Air Harrods, which charges about £3,000 ($4,543) an hour and describes itself as the 'leading London-based business aviation service provider'. Tony Blair is a client.
A spokesman for the firm said
last night that it co-operated fully with the investigation. Sir
Paul's spokesman declined to comment.
On the debut Beatles album "Please, Please Me," George Harrison sings, "Do you want to know a secret? Do you promise not to tell?"
Well, nearly 52 years later in the age of social media and smartphone, keeping secrets is harder than ever.
And if the rumors swirling around the 2015 Firefly Music Festival lineup are true, Paul McCartney will headline the 80,000-person rock fest in Dover, Delaware June 18-21.
It would be his first time performing in The First State.
The other two headliners are reportedly Kings of Leon and Las Vegas rockers The Killers, who were a headliner at Firefly's inaugural bash in 2012.
So where are these rumors coming from and are they legit?
It's hard to be certain, but they originated on the fan-run Bonnaroo message board Inforoo by a user that posts under the name "infinitypass."
According to AlternativeNation.net, the user is a "well known Inforoo insider who has been 100% accurate in festival leaks over the years. The same source has called the Bonnaroo and [New York's Governors Ball Music Festival] headliners for this year before they dropped."
McCartney, 72, currently has no future concerts listed on his tour schedule.
Lauren King, a spokeswoman for Firefly, does not confirm or deny the rumors.
"The official lineup announce is coming soon and we're excited to share with fans," she says. Previously, King said fans should expect a lineup announcement in early February.
McCartney headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2009 -- a festival founded by AEG's Goldenvoice, which is now a partner with Firefly organizers Red Frog Events.
While The Beatles never performed in Delaware, the band was once in the state while on tour, says Wilmington's Joel Glazier, a Beatles expert who gives speeches for the Delaware Humanities Forum about the band at colleges, schools and civic groups.
After The Beatles performed live on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in New York Feb. 9, 1964, the Fab Four were due for a show two days later at the old Washington Coliseum in Washington, D.C.
However, a blizzard forced the band to abandon their planned flight and charter a train car -- one that passed through Delaware. They returned to New York the next day on another train for a show at Carnegie Hall.
"So all four Beatles were in Delaware together twice. Every state cannot say that," Glazier says.
As for the news that McCartney might actually perform in Delaware 51 years later has this Beatles fan singing, "Yeah, yeah, yeah!"
"What a small wonder this state is to get the world's most successful performer in rock music to perform here among the mosquitoes, heat and humidity," says Glazier, who had given up on McCartney ever performing in Delaware. "I'm trying to stay calm."
McCartney wouldn't be the first Beatle to perform in Delaware, however.
Ringo Starr played the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark in 1997 and Beatles drummer Pete Best, who Starr replaced, has performed multiple times at Kelly's Logan House in Wilmington over the years.
Glazier jokes, "Paul is
finally catching up with Ringo."
Shantell Mitchell '18 might have been the luckiest person in the house.
With an aisle seat in the front row-mere feet from one of the world's most accomplished musicians-she listened as Sir Paul McCartney spoke Thursday night to a capacity audience at Knowles Memorial Chapel on the campus of Rollins College.
Kept secret until the morning of the event, McCartney's visit prompted so much interest that students had to win tickets in a lottery system. Some 50 years after taking the nation by storm, the handsome Beatle still captures the hearts of awestruck young Americans.
"When I found out Sir Paul McCartney was coming here, I cried," said Mitchell, an 18-year-old first-year student from Long Island. "My mom and I have a very strong love for him. Plus, my dad is 79, so I'm pretty well-versed in the age of music he grew up in."
Sitting down for an hour-long chat with two-term U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins, senior distinguished fellow at the Rollins Winter Park Institute, the black-clad McCartney broached a variety of topics-from his earliest musical and academic influences to his dynamic song-writing sessions with John Lennon.
"I'd say, 'It's getting better all the time,' and he'd say, 'It can't get much worse," McCartney deadpanned, delving into how Lennon's skepticism brought balance to their collaboration. "I would have never thought of that."
Mixing humble dignity with confident charm, McCartney, guitar in hand, provided gently self-effacing answers to every question, never touting his true genius.
When asked whether the lyrics or music comes first, he replied, "I tell students all the time, 'Look, I don't know how to do this.' Every time I approach a song, there's no rules. Sometimes the music comes first, sometimes the words-and if you're lucky, it all comes together."
Illustrating this point, McCartney described how his inspiration for "Yesterday" came in a dream. Certain an old melody was stuck in his head, he went around humming the tune, asking if anyone knew it. "After two weeks," he said, "I claimed it."
When Collins brought up how McCartney's songs have been covered by countless bands over the years, Sir Paul expressed gratitude and likened the acts to flattery. "If someone on the street corner is reading one of your poems," he asked Collins, "is it going to bother you?"
Growing up in Liverpool, McCartney recalled how English sailors would come back with blues and country records from places like New Orleans and New York. He also told of the excitement that accompanied learning a few jazz chords at a young age.
Asked about The Beatles' musical evolution in the late 1960s, McCartney drew applause and laughter when he called it "a natural growing up we developed-and drugs."
"At the beginning of the Beatles," he said, "you've got to remember, we were a boy band. It was all really fan-oriented. It's not a bad thing, but after a while you felt like you wanted to move on."
Dissecting their different approaches to the written word, McCartney and Collins found common ground at the intersection of lyrics and poetry. Sharing how he once read his own poems to a group of scholars in New York City, McCartney admitted "it was pretty nerve-wracking" and quite different than playing to boisterous crowds. "I had to respect the silence as a great thing," he said.
After Collins read a few pre-written questions from students-most wanting to know if Sir Paul could hang out later-McCartney closed the night with "Blackbird," its solemn lyrics offering quiet reflection for a grateful gathering of students, faculty and staff.
"This was a wonderful event provided through the generosity of Sir Paul McCartney," said Rollins Acting President Craig M. McAllaster. "He wanted it to be intimate and mostly for students. That's why they filled most of the seats. It's a wonderful thing to have someone of his stature and significance give his time and talent to Rollins College."
In the spring of 2014, Paul McCartney was forced to cancel a tour of the Far East when a virus landed him in a Tokyo hospital. However, it wasn't his worst experience in Japan. On Jan. 16, 1980, he was busted at Tokyo's Narita International Airport for trying to bring a half-pound of marijuana into the country.
"We were about to fly to Japan and I knew I wouldn't be able to get anything to smoke over there," McCartney said in 2004. "This stuff was too good to flush down the toilet, so I thought I'd take it with me."
McCartney can be glib about the incident in retrospect, but it was quite a harrowing time for him. Wings' tour of Japan was immediately canceled, but the lost revenue was the least of his worries. Even though he swore that the pot was for his personal use, he was facing a possible seven-year sentence for drug smuggling.
And the authorities had every reason to throw the book at him. He had been denied a visa to enter Japan a few years due to numerous busts over the years, and he was fully aware of Japan's no-nonsense approach to drugs. "We'd been told [that] whatever we did, don't take it to Japan," he said in the video above. "Very severe penalties."
Still, McCartney didn't listen and he was caught while going through customs. "When the fellow pulled it out of the suitcase, he looked more embarrassed than me," he said. "I think he just wanted to put it back in and forget the whole thing, you know, but there it was."
McCartney was arrested and sent to the Tokyo Narcotics Detention Center, where he was regularly interrogated, while his lawyers and the others determined his fate. As Inmate No. 22, he decided to become a model prisoner. As he said in the 'Wingspan' documentary, "I started to realize, "Right, I'm going to get up when the light goes on, I'm going to be the first up, I'm going to be the first with his room cleaned, I'm going to roll up my bed, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that.'"
After nine days, the Japanese government felt that the former Beatle had learned his lesson. He was released on Jan. 25 and deported with no charges filed. Upon returning home, he made the decision to break up Wings.
Coincidentally, on Jan. 15,
1984, almost four years to the day later, McCartney and his wife
Linda were again arrested for marijuana possession
while on vacation in Barbados. They were both fined $100 and released.
January
15, 2015 -- Paul McCartney Twitter
Throwback Thursday Photo
Paul with Carl Davis writing 'Liverpool Oratorio'. Photo by Linda McCartney
@alancumming
More japes (jokes) last night
when Paul McCartney and his lovely lady Nancy dropped by ClubCumming!!
Campaign backed
by Stephen Fry and Benedict Cumberbatch
Paul McCartney has
been approached to join Adam Ant, Boy George and Gary Kemp on
a record dedicated to saving London's Soho.
Masterminded by songwriter Tim 'The Soho Hobo' Arnold and produced by Guy Chambers, the track is aimed to arrest the increasing gentrification of Soho, thanks to the huge impact of Crossrail and rising rent prices.
'Don't Go Changin' Soho' is part of the Save Soho campaign backed by the likes of Stephen Fry and Benedict Cumberbatch. Other acts confirmed to appear include Adam Ant, Boy George, Ray Gelato, Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp and The Shadows' drummer Brian Bennett.
Arnold told
Classic Pop that Macca is an ideal person for the track. "His
office is in Soho and he knows it's the right decision to get
involved. If he can work with Kanye West, he can work with Save
Soho!" Arnold went on to explain his ambition for the scheme.
"Guy Chambers and I would like Paul McCartney, David Bowie,
Ray Davies and Jarvis Cocker to remember starting out in small
places, knowing how much it means for new generations to hone
their craft in tiny clubs where young, skint people can afford
to go. I'm approaching them all to sing."
The song will be given its live debut at Soho's St Moritz venue on January 23rd.
The campaign
was launched following the closure of Madame JoJos and 12 Bar,
the latest venues in the capital to be victims of property development.
January 10, 2015 -- PM.com
'Hope For The Future' - Vinyl Release Details
From the record
breaking video game 'Destiny'
Paul McCartney's 'Hope For the Future' is to be released on vinyl
UK: 12th January
2015 / US: 13th January 2015
12" vinyl to include Paul's original anthem plus four special
mixes
Paul McCartney's
song 'Hope For The Future' which was released digitally in December
will be released physically on 180-gram 12" vinyl next week.
The song was written by Paul for the record-breaking video game
'Destiny'.
Produced by
Giles Martin and mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent, 'Hope
For The Future' is as epic as the game itself which smashed records
with its half-billion-dollar first day revenues. The song, which
features an orchestra, was recorded between Paul's Hog Hill Mill
studio in Sussex, Avatar Studios in New York, Abbey Road Studios
and Air Studios in London.
It goes without saying that Paul has written countless hit singles,
orchestral scores, electronica works, film themes, and has consistently
changed the world with his music. Listed by the Guinness Book
of World Records as the World's Most Successful Composer and Recording
Artist of All Time, Paul has now added another first to his impressive
list: 'Hope For The Future' marks the first time that Paul has
ever written specifically for a video game - one poised to become
the most successful franchise of its kind.
Details of the release are confirmed today and the original version
of the track from the 'Destiny' credits will be made digitally
available alongside four special mixes.
The vinyl tracklisting is as follows:
SIDE A
A1) Hope For
The Future (Main)
A2) Hope For The Future (Thrash)
A3) Hope For The Future (Mirwais Mix)
SIDE B
B1) Hope For
The Future (Beatsession Mix)
B2) Hope For The Future (Jaded Mix)
Talking about
the writing process Paul said:
"When you're writing something like 'Hope For The Future',
which is custom made, it is like doing a portrait for someone.
You have to use your imagination and work out what they need,
what they're going to want and then what you want to give them.
Then you've got to combine those three things into something that
you still think maintains integrity. So in the game you're basically
trying to save Earth from the invaders, the aliens, so that suggested
to me the 'hope for the future' idea and I went from there. Then
I thought it is not just a game song, this will get played outside
the game so it has got to be stand alone too, you can't have references
to aliens or people will think 'what's he talking about?' So it
had to have its own stand alone meaning and integrity."
Years in the making 'Destiny' is one of the biggest entertainment
launches of 2014. The launch saw fans queuing through the night
to get their first glimpse. Stores across the world opened early
in order to meet the demand. Made by Bungie, the studio behind
Halo, and published by Activision, the company that brought you
'Call of Duty', Destiny is expected to change the gaming industry.
The hype surrounding this release demonstrates how the interactive
entertainment industry is overtaking Hollywood.
The vinyl will also come with a download card featuring all five tracks.
PRE-ORDER ON
AMAZON LINK
January 10, 2015 -- Underground Garage
Little Steven interviews Paul
Come join us in the Underground Garage for a celebration of Paul McCartney, and his amazing new single "Hope For The Future".
We will be discussing it with him in a full-length exclusive interview, and playing all the coolest Paul McCartney songs ever.
Come find out what Sgt. Pepper, Otis Blackwell, and video games have in common.
It's the only Rock n' Roll
dance party on the radio.
Air Date:
January 6, 2015
LINK (you must register first to hear interview)
January
8, 2015 -- PaulMcCartney Twitter
Throwback Thursday Photo
Photo of Paul
taken from 'The Paul McCartney World Tour' programme at the NEC
Birmingham, Jan 8, 1990 - Photo Kim Knott.
January
7, 2015 -- Liverpool Echo
Paul McCartney could sing Mull of Kintyre at Nottingham Forest's
ground if they get promoted
Beatles legend Paul McCartney hints that if the Championship side get
promoted, he could sing his track Mull of Kintyre.
Liverpool FC and Everton supporters might want to keep an eye
on an extra fixture each weekend from now on especially
if they happen to Beatles fans too.
Devotees of Paul McCartney in particular, should watch out for Nottingham Forest's progress in the Championship because a once-in-a-lifetime gig could well depend on it.
Forest are currently just above mid-table, in 11th place, but Insider hears they've been given a Fab reason to push for promotion.
If they make it to the Premiership at the end of the season, Macca has suggested he could make an appearance at their City Ground to sing his track Mull of Kintyre.
While the Reds have Gerry Marsden
and You'll Never Walk Alone, and the Blues have Z-Cars, it seems
Forest fans sing a version of McCartney's number one anthem before
each game.
Now the man himself has offered to join them ... on the proviso
that the team go up into the top league. Interviewed on XFM radio
station, he was told about the terraces reworking and asked if
he'd do a PA if they had reason to celebrate in May.
Sir Paul replied: "Yeah, when's that going to happen? Imminent? Good luck Nottingham."
The newly-motivated push begins on Saturday, against Sheffield Wednesday. For those curious to know how they've done it, here's verse one imagine 20,000 supporters with Wings:
City Ground
Oh mist rolling in from the Trent
My desire is always to be here
Oh City Ground
Far have I travelled and much have I seen
Goodison, Anfield are places I've been
Maine Road, Old Trafford still echo the sound
Of the boys in the red from the City Ground
City Ground
January 7 2015 -- PM.com
FOR WHOM THE BELL TELLS (Issue 28)
Happy New Year!
I thought I'd start the New Year with a quick recap of the final months of a very busy 2014.
Whilst a lot of people were winding down in November and December, there was plenty to keep us busy over at McCartney HQ before we started our Christmas shopping not least the release of Paul's brand new single 'Hope For The Future'.
November saw two classic Wings
albums reissued and Paul's final tour dates of 2014 in stunning
Brazil, as well as plenty of topical discussion about a new seasonal
advert that made its much talked about debut on TV in the UK.
Forget the John Lewis advert, this year the press all wanted to
know what Paul thought about the new Christmas Sainsbury's ad.
What on earth does it have to do with him, you might wonder? Well,
the minute it was first broadcast, my phone started ringing off
the hook with questions about the similarities between the advert
and Paul's legendary 'Pipes of Peace' video. Once I took a look,
I could understand why! Seems like he certainly may have inspired
them...
WINGS OVER
NOVEMBER
Paul was far too busy in November
for us to spend too long thinking about Christmas though, with
some huge tour dates and a brand new single on the horizon. As
well as playing his last US show of the year in Greensboro, Paul
was celebrating the latest releases from the GRAMMY Award winning
'Paul McCartney Archive Collection' with the reissues of classic
Wings albums Venus and Mars and Wings At The Speed of Sound. Unbelievably,
these are the sixth and seventh titles to be released since the
Archive launched in 2010 and are a real treat for both new listeners
and original fans as they're packed with great extras, unreleased
music and interviews with Paul. All aspects of the reissues were
personally supervised by Paul and all the remastering work was
done at Abbey Road by the same team who have worked on the previous
reissues and The Beatles' catalogue.
I've certainly been enjoying the chance to get to know the albums
all over again and the press reaction couldn't have been better
either. Rave reviews came from Uncut and The Sun amongst others
while Classic Rock noted that "a spirit of extreme musicality
still shines through what Wings created, just as it did nearly
40 years ago... These two exemplary remountings will contribute
to the deserved reappraisal of Wings in McCartney's canon".
Meanwhile, Q Magazine made 'Venus and Mars' and 'Rock Show' their
Track of the Day while Mojo hosted the exclusive streaming of
the remastered version of 'Let 'Em In'. They also revealed the
original individual contact sheets of the photos used for the
sleeve of At The Speed Of Sound. Perhaps my own personal favourite
coverage came in the Times Magazine though, which featured some
amazing Linda McCartney images taken for the Venus and Mars session.
The releases found great support from radio too. To promote the
reissues, Geoff Lloyd on Absolute had the exclusive play of 'Rock
Show (New Version)' while an alternative version of 'Letting Go'
was placed with BBC 6Music as their MPFree and was downloaded
23,000 times from PaulMcCartney.com within days of its release.
BBC Radio 2 then broadcast a radio documentary to mark the release
called 'What Macca Did Next: The Decade With Wings', which was
made pick of the day in the Telegraph, Independent, i and Mail
on Sunday.
November also saw the release of 'The Art of McCartney', a double
album described by The Mirror as "a long overdue tribute
to a true legend". Although the album had nothing to do with
Paul himself or his office, it did feature the mighty Wix, Abe,
Rusty and Brian aka McCartney's band and 42 of Paul's
greatest tracks, with musical tributes paid by some of the world's
finest artists including Bob Dylan, BB King, Chrissie Hynde and
The Cure.
HOPE FOR THE
FUTURE
In typical McCartney fashion,
however, his focus in recent months has been on his brand new
single 'Hope For The Future'. The song is taken from the computer
game 'Destiny', the first time Paul has written music for this
genre. Made by Bungie, the studio behind 'Halo', the game was
one of the biggest entertainment launches of the year and is widely
expected to revolutionise the gaming industry, with fans queuing
through the night to get their first glimpse back in September.
Paul teased fans with a tweet back in 2012 confirming he was working
on a project with Bungie but we had to wait until the game's official
release to hear Paul's work on the soundtrack and the epic theme
song 'Hope For The Future'. He explained the process of writing
for such a project in an interview with BBC 6Music.
"When you're writing something like this which is custom
made, it's like doing a portrait for someone. You have to use
your imagination to work out what they need and what they're gonna
want and what you want to give them. And you try and combine those
two things into something that you think still keeps the integrity.
So in the game you're basically trying to save Earth from the
invaders the aliens so that suggested to me the hope
for the future idea, so I went from there."
Produced by Giles Martin, the track finally received its own official
release on December 8th. In anticipation of this, BBC Radio 2
made the track its 'Record of The Week' in November and it was
quickly added to their A-list. An alternative 'Thrash Mix' of
the song also got its premiere on XFM and BBC 6Music.
ON THE ROAD
AGAIN
Of course before the single
was released, there was still time for some final tour dates of
the year. After 18 months, 63 shows, 11 different countries and
performing to almost 2 million people, the 'Out There' tour returned
to Brazil last month and I was very happy to join Paul on the
road for it. From the moment he was greeted by a huge crowd of
frenzied fans and media at the airport in Vitória, I knew
this was going to be an extraordinary trip and it did not disappoint.
Incredibly, it was Paul's first time in Vitória and the
city welcomed him with open arms. The show was set to be the area's
first ever stadium rock concert, and I could feel the excitement
in the air everywhere we went. Not least when Paul took us all
out for dinner to a local restaurant on the first evening.
His arrival had already been preceded by an appearance on the
front cover of 'A Tribuna', the largest paper in Vitória,
and a journalist from the publication met me in the hotel lobby
as I arrived to tell me that, despite the interview Paul had previously
done with them, they couldn't quite believe he was going to come
to the city until he walked off the plane. It was the first of
several interviews Paul did to celebrate the momentous show and
he also chatted with radio stations in the car on the way to the
venue and talked to Vejinha magazine, a prestigious weekly lifestyle
magazine which put Paul on the front cover the week after the
concert.
On the day of the show itself, there were huge posters hung everywhere
welcoming Paul alongside pop up merchandise stores (definitely
not selling any of the official merch...!). To mark both Paul's
visit and the fact it was the area's first stadium concert, TV
network Globo ran a competition for fans to meet the man himself
after his sound check. There were tears all round when the lucky
six winners were finally introduced to Macca before many, many
photos were taken!
We then discovered even attempting a show was an achievement in
itself as the stadium is only half finished. First built for the
World Cup, it was never completed so conditions were certainly
challenging, but somehow it only seemed to add to the anticipation
and Paul delivered the show everyone had been waiting for. The
next morning, the local press all agreed it had been history in
the making with Tribuna de Vitória proclaiming that "the
crowd realised how incredible it was to see one of the greatest
artists on the planet visiting their city," while the Gazeta
de Vitória noted that Paul himself seemed "taken aback
by the genuine excitement of the audience who for the first time
welcomed the Beatle to their city."
Certainly, we all realised it was going to take something pretty
unique to top Vitória as we made our way to Rio the next
day for Paul's first ever indoor date in Brazil. Held at the HSBC
Arena, the show was described by the press as a one-off "intimate"
concert, yet it was still watched by an audience of 16,000. So,
not exactly a cramped club night...!
Tickets were like gold dust and it seemed like all of Rio turned
out in the hope of getting into the show. The traffic around the
venue was duly horrendous with some of the team taking four hours
to arrive and even Paul himself taking an hour with a police escort!
Luckily, he made it in one piece for his latest show start ever
finally taking to the stage at 10.30pm for a three hour
performance where I even spotted dancing nuns in the crowd rocking
out. I'll never listen to 'Lady Madonna' in quite the same way!
Despite the late finish, Paul jetted straight back to New York
after the show to be with his daughter Stella, who was honoured
the following day with a Women's Leadership Award. There was no
way Paul would miss such a huge event, but sadly it did mean he
missed seeing a fan appear on the biggest breakfast show in Brazil
the morning after the show to get his autograph tattooed on her
shoulder live on TV!
As Paul moved from New York to London, I relived the phenomenal
show in Rio through the reviews that started flooding in from
overawed journalists who had attended the show. Estadão
noted that as "soon as the images of the former Beatle appeared
on the screen before the show, the fans went into delirium,"
while O Dia summed up the show perfectly by calling it simply
"sublime".
BACK IN THE
UK
Paul wasn't done with Brazil just yet though. Due back for more dates before the end of November, Paul first had some business to attend to back in the UK. As well as appearing on BBC 6Music and XFM to talk about 'Hope To The Future', he also found time to call into Lily Cole's Impossible HQ in a tiny store in London's Berwick Street to chat to around 30 aspiring musicians and songwriters about his experiences. It must have been Paul's smallest audience in decades!
The following day, another technological first for Paul was revealed with the launch of a free app from virtual reality filmmakers Jaunt which allows users to watch immersive 3D footage of Paul performing 'Live and Let Die' at San Francisco's Candlestick Park using homemade goggles. Described as the first step of a virtual reality revolution, the app was recommended by everyone from Billboard to Forbes, with CNET saying that "with headphones on, it lends a you-are-there feel that you simply can't get from watching static 2D (or even 3D) video. Screenshots don't even remotely do it justice."
GET BACK TO BRAZIL
With the rest of the world
finally getting the chance to experience what Paul feels on stage,
the man himself was back to the real thing, jetting into Brazil
early one Saturday morning for a sell out show to 55,000 fans
at Brasília's National Stadium. At the same time, the respected
weekly arts mag 'Veja' hit the newsstands with Paul on the cover.
Despite torrential rain, the fans' spirit could not be dampened
and the concert was a resounding success, with Correio Braziliense
declaring that "Beatlemania is stronger than ever before
in Brasilia" the following day.
Sadly, I was all too aware after the show that the end of the
tour was now in sight with just two dates left in 2014 in São
Paulo's Allianz Park. The fans there certainly made sure Paul
ended an incredible year of touring in style too. Even before
we arrived in the city, word reached us that fans had already
been camping outside the venue for days in the pouring rain. One
10 year old fan was so keen to buy tickets to the show, he started
a Facebook business selling homemade plastic bracelets, eventually
making enough money to bring along his mother and aunt. Of course
when Paul heard about this, he insisted on bringing 10 year old
Matheus backstage to meet him before the show, where the little
boy presented him with one of his bracelets which Paul then wore
for the entire show!
Despite heavy rain, the first night was described the following
day by Folha de S. Paulo simply as "the best musical show
in the world" while Globo decided that "if we were able
to watch Paul's show every month, we'd welcome the rain every
time."
It was a truly unforgettable way to end a very special year of
touring that has seen Paul play some unforgettable shows in South,
Central and North America. With Christmas now creeping upon us,
it was time to head back to London (and that Sainsbury's ad all
over the TV!) to get ready for the global release of 'Hope For
The Future'. Only available exclusively within the game itself
before now, the track marks the first time Paul has ever written
specifically for a video game and the digital bundle will include
the original anthem alongside four exclusive mixes. With radio
already loving the track, it seems like it is already shaping
up to be a McCartney classic of the future.
MORE HOPE
Paul's first week back in London from Brazil saw him undertake a full on media schedule to talk about his latest release. In one day, at London's Ham Yard Hotel, Paul spoke to press from all over the world who wanted to know about his experience of writing for a computer game. As part of the press day an incredible 3D Paul was on display, created from a 3D scan that was used to create the Paul hologram that stars in the video for the song. In the same week Paul appeared on The Jonathan Ross show in the UK. The show Paul was on enjoyed the highest ratings of their series I don't think it is a coincidence!
A few days later and Paul completed a satellite TV tour of the US (a huge logistical undertaking). From one studio in London Paul spoke with ten TV breakfast shows across the country. The day coincided with some massive storms over the Atlantic Ocean meaning there were delays of nearly six seconds during some of the interviews, which Paul took in his stride making jokes about along the way.
Then it was time for Paul to visit the US for real. A trip to New York saw him make appearances on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. If you missed either of them and live in the US you can check the shows out here:
The Daily Show
With Jon Stewart - Click HERE!
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - Click HERE!
Paul also recorded an interview with The Nerdist and you can get the podcast by clicking HERE!
2014 was another incredible year for us all on Team McCartney. Paul set the standard high back in January when he won 5 GRAMMYs and the year has been a whirlwind since.
We can't wait to see what 2015
will bring!
January 7, 2015 -- Rolling Stone
Hear Paul McCartney and Kanye West's Emotional Ballad 'Only One'
The surprise new track is the first in what rapper's rep calls "a prolific musical collaboration between these two legendary artists"
D'Angelo notwithstanding, there were no Beyonce-esque surprise albums for the end of 2014. But as the clock turned on another year Wednesday night, Kanye West unveiled "Only One," a minimal, poignant new track featuring Paul McCartney on keyboard. The song is available to hear on West's website or via the iTunes store.
Written from the perspective of Kanye's late mother Donda, who died in 2007 from surgery complications, "Only One" sounds like a bittersweet bonus track from Kanye's 808s and Heartbreak. "Remember how I'd say one day/You'll be the man you always knew you would be," West's Auto-Tuned voice sings. "And if you knew how proud I was/You'd never shed a tear/Have a fear/No you wouldn't do that." McCartney, for his part, eschew any histrionics in favor of a simple and plaintive style befitting the emotional lyrics. "My mom was singing to me, and through me to my daughter," West said in a statement, also noting that the name "Kanye" means "Only one."
The surprise track appears
to be more jumping-off point for the two icons than random one-off.
According to a spokesperson for West, "Only One" is
the first "publicly available recording from what has become
a prolific musical collaboration between these two legendary artists."
McCartney and West began work on the track earlier last year in
Los Angeles, starting with, as the statement notes, "a simple
brainstorming session between the two, with McCartney improvising
on the keyboards and Kanye vocally sketching and shaping ideas
in a stream-of-consciousness riff.
"Kanye sat there with his family, holding his daughter North
on his lap, and listened to his vocals, singing, 'Hello, my only
one...,'" the statement said. "And in that moment, not
only could he not recall having sung those words, but he realized
that perhaps the words had never really come from him. The
process of artistic creation is one that does not involve thinking,
but often channeling. And he understood in that moment that his
late mother, Dr. Donda West, who was also his mentor, confidante,
and best friend, had spoken through him that day."
As Complex notes, West's wife Kim Kardashian called "Only
One" her favorite track by her husband.
January 7, 2015 -- Twitter
"Who the hell is Paul McCartney?" Kayne fans ask...
Some (sarcastic?)
Twitter posts from Kanye West fans after Kanye announced his musical collaboration with Paul McCartney
for "Only One" on his Twitter page.
@OVOJosh
I don't know who Paul McCartney is, but Kanye is going to give
this man a career w/ this new song!!
@curveddaily
who tf is paul mccartney???!??! this is why i love kanye for shinning
light on unknown artists
@AlejandroLaza
Who the hell is Paul McCartney?
@Morello_Justin
Kanye West really knows how to expose great new talent. Bet this
Paul McCartney guy is gonna be HUGE after this song.
January 7, 2015 -- Pitchfork.com UPDATE
Ty Dolla $ign Says He, Kanye West, Rihanna, and Paul McCartney
Are Dropping A Song Together
Ty Dolla $ign has announced in an interview with Billboard that
he, Kanye West, Paul
McCartney, and Rihanna have
teamed up for a "crazy" song that will reportedly be
"dropping soon".
Over the course of two days
last September, Ty Dolla $ign and West recorded roughly nine songs
together, including Kanye West and Paul McCartney's recent collaboration,
"Only One", on which he sings background vocals. According
to Ty Dolla $ign, one of the other eight songs he recorded with
Kanye is a collaboration with Rihanna and Paul McCartney.
He told Billboard:
Me, Rihanna, 'Ye and Paul [McCartney]
got a song about to drop as well... It's gonna drop soon. I heard
they shot the video recently. I don't know what the final title
is, but I know it's crazy so just be looking out for [it].
January
7, 2015 - Macca Report News EXCLUSIVE!!!
by Lucia Camargo, Macca Reporter
Under The Rain With Some Magic - CONCERT REVIEW: Brasília,
Brazil
Back in Brazil, after two shows
in Vitoria and Rio (10th and 12th of November 2014), Paul headed
to the Federal Capital, Brasília.
Paul arrived at the Air Base in Brasília at 8:30 am on
Saturday (22nd November) and went straight to the hotel Melia
Brazil 21, in the Hotel Sector, South. Paul stayed in a 3,227
square foot suite with a large dining room. Paul's staff took
up 110 rooms, on three floors of the hotel.
The hotel had a crosswalk installed on the floor to look like
the crosswalk on the cover of The Beatles' Abbey Road album. One
of the hotel rooms was transformed into a gym for Paul's use.
He asked for a treadmill, a bike, mats and weights.
On that Saturday morning, Paul was seen riding a bicycle in the
Parque da Cidade. Despite the cloudy weather, Paul showed good
humor, waved to photographers and fans.
On Sunday, the sound check
at Brasília had about 80 fans. Because of the rain, Paul
arrived late and took the stage around 5 PM. He welcomed the crowd
with "Hi Brasília" and stopped to read the posters.
Then he started "Honey Don't."
The drizzle of rain became a deluge by the third song. Paul took
the opportunity to tease the small audience, singing, "what
if it rained ... we got soaped..."
During the sound check, Paul took what looked like a juice or
isotonic in a bottle of Fuji water. Paul stopped, looked at the
sky, observed the rain that kept falling and said, "Rain,
rain, go away, come back another washing day ..." Then Paul
joked again and said rain was good for the skin.
The sound check lasted almost an hour. Paul tried to magically
make the rain stop by yelling, "Rain, STOP!!!" But it
didn't work. In the end, Paul thanked the audience with a "muchas
gracias" (than you very much) in Spanish!
November 23,
2014 - Brasilia - Estádio Nacional - Brazil
SOUND CHECK SET LIST
1. Honey Don't
2. Matchbox
3.Drive My Car
4. One After 909
5. Brasília JAM
6. Magical Mystery Tour
7. C Moon / "My Valentine" (Paul alternated between
the two songs because of the rain)
8. Let 'Em In
9. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
10. I'll Follow The Sun
11. Things We Said Today
12. Ram On
13. Bluebird
14. Lady Madonna
THE CONCERT
Paul McCartney's first performance in the federal capital of Brazil
was to a crowd of 46,000 in Brasília at Estádio
Nacional Mané Garricha on November 23rd. Paul took the
stage just over an hour late, opening with "Magical Mystery
Tour."
According to production crew, the reason for the concert delay
was due to fans not arriving on time because of bad weather. It
rained hard before and during the show.
During the show Paul spoke many phrases in Portuguese, that were
pretty much his usual banter. "Oi, Brasília. Boa noite,
brasilienses. Esta noite vou falar um pouco de português,
mas mais inglês" ("Hi, Good evening Brasilia.
Tonight I will speak a little Portuguese, but more English.")
And shortly before singing "We Can Work It Out," he joked, "Isso aqui está bombando." Brazilian slang for, "the party was very good."
CONCERT SETLIST
1. Magical Mystery Tour
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. 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. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
25. Something
26. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
27. Band On The Run
28. Back In The U.S.S.R.
29. Let It Be
30. Live And Let Die
31. Hey Jude
ENCORE ONE
32. Day Tripper
33. Get Back
34. I Saw Her Standing There
ENCORE TWO
35. Yesterday
36. Helter Skelter
37. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End
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?
Jorie Gracen