CONCERT SET LIST

1. Eight Days A Week
2. Junior's Farm
3. All My Loving
4. Listen To What The 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. Things We Said Today
12. We Can Work It Out
13. Another Day
14. And I Love Her
15. Blackbird
16. Here Today
17. Your Mother Should Know
18. Lady Madonna
19. All Together Now
20. Lovely Rita
21. Mrs. Vandebilt
22. Eleanor Rigby
23. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
24. Something
25. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
26. Band On The Run
27. Back In The USSR
28. Let It Be
29. Live And Let Die
30. Hey Jude

Encore One
31. Day Tripper
32. Hi Hi Hi
33. I Saw Her Standing There

Encore Two
34. Yesterday
35. Helter Skelter
36. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

Macca Report Blog READ
NEW TOPIC!!!
Favorite Macca song
POST: blog@themaccareport.com

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YESTERDAYSPAULNEWS!!!YESTERDAYSPAULNEWS!!!

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YESTERDAYSPAULNEWS!!!YESTERDAYSPAULNEWS!!!

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May 2013

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May 23, 2013 -- Macca Report News (VIDEO NEWS)

Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center - May 22, 2013 - Show 1

Macca puts "Lovely Rita" in the main set and "Hi Hi Hi" in the Encore. Fans disappointed that "Hope Of Deliverance" seems to be scrapped from the set list.

CONCERT SET LIST

1. Eight Days A Week
2. Junior's Farm
3. All My Loving
4. Listen To What The 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. Your Mother Should Know
18. Lady Madonna
19. All Together Now
20. Lovely Rita Video 2
21. Mrs. Vandebilt
22. Eleanor Rigby
23. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
24. Something
25. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
26. Band On The Run
27. Back In The USSR
28. Let It Be
29. Live And Let Die
30. Hey Jude

Encore One
31. Day Tripper
32. Hi Hi Hi
33. Get Back

Encore Two
34. Yesterday
35. Helter Skelter
36. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

Austin, TX May 22nd - CONCERT REVIEW EXCLUSIVE!!!
by John Cherry, Macca Reporter

Making his first visit to Austin, TX, it was Paul in pink, as he strode onto the stage at the Frank Erwin Center a bit late at 8:45 on Wednesday night. The pink jacket he wore was gone by the fourth song, as "the only wardrobe change of the night."

The makeup of the crowd was a bit different from the first two shows in Orlando. In the floor seats, which were limited due to the configuration of the arena, I saw mostly a younger crowd, including a number of parents with their kids. They were also more docile than the first two shows and held up very few signs, but there were periodic bursts of energy and excitement.

Prior to the show, my seat gave me a good vantage point to see Paul's instrument man, John Hammel, hard at work tuning and cleaning the many instruments needed for use in the show. I also notice the two lava lamps, in the ongoing tribute to the late Linda McCartney, located near where Paul "Wix" Wickens would perform on the keyboards and other instruments throughout the evening.

After delighting the crowd with the opener of "Eight Days a Week," Paul sang strongly on the following "Junior's Farm." Wix played guitar for the well-received "All My Loving." After the next song, "Listen to the What the Man Said," Paul looked at the crowd and said "Texas baby," generating a hearty cheer from the crowd. Continuing with "Let Me Roll It," Paul showed Rusty Anderson how he was playing his guitar solo. On the instrumental version of Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady," after "Let Me Roll It," Paul played an extended lead guitar solo. As he showed many times throughout the evening, he is a performer with boundless talent.

After telling the crowd he was playing the same guitar used to record "Paperback Writer," Paul played another lengthy guitar solo during an extended version of the song. Moving to the piano, Paul announced the next song as written for his Missus, omitting the story behind writing the song "My Valentine" for his wife, Nancy. After the song, he touched his heart and drew a heart in the air with his hands.

A highlight for the third straight show, "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five," electrified the crowd. Then, an extended piano opening led into "The Long and Winding Road." After this song, Paul asked the crowd if anybody spoke Spanish. He said he had learned a bit, and ran off a few sentences, then laughed about what he had said.

Announcing the song "Maybe I'm Amazed" as being for Linda, which generated warm applause, Paul had a false start in the song, apparently due to playing the wrong chords. He looked at the crowd and said "What's the chords?" He restarted and gave Wix a look later in the song to indicate that he had gotten things right on the second try. Calling it a "blank moment," he told the crowd he would "get it right tomorrow night," and invited them to return. After "I've Just Seen a Face," he returned to the issue of the mistake and thanked them for not booing him, in fact, instead, giving him a cheer.

"We Can Work it Out" received a nice crowd reaction, but "Another Day" again seemed to pause some of the momentum of the show. I have some other songs to suggest as additions to the playlist in the future, and would like to hear about other recommendations at theory153@yahoo.com.

Once again, "And I Love Her" generated a collective "aw" from the crowd and impassioned applause after it. Moving to the rising front portion of the stage, Paul spoke again about writing "Blackbird" as an observation about U.S. race relations at the time. Arkansas seems to be the state most frequently mentioned in his comments about the song, which again was a significant crowd favorite as Paul sang from the raised platform with the video screen below. After the song, he asked the crowd how many of them had tried to learn to play the song, and there was a pronounced affirmative response from the crowd. Paul responded how cool it was for him to hear that acknowledgement. Also receiving loud applause, before and after the song, was Paul's tribute to John on "Here Today."

As part of the reaction from the "different crowd," the next song "Your Mother Should Know" generated an energetic reaction. In response, Paul danced a bit on stage. Continuing on the colorfully painted smaller piano, Paul apparently doubled up on the verses of "Lady Madonna," which created an atypical ending to the song. Moving back to the guitar, Paul played around a bit on it, and then, perhaps mindful of his lyrical error, told the crowd he was getting too relaxed. "All Together Now" received an ample response, whereupon Paul exchanged cheers and noises with the crowd. After this, for the third show in a row, the band gave an excellent performance of "Lovely Rita." I like this song as a new addition to the playlist, and it was moved from the encore the previous shows to earlier in the set.

"Mrs. Vandebilt" got the crowd involved on the "ho-hey-ho" portion, although not to the extent of the previous shows. Wix missed his second sax sound solo on the song, and attested to his omission with a gesture late in the song. Paul and the others jumped around on the song, and Rusty did high leg kicks. After the song, Paul told the crowd that the song was a favorite of the over 350 thousand people in the crowd for a free concert in Kiev some five years ago.

While Rusty and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. walked back and forth to the microphones for their backing vocal parts (guitarist Brian Ray was absent for this song), Paul sang robustly on "Eleanor Rigby." Announced as "new" for Texas, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" was again a captivating performance. Afterwards, Paul spoke of how the song was written from a poster at John Lennon's house during a song writing session with the two of them.

Breaking out the ukulele, Paul told of his playing the instrument with George Harrison, and the crowd reacted loudly before and after the performance of "Something." Speaking of John, who was not a fan of the song that came next in "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," it continues to be somewhat of a crowd favorite, egged on by Paul's request for the crowd to sing along with him. There was a standing ovation following it.

Surprisingly, the crowd sat back down for the beginning of "Band on the Run," although they became more engaged later in the song. Paul danced a bit after the conclusion, and then the beginning of "Back in the USSR" got the crowd back on its feet.

Back to the piano, the crowd sang along with Paul for "Let it Be," and then reacted with a loud roar after the fireworks and fire of "Live and Let Die," as well as after the completion of "Hey Jude" that followed. This brought the first encore, which included "Hi, Hi, Hi" for the initial time as part of the encore on this tour, preceded by a popular "Day Tripper." "I Saw Her Standing There" was dropped after replacing "Get Back" the previous show, which returned as the third song in this encore.

The second encore remained the same with an enchanting performance of "Yesterday," an exuberant rendition of "Helter Skelter," and the customary conclusion of "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight," with Paul again enjoying his lead guitar solos, and "The End." After finishing, I was happy to hear Paul say "see you next time," hoping that meant for a long time past tomorrow's show in Austin.

John Cherry is the author of two books about Paul McCartney, "Better Than Lennon-The Music and Talent of Paul McCartney," and "Paul McCartney's Solo Music Career 1970-2010." The book is available at betterthanlennon.com (special bonuses included!) and at amazon.com.

Paul wrote handwritten letters to Russian officials in support of both Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who was last month denied parole, asking them to consider release on parole.

In his letter regarding Maria, Paul wrote:

"My personal belief is that further incarceration for Maria will be harmful for her and the situation as a whole, which, of course, is being watched by people all over the world.

"In the great tradition of fair-mindedness which the Russian people (many of whom are my friends) are famous for, I believe that you granting this request would send a very positive message to all the people who have followed this case."

And in his letter regarding Nadezhda:

"I have had a long relationship with the Russian people, and, with this in mind, I am making the following request in a spirit of friendship for my many Russian acquaintances who, like me, believe in treating people - all people, with compassion and kindness."

Maria and Nadezhda were jailed last August for a breach of public order motivated by religious hatred.

South America May 2013

First stop Belo Horizonte

"Watching Paul McCartney is one thing, watching him live in our hometown is another. An air of wonder was mixed with disbelief on Saturday that this was actually happening. He was here and not only did he do what was expected of him, he surpassed it. The lights, the giant screens, the special effects, a collection of classics ­ all part of the package of the greatest ever living artist."

Estado De Minas ­ 5th May, 2013

Each time we come to Brazil I'm still staggered by the reaction. It's so exciting, such a buzz to be around. From the moment the plane touches down, the Macca fever is tangible. First stop of the all new "Out There" tour is the city of Belo Horizonte (Beautiful Horizon) and these guys are ready to greet their hero in style and give him a huge reception as warm as the weather over here.

Huge billboards welcoming Paul are spread across the city. Paul's face adorns the covers of newspapers and magazines. His songs can be heard in the shops and bars. Fans line the streets in and around Paul's hotel, in many cases holding up their own specially created banners. Flicking through the local radio channels on my laptop, the shows are full of chat about Paul too. I don't actually speak Portuguese but I do recognise my boss's name and his music!

I know I've written countless times on this blog about the South American mania but it's always more thrilling than I remember. The city of BH actually feels like some kind of Macca theme park and as a music fan I can tell you that it's a pretty cool thing.

The hotel lobby is full of fans. Fans who have travelled hundreds of miles from all around the country as well as neighbouring South American countries. The night before Paul's arrival they had their guitars out playing songs with everyone singing along including people from what seemed to be some kind of huge scientific convention the hotel was hosting. It was fun to watch ­ the cool young hipsters playing the songs, with the professional grey suits joining in ­ the words 'chalk and cheese' spring to mind but it all worked and everyone had a great night.

Meanwhile across town at the Stadium itself fans had been camped out for a week waiting for the gates to open so they can get the best possible spot to watch the show from. Spirits are high as their friends bring them food and wait in their place as they take much needed toilet breaks. Our very own news team Charlie (video) and MJ (pictures) visited the guys at 6am (yes 6am!) on the morning of the gig itself to capture the excitement and pandemonium. There Charlie met the girls who had started a petition in 2011 to get Paul to visit BH. The four girls, all in their twenties, were naturally over excited but at this stage they couldn't know what was going to happen to them some 17 hours later when Paul brought them up on stage out of the audience to publicly acknowledge what they had done.

On the day of the show there was a real buzz in the air. Local radio station Radio Guarani got a surprise when Paul called in on his drive from the hotel to the stadium. In this interview you can hear the excitement of the fans as Paul's car pulled up at the stadium.

http://www.paulmccartney.com/news-blogs/news/27544-for-whom-the-bell-tells-issue-23

When Paul arrived it was straight to work for him and the guys. They headed to the stage to soundcheck much to the huge delight of the 50,000 plus fans gathered outside the stadium waiting to get in. At this stage excitement regarding the setlist was peaking. In the newsroom the phone was ringing and emails were coming in from journalists and fans asking for the new setlist ahead of the show for many different and inventive reasons but we weren't going to give it up! There was lots of speculation on social media too as fans were starting to piece bits together from what they thought they'd heard at rehearsals the night before.

Just minutes before showtime itself we managed to capture a dapper looking Paul in the corridor, on his way to find the band, for a quick Twitpic (which we also posted on Facebook) ­ which clocked up over 20,000 likes within hours! Then it was time for the months of speculation to be over. At around 9:20pm Paul walked out on stage to a deafening roar! It was mega! The TV crews I was with at the time were taken aback. "That doesn't normally happen," one of them told me. "I don't think they can actually believe he's here".

For the fact lovers out there; The show opened with Eight Days A Week, which Paul had previously only played live once with The Beatles in 1965. The setlist included many more treats with the first live performances of Beatles classics Your Mother Should Know, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!, Lovely Rita and All Together Now. Paul also performed his solo classic Another Day for the first time since 1993. Wings favourites Listen To What The Man Said and Hi, Hi, Hi were also added to the setlist having never been performed at a Paul McCartney solo show before. We Can Work It Out was also added back into the setlist - Paul last performed it at the Glastonbury Festival in 2004.

The brand new production, filling over 31 trucks worth of equipment, also saw spectacular lasers and lighting, huge pyrotechnics, state of the art video displays and a special riser that saw Paul raised up 20ft above the stage to perform Blackbird and Here Today acoustically on his own. During Hey Jude the audience held up homemade 'Thank You' signs, a surprise for Paul organised by fans on social network sites.

As mentioned earlier, in 2011 local fans had started their own petition on Facebook to get Paul to play in Belo Horizonte. After securing the endorsement of thousands of residents the petition was delivered to Paul's London office. One of the fans, Adriana Mundo (28), who had supported the petition, said: "When we heard Paul was coming here we couldn't actually believe it. It's a dream come true for us. We've never had anything like this here before. It's such an honour for our city."

At the end of his show Paul got the girls up on stage from the audience who started the petition ­ Priscila Brito (27), Luisa Mattos (25), Camila Flores (25) and Cecilia Cury (21) ­ who were shocked by the recognition they received from their idol. Paul publicly thanked the girls and also signed Cecilia's Beatles tattoo.

As fireworks towered over the stadium bringing the night's celebrations to an end, a triumphant Paul jumped onto his tour bus to make his way back to the hotel for some well-earned rest.

Within minutes of the end of show the setlist news was spreading fast. The changes made global news. Many more Facebook petitions have now been set up!

I woke up bleary eyed the next morning (tired not hungover) and excitedly made my way to the hotel lobby to grab the morning's papers. The reviews were as mega as the show:

Excelsior
Paul gave all his loving to Brazil. Once again The Beatle left an indelible footprint here with the opening night of his new world tour. For many this evening was a dream come true. His fourth trip to Brazil in as many years came with even more surprises as he showcased some rare 'gems'.

Globo
Since the announcement of Paul's visit expectation had been unbelievably high and once again Paul exceeded the expectations. Throughout the epic show the audience made up of all ages screamed, cried, laughed and cheered their idol. Be it on the piano, guitar, bass guitar or just talking to the audience this man knows how to keep people entertained. The songs have a renewed strength about them ­ this show was the performance of the ultimate rockstar.

D24
The myth along with the charisma and the spiritual dimension of his music all joined together live on stage. The strength we've heard about in recent years here in Brazil became clear once again.

BH was entranced by the presence of an idol. He did not disappoint as he performed for almost three hours.

Now it was time to catch the plane to Goiania as you do.

Second stop Goiânia 'The movement you need is on your shoulder'

"Unless you live on the planet Mars, you will not have missed the fact that Paul McCartney brought his show to the Serra Dourada Stadium. Although it is possible that the media noise and local excitement around this show did reach Mars! Never before in the history of this city had a musical visit been so important."

O Hoje ­ 7th May

On my journey from the hotel in Goiânia to the venue early in the morning on show day, the driver told me that he'd been listening to a radio show earlier in the day where they had been discussing who is the most important person to ever visit the city, Paul McCartney or Pope John Paul II! It was safe to say that the city was bracing itself for one big party. As one local paper reported, "McCartney still explores stages and places that many others avoid, too afraid of the local infrastructure or simply because they don't want to go to the effort. Our city is honoured by his presence."

No one who works on "Out There" will ever forget Goiânia and the show's special guest Harold the grasshopper! In fact, probably no one in the world will forget. It seems to be the thing I've been asked about most by media since this show. People calling to ask if Paul is ok. Just to check he didn't get bitten by anything! I'm happy to report each time that Paul is very well and was unharmed.

If you've not seen it check out this amazing clip here:

http://youtu.be/68T_XeFS_08

As the sun went down it was clear there were a few more bugs than normal in the stadium but no real concerns. What could a few bugs do? As it grew darker it was obvious that the giant screens were starting to attract a fair bit of attention. When Paul hit the stage and the lights shifted up a gear we could see now that there was a lot of insect action going on at the back of the stage but still no real concerns. It was only when Paul moved to the piano for the first time in the show to perform My Valentine it became clear that something was going on here that didn't normally happen at a Macca show. The odd grasshopper started to appear on the piano and then on Paul. Along with the audience I double took as a second, then third and even a fourth settled on Paul. Looking at Paul it seemed to take a lot of concentration for him not to laugh uncontrollably!

Meanwhile backstage a low level of panic set in. What could be done about this? This can't happen. What if what if more come? Will the show have to be stopped? Well, more did turn up and with this more hurried activity backstage and more panic set in. This was a new situation for sure.

The Esperanca Grilo, literally translated as 'hope grasshopper', at times covered Paul from head to toe.

Whilst the panic was going on, what was being missed was that on stage Paul had befriended a grasshopper, named him Harold and introduced him as his friend to the audience ­ looking totally at home with the situation. Paul wasn't going anywhere. Neither was Harold incidentally, remaining proudly on Paul's arm or shoulder for the majority of the show. Including a truly unforgettable moment in Hey Jude when Paul turned to Harold whilst singing the line, "The movement you need is on your shoulder," and then saying to the crowd, "It certainly is now".

The next day Brazilian paper O Estado De S Paulo reported, "McCartney performed a three hour show that surprised Goiânia with a new setlist and a ballet of grasshoppers. Harold (the grasshopper) did a high jump on to the legend's shoulder. Smart grasshopper. We'd all like to have been in his position! Paul and Harold made history inside what is already a history that will never end."

I'm not sure how many people would have just rolled with this situation. The words Kings of Leon and pigeons spring to mind!

After the show, when Paul was having a little post-show party and well deserved margarita with the band and crew, I asked him if there was a moment when he felt any kind of panic?

Paul told me, "It was hysterical, that's the truth of it. Out of nowhere suddenly this plague of locusts! I got to the piano to start 'My Valentine' and I see one little grasshopper and he's landed right in front of me and then I look down and there was one on the keyboard. I need to find the chords so I need to move our friend without hurting him. Then there was one on my shoulder, then another, then one on my back. At this stage I'm thinking I really don't want one in my mouth so I just try and keep as tight to the microphone as possible and not give them room. So I was thinking, either you walk off or you keep going. Well we kept going and it just became more hysterical. When we did 'Live and Let Die' it was incredible. During the show more and more moths gathered on our giant screens as they were attracted to the lights. When the explosions went off they were scared off the screens and then all the grasshoppers made a dive for them. It was unbelievable. It looked like a scene out of Dante's Inferno! It was astonishing."

Hours later and the news started spreading. China, India, Australia, UK, US, Russia and the entire world were reporting about Paul's adventures and his new friend Harold.

Harold aside though, the show was another resounding success leaving Goiânia very happy and now firmly on the map!

DM.com
Paul enchanted Goiânia. This date will forever be known as Paul McCartney day. There were big expectations and he delivered. The main man entered the stage at 9:34PM and addressed the crowd in Portuguese. From that moment on the crowd responded to his every move and gesture. 'Tonight we're going to have a party', he yelled and he wasn't wrong.

Final stop Fortaleza

"It's a lesson in showmanship to see how he constructs his show. Paul is the ultimate hero in rock 'n' roll. His visit has done wonders for the pride of the region."

MSN ­ 10th May

The final show of any leg always feels emotional. What a week we'd had. What a week Paul had had. Brazil had, as ever, welcomed their hero with open arms and in return Paul had delivered with his performances.

The new production was going down a storm. The new additions to the set had also got themselves as much global publicity as Harold.

Paul was on the cover of the prestigious Brazilian magazine Alfa (their GQ), which all week I'd been trying to buy a copy of, only to be told in each shop they had just sold out. At one point someone managed to get a copy for me but I had put it down for two seconds and in that time someone else had helped themselves to it. Finally on the day of the final show I got a copy and I think it looks very cool indeed.

The venue, the Castelao Stadium, is brand new. A new stadium for the 2014 World Cup. And with newness there are often a few teething problems. The first being that the roads leading up to the stadium haven't been finished yet! So you get to about 500 meters away from the stadium and the road stops! Whilst this was quite a sight it didn't actually have any real impact on the show ­ just took slightly longer to get the 50,000 plus crowd into the venue, which meant they were even more up for it when they finally got their place in the stadium.

Just before 10pm Paul and the band were up and rocking. Another unforgettable evening. The fans really made it. During Hey Jude as a surprise for Paul the audience released yellow and green balloons into the air. It was a sight to behold. The surprises didn't stop there. During the encore Paul spotted a sign in the audience that read, "Paul I want to propose to my love onstage. Would you bless us?" In another first, Paul was happy to oblige!

You can check out the unforgettable proposal here:

http://youtu.be/77QVih-n4YM

And with that an amazing week came to an end.

Bol Noticias
"A musician of excellence, he holds a nearly three-hour show without water or rest, with a repertoire of 38 songs, oozing charm and friendliness."

Speaking after the show, Paul said:

"Brazilian audiences are incredible so that's why we keep coming back. All of the shows this week were fantastic. We started the tour in Belo Horizonte because they asked us to come. They'd made a petition, so it wasn't like an ordinary gig because we'd been asked there by the people. That's the kind of thing I listen to. If that many people want us and we've never been there and my promoter knows how to get us there then we'll show up and of course in Goiânia we had the grasshoppers join us, which was unbelievable. No one could see that coming!

"I'd like to thank everyone who came out to see us this week. We had a ball. Me, the band and the crew have had a great time and it's largely down to the audience reaction we got. So thanks to everyone for being so cool, being so ready to party and for loving our music."

Asked for a message to those coming to see him on tour, Paul concluded, "Please don't bring any grasshoppers with you".

The following day Fortaleza was still full of Macca fever. More front page reviews reporting on the historic visit.

Opovo
"On an historic evening, Paul McCartney performed to thousands of delirious fans. Friendly and full of energy, McCartney greeted the city with local expressions. His visit was well worth the wait. All the sacrifices made by some of the fans to get to the show were worth it as they were rewarded with a once in a lifetime experience. This show made it possible for the younger generations in the audience to understand the euphoria of The Beatles all those years ago. McCartney has the gift to thrill and mesmerise huge audiences all over the world. Last night it was our turn. We'll never forget."

So that's the first leg done. The tour picks up again this weekend in Orlando. Twenty-two more shows to go in the coming months and one thing you can be certain about is to expect the unexpected!

Stay tuned for more reports from the field.

Concert Photo Gallery - Brazil

May 4, 2013 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Mineirão Stadium
Photos by Macca Reporters, Angelica Sagurie and Hermilo Borba Griz

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May 22, 2013 -- Liverpool Echo

Sir Paul McCartney's LIPA to open new Liverpool free school

School may open in September after winning Government approval

Sir Paul McCartney's fame academy LIPA hopes to use the arts to inspire young children after confirming it will open a new Liverpool-based "free school".

The ECHO can reveal that the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) is set to open the new city-base for primary school children as early as September next year after winning initial government approval.

Funded by central government, free schools are can be set up by groups such as charities, parents and businesses with more than 80 now up and running nationwide.

And in partnership with Ormskirk's Edge Hill University, the free school will aim to utilise the renowned performing arts prowess of LIPA, which was founded in 1996 by lead patron Sir Paul McCartney and principal Mark Featherstone-Witty.

The school was among more than 100 new free schools, including 11 in the North West, given government approval today.

Although at an early stage with the search for a site now under way, the LIPA free school intends to use the creative arts to boost and bring to life literacy and numeracy for children.

The ECHO understands one possible base is its Hope Street site.

Expected provision includes sending younger pupils to visit Tate Liverpool so its artwork can stimulate creative writing and older pupils will work with the Everyman Theatre and use their ticket sales data as a real life maths resource.

The development comes months after LIPA opened another Saturday school for four to 19 year-olds based in South Wirral High School in Eastham.

It has also run a successful Saturday LIPA 4:19 academy which has been based within Maghull High School since 2008.

And in March last year the ECHO revealed how LIPA had struck a £3.7m deal to buy 68 Hope Street, the Grade II-listed former art college building next door which famously houses the lecture hall where Lennon met his first wife, Cynthia.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said: "There are many innovators in local communities set on raising standards of education for their children. I am delighted to approve so many of their high-quality plans to open a free school.

"Free schools are extremely popular with parents and are delivering strong discipline and teaching excellence across the country."
About free schools

Free schools are state-funded schools independent of local authority control.

They can set the length of the school day and term, the curriculum, teachers' pay and conditions and how they spend their money, but are not allowed to be selective.

The government has championed them stating "they are run by teachers ­ not local or central government bureaucrats".

The government has also made it easier for the free schools to open due to new planning laws, which from May allow the schools to open in buildings for up to a year without the need to secure planning permission to change their use.

But unions argue they cream off money from local authority schools, have been set up in areas where surplus places are already too high and do not have to employ qualified teachers.

Free schools already open in Merseyside include the Everton Free School opened by Blues' charity Everton in the Community for 14 to 19-year-olds who found mainstream school was not for them, and The Hawthorne's which replaced St Wilfrid's High in Litherland and Bootle's St George of England High.

"Ram On" discussion at sound check

"Paul was about an hour late for the sound check and was a little frazzled when he got there," reports Scott Overfelt.

Macca Reporter Scott Overfelt took his wife and 8-year-old son Zander, to see Paul in Orlando. During the sound check, Zander held up a sign that read ""MY 1ST CONCERT EVER! WOULD IT BE OUT THERE 2 ASK 4 A GUITAR PICK". Paul may or may not have seen the sign even though Zander held it up several times during the sound check.

8-year-old Zander Overfelt's sign

As the sound check was ending with "Lady Madonna" Paul said, "Thank you to all you sound checkers and for bringing your signs and making them... I can imagine you all sitting at home making the signs and thinking up things..."

Scott took the opportunity to ask, "Paul can we have a pick, one pick?" Paul answered addressing the crowd, "He'll be happy when he gets down to the pub..."

Paul not happy that a woman grabbed the pick meant for Zander

At the end of the concert, later that evening, Zander held up the sign with a little help from his mom and this time Paul saw it. Paul tossed a pick to Zander which was intercepted by a woman in the front row. Paul was not happy about that and dug into his pocket to find another pick for Zander. This time he handed it to tour photographer MJ Kim who handed the pick to Zander. Paul was elated that Zander had the pick. Scott mouthed "Thank you" to Macca. Zander was over the moon and told his dad it was OK that Sir Paul did not sing fav songs "India" or "Rupert"...

SUCCESS!!! Paul's "used' pick and Zander's wristband

CONCERT SET LIST - Orlando Show 2 - May 19, 2013
Photos by Macca Reporter Bob Gannon

1. Eight Days A Week
2. Junior's Farm
3. All My Loving
4. Listen To What The 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. Your Mother Should Know
18. Lady Madonna
19. All Together Now
20. Mrs. Vandebilt
21. Eleanor Rigby
22. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
23. Something
24. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
25. Hi Hi Hi
26. Band On The Run
27. Back In The USSR
28. Let It Be
29. Live And Let Die
30. Hey Jude

Encore One
31. Day Tripper
32. Lovely Rita
33. I Saw Her Standing There

Encore Two
34. Yesterday
35. Helter Skelter
36. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

Macca Report EXCLUSIVE!!!

Concert review-Paul McCartney- Amway Center- May 19, 2013 - Orlando, FL
by John Cherry, Macca Reporter

As might be expected with any artist doing back to back shows, especially those lasting nearly three hours, the second show is usually less energetic than the first one. Such was the case, albeit very slightly, on the second night of Paul McCartney in concert at the Amway Center in Orlando.

The video screen that accompanied the pre-concert music of largely The Beatles, Wings, and solo McCartney had even more interesting pictures than previous shows I had attended, including a heavier emphasis on Wings.

A totally packed arena welcomed Paul about 8:30. He was wearing a classy Carolina blue (I went to UNC) jacket and jump started the crowd with the opener of "Eight Days a Week." As was true with the previous night, the crowd's momentum was on a bit of a roller coaster with "Junior's Farm" coming second, "All My Loving" third, and "Listen to the What the Man Said" as the fourth tune. After that song, Paul ditched his jacket and was wearing a light blue shirt with navy trim. As the show wore on, Paul exhibited signs of increased perspiration. After tossing the jacket, he stood before the crowd to "drink it all in," and the crowd roared their appreciation back to him.

As was true several times during the night, guitarist (mostly lead) Rusty Anderson and the versatile Brian Ray (bass, lead and rhythm guitar) had a good laugh as Paul improvised a short guitar solo during "Let Me Roll It." The end of the song came with an extended guitar portion of Jimi Hendrix's song "Foxy Lady." Paul paid tribute to the late performer by telling the story of Hendrix leading his concert off in June 1967 with The Beatles "Sergeant Peppers Lonely Heart's Club," only two days after the official release of the album by the same name.

Using the same guitar that he did to record the song originally, Paul and the band did "Paperback Writer," including an extended guitar solo in the middle portion. The video screen behind them focused on nurses during the song.

Prior to moving to the piano and playing the song he dedicated to his wife, Nancy, Paul talked about how "My Valentine" was written while they were together on a rainy day of a holiday. Once again, the song that followed, "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five," was a highlight of the night. Always a crowd favorite, "The Long and Winding Road," was played with a video background of what was likely Arizona, where Paul has had a house for a number of years.

Dedicating it to Linda, Paul continued with "Maybe I'm Amazed," which featured many family pictures on the video screen. He improvised a number of expressive piano parts to the song, to the delight of the gathering. The first song change from the previous night came with "I've Just Seen a Face" replacing "Hope of Deliverance," which probably was a nod to those of us that were attending both shows.

Before "We Can Work it Out," Paul asked the crowd how many of them were from Orlando and how many were not from Orlando. I sensed a slight majority of hometown attendees, but also noted that the two ladies to my left had traveled from Angola to see the show, and the family behind me had come from the New York area. More on them later. During "We Can Work it Out," drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. played the tambourine with one hand and the drums with the other. After this song, I saw a clear sign of the difference of Paul's energy level as he took a deep breath while handing his guitar to his instrument man, John Hammel. Paul was handed a 12-string guitar to play "Another Day," another song that somewhat lessened the crowd's enthusiasm. The energy was boosted again with "And I Love Her," which brought a collective response of peaceful joy from the crowd.

Moving back from the 12-string to his regular acoustic guitar, Paul acknowledged a bizarre scream off the right side of the stage. His own portion of the front stage began rising after Paul told of writing "Blackbird" upon hearing of the civil rights struggles in the U.S. during that time. The stage rose some 15 feet or so above the crowd, and a flower shown on the video screen of the elevated stage until near the end of the song when the image of bird flying came out of the background. This song has become a clear crowd favorite.

While talking about John Lennon, Paul said he wrote "Here Today," as words that he wished he had said to John before he was shot and killed in 1980. This song is emotional for Paul, and he touched his heart afterwards, as the elevated stage returned to its original level.

Sitting before the smaller piano with the Magical Mystery Tour painted design on it, Paul introduced "Your Mother Should Know" as a song for the mothers and kids. During the song, the video screen showed the families of the late Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, as well as Michelle Obama and her two children. The famous videos then continued during "Lady Madonna," although they were more focused on musical performers.

Back at his guitar, Paul stood before the crowd and seemed to have a few seconds of confusion, calling it a "blackout," before starting what he called an "intellectual offering" of "All Together Now." Paul "Wix" Wickens played harmonica on the song. As I noted in the previous night's review, I think this is a peculiar song choice for a concert, but I also know Paul should play whatever the hell he wants to play!

Before "Mrs. Vandebilt," Paul seemed to rap a bit. The sing-along portion of "ho-hey-ho" again secured audience participation, while Rusty and Brian hammed it up on the stage. Paul noted the song was a favorite of the Ukranians, or, as he called them, the "Ukies."

Minus Ray, "Eleanor Rigby" was next, with Abe and Rusty doing the backing vocals and Wix handling the music, outside of Paul's acoustic guitar. Another song new to the U.S. until the previous night, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" was performed flawlessly and one of my favorites for the night. Bringing out his ukulele, Paul talked about carrying one with him in New York, as it was easier to carry in a cab than a regular guitar. He talked about playing "Something" for George Harrison during one of their visits, and then started that song with it, prior to the second half of the song being done by the full band. This was a significant sing along song for the crowd, and the video screen had excellent pictures of George and Paul in the studio. After the song, Paul led the crowd in an exchange of cheers and noises, before cutting it off and laughing deeply.

Another sing along came with "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," which I enjoyed by seeing the young female teenager sitting next to me sing enthusiastically. The sing along continued with "Band on the Run. Riding a wave of enthusiasm, "Back in the U.S.S.R" also soared, complete with original sound effects.

Returning to the larger piano, the always popular "Let it Be" was followed by the raucous "Live and Let Die," complete with the crowd pleasing fireworks and explosions.and a lot of smoke. Paul played wildly on the piano, while Rusty and Brian jumped around on the stage. Back to the smaller piano, Paul launched the biggest sing-along with "Hey Jude." The crowd participation was extremely substantial. This led to the first encore, as Paul came back waving the state flag of Florida, and then asked the crowd "How could we stop now?" "Day Tripper" was well-received, as was the follow up of "Lovely Rita," another new song for the U.S. tour. Asking the crowd if they wanted to keep going, Paul counted in "I Saw Her Standing There," replacing "Get Back" from the first show.

Returning for a second encore, the crowd largely sang along as Paul did "Yesterday." He then asked the crowd if they wanted to keep rocking, which they did, of course, and he broke into "Helter Skelter," a near perfect rendition of the original recording.

Back at the large piano, Paul told the crowd it was time to go, which received the expected negative response. He thanked them for a "brilliant welcome," before starting the concluding medley of "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight," and "The End."

It was different than the first night, but I had great fun with the two lovely ladies next to me who came from Angola for the show. From the family from the New York area behind me, the mother told me of her seeing Paul in concert nearly every tour since he started in 1976, the same year I first saw Paul. Lastly were the teenage daughter and her father on my other side. He told me she had learned to love The Beatles and Paul on her own. It's nice to see such great taste in a young lady. It's off to Austin for me!

John Cherry is the author of two books about Paul McCartney, "Better Than Lennon-The Music and Talent of Paul McCartney," and "Paul McCartney's Solo Music Career 1970-2010." The book is available at betterthanlennon.com (special bonuses included!) and at amazon.com.

SOUND CHECK SET LIST (Thanks to Macca Reporters: DebG and Scott Overfelt)

Wix & Rusty were eventually joined on stage by Brian and Abe who did a little jamming & ended with segments of
"We Can Work It Out" with Brian singing the verse "...and I ask you once again..." Paul eventually joined them after about 30 minutes (?) .

Les Paul painted guitar
1. Matchbox
2. Honey Don't (with Ringo mention in the lyric)
3. In Orlando (improv jam)

Hofner
4. Highway
5. Letting Go - (with Wings over America intro.)

Grand Piano
6. C Moon
7. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying

Acoustic
8. Things We Said Today
9. San Francisco Bay Blues
(mention to Rick from Fans On The Run "Hey fans on the run. I noticed you yesterday on the curbside, he's back!"
additional conversation about the album Ram, with additional comment, "...Ram, what that?..you guys know what
I'm talking about..."

Ukulele
10. Ram On

Acoustic 12- String
11. Midnight Special ("This is my new 12-string guitar, very cool this one isn't it? You're seeing it for the first time...")

Acoustic Epiphone Texan
12. Bluebird

Magic piano
13. Musical Improv "mas-sage time" (new age intro (with Paul's statement afterwards "massage time, yeah...this's got nothing to do with soundcheck... it's just that I like playing around a bit."
14. Lady Madonna

CONCERT SET LIST

1. Eight Days A Week
2. Junior's Farm
3. All My Loving
4. Listen To What The 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. Hope Of Deliverance
12. We Can Work It Out
13. Another Day
14. And I Love Her
15. Blackbird
16. Here Today
17. Your Mother Should Know
18. Lady Madonna
19. All Together Now
20. Mrs. Vandebilt
21. Eleanor Rigby
22. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
23. Something
24. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
25. Hi Hi Hi
26. Band On The Run
27. Back In The USSR
28. Let It Be
29. Live And Let Die
30. Hey Jude

Encore One
31. Day Tripper
32. Lovely Rita
33. Get Back

Encore Two
34. Yesterday
35. Helter Skelter
36. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

Concert Report from Bob Gannon, Macca Reporter

As far as the new songs go, they all went over pretty well. Eight Days a week was a nice starter. It was absolutely fabulous not having seen Wings Over America to see "Listen to what the man said" back in the show! "Hope of Deliverance" gave Wix an opportunity to join the other members center stage with a guitar as the very animated Abe Laboriel Jr played bass guitar. He was smiling ear to ear. At one point, he and Paul walked around in circles on the stage together and than sang together on the same mic. I wasn't sure that I was going to be wild about this song but it had been long enough since the 1993 tour where it sounded very nice. Another nice addition was "We Can Work it out"..always loved that song. Followed by "Another Day" which may have been the one with the least reception but the hard core fans loved it! I was kind of not looking forward towards Your Mother Should Know and All Together Now thinking that they may not come off well but they did and they were actually a lot of fun to sing along with so Kudos! Loved Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite & Lovely Rita...nice adds this tour but I was most excited to hear Hi,Hi,Hi and they did not disappoint, they played a torrid version of it!

And now let me address the pre-tour bruhaha!!! The rising stage. The stage adds about another 10-15 feet from it to the first row. So you're a little further back but not all that much. It's only during two songs "Blackbird" and "Here Today". But while he moves to the front stage and tells the story behind "Blackbird" he is actually closer than he's ever been to the first row. I was in the fourth row and I felt like I could reach out and grab him. Now, as the stage rises, it does make it a little tough to see Paul with the lights in your eyes but it almost gives him a celestial glow, very cool effect. Not sure how it looked from the farther away seats but cool from my vantage point. Can't wait to see it again tomorrow! All in all, a very,very good show and very entertaining setlist!!

An energetic, playful and appreciative Paul McCartney opened the U.S. portion of his "Out There" tour at the Amway Center on May 18th. A packed house of enthusiastic fans enjoyed another outstanding performance by the world's most successful musician.

An extended sound check delayed the opening of the gates by about 20 minutes. Merchandise booths had plenty of options for McCartney fans.

Arriving on stage to huge applause, and wearing a dark jacket, Paul opened the concert with a song that had never been performed live, reportedly only lip-synched on TV by The Beatles in 1965. "Eight Days a Week" was a marvelous choice to open the show, and it was greeted by a loud roar from the crowd. That enthusiasm seemed to dip a bit with the second number of "Junior's Farm," which although performed magnificently, did not maintain the heightened crowd excitement. But, the elation soared again with "All My Loving," only to seem to dip with the former #1 Wings single, "Listen to What the Man Said." Following with "Let Me Roll it," the excitement began to build again, heightened next by "Paperback Writer," with Paul talking about playing the guitar he originally used when the song was recorded.

Heading to the piano, Paul announced a song for his wife, Nancy, and played the beautiful "My Valentine," accompanied on the video screen by Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp displaying the lyrics via sign language.

One of my personal highlights came next, as Paul pounded out "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" from the "Band on the Run" album. Added to his song set a few years ago, I hope it will stay on his list permanently. Even though the pace slowed, the crowd still loved hearing "The Long and Winding Road," performed quite emotionally by Paul. Saluting his late wife, Linda, Paul then dedicated a rocking "Maybe I'm Amazed" to his wife of 29 years.

Although I really like the next song, "Hope of Deliverance," it seemed like a surprise choice, since it was not a massive single success. But, the band had great fun with it, with all five of them playing guitars and singing on the song. The crowd seemed to enjoy "We Can Work It Out," as Paul continued on guitar. He also took time to talk about the grasshoppers that invaded his stage at a recent concert in Brazil, laughing about naming one of the invaders as "Harold."

Another surprise came next with "Another Day," a 1971 single release that had not been played in the U.S. in some 20 years (though it was performed on Paul's 1993 tour). Following was the elegant "And I Love Her," which I remember best from its performance in The Beatles movie, "A Hard Day's Night."

Heading to a platform at the front center of the stage, Paul began talking about his next acoustic song "Blackbird." As he started singing, the platform rose about 15 feet high and a video screen showed the vision of a blackbird flapping his wings. This song has become a definitive crowd favorite since Paul added to his show several years ago. In one of his tributes to John Lennon, Paul talked about writing "Here Today," as a letter to him after John passed away. The emotional song also started the decline of the raised stage back to the level of the larger stage.

Continuing with what I (after 27 McCartney concerts) thought were unusual song choices, two of the next three songs were "Your Mother Should Know," accompanied by footage from the "Magical Mystery Tour" album, and "All Together Now." Again, both enjoyable songs, and it makes me think of the process that Paul uses to choose his concert songs. From my knowledge, it largely is a result of what feels comfortable to him on stage. The song in between these two "newbies" was a popularly received "Lady Madonna."

"Mrs. Vandebilt," noted by Paul as the most popular song in Kiev, had the crowd joining in for the "ho-hey-ho" portion of the song. With Paul on acoustic guitar and Paul "Wix" Wickens providing the necessary backing, "Eleanor Rigby" also had lead guitarist Rusty Anderson and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. ably providing the backing vocals. Not to ignore him, but not visible on the song was Brian Ray, who plays both bass and guitar.

A very nice surprise, and done to perfection, was "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite." Although this is mostly a song credited to John Lennon, Paul handled it with aplomb. Bringing out his ukulele, Paul talked about playing the instrument with George Harrison, while also saluting him to the pleasure of the crowd. "Something" began with just Paul on the ukulele, but was finished by the whole band, another show highlight. Engaging the crowd again, Paul asked for a sing along on "Ob-La-Di, Oh-La-Da," and they responded with enthusiasm. The next three songs, "Band On The Run," "Hi Hi Hi," and "Back In The USSR" all were excellent and enthusiastically received. Personally I thought "Hi Hi Hi" was the best of the three.

The remainder of the show was pretty much identical to recent tours with "Let it Be," the explosive, raucous "Live and Let Die," (lots of smoke from the fireworks) and always a crowd favorite, along with the singalong, "Hey Jude," which then brought on the first encore with a strong "Day Tripper," and one nice last surprise with "Lovely Rita" from the Sgt. Pepper album. This was followed by "Get Back," and the second encore of the ever popular "Yesterday, " the wild ride of "Helter Skelter," and the concluding collection of "Golden Slumbers," where Paul seemed to have a hand cramp on the piano, "Carry That Weight," and "The End."

Paul continuously thanked the crowd, often noting that it was the first show of the U.S. Tour. He truly seemed loose and playful, really as relaxed and engaged as I have seen him at any show.

John Cherry is the author of two books about Paul McCartney, "Better Than Lennon-The Music and Talent of Paul McCartney," and "Paul McCartney's Solo Music Career 1970-2010." The book is available at betterthanlennon.com (special bonuses included!) and at amazon.com.

In 2012, the still-cute ex-Beatle was a reliable fixture at Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee Concert, the Summer Olympics in London and the "12-12-12" concert for Hurricane Sandy relief. There was a Saturday Night Live appearance and a cameo in Dave Grohl's music documentary, "Sound City."

That's a lot of McCartney. So, at some point, it's reasonable to think the appeal might fade, right?

Not a chance, judging from a generous and stylishly presented 2 hours and 45 minutes on Saturday at Amway Center, the first of two Orlando concerts that launch the U.S. leg of the 2013 "Out There" tour.

At its heart, every McCartney performance is a reminder of the unmatched inspiration and influence of timeless Beatles music, the soundtrack of a band that legitimately changed the world.

On Saturday, McCartney again framed the songs in arrangements faithful to the originals.

In an opening salvo of "Eight Days a Week," "Junior's Farm," "All My Loving," "Listen to What the Man Said" and "Let Me Roll It," McCartney nicely reproduced familiar studio versions, his voice situated clearly atop a pleasing sound mix.

The band closed "Let Me Roll It" with a whiff of Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady," which McCartney followed with an endearing tale that tied Hendrix to the Beatles.

Behind the band, songs were embellished by a sea of spotlights, swirling geometric designs and video clips of long-ago McCartney scenes. Not that you need special effects when the material includes "The Long and Winding Road," "Maybe I'm Amazed," "Hey Jude," "Let It Be" and "Yesterday."

Along with the obvious favorites, McCartney also showcased a few lesser known gems, such as an exuberant take on Wings' "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five," a lilting "Hope of Deliverance" (off 1993's "Off the Ground" album) and "Here Today," a moving acoustic tribute to John Lennon. He strummed ukulele as a tribute to George Harrison in "Something."

Amid the nostalgia, the show was a testament to McCartney's own longevity. At age 70, he has lost surprisingly little of the charm, energy, instrumental skills and vocal flexibility that make him a legend, one of the rare pop musicians to really deserve that over-used title.

McCartney's stature has remained consistent from the Cold War to Sept. 11, from Elvis Presley to his recent collaboration with the guys in Nirvana. "Back in the U.S.S.R." was a reminder that he outlasted the Soviet Union, too.

That one was a showcase for drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. , guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, and multi-instrumentalist Paul "Wix" Wickens, who shifted effortlessly from the raucous "Lady Madonna" to a stately "Eleanor Rigby" and a psychedelic surprise, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite."

"It's been a long time since that one came out of the box," McCartney said.

It might be accurate to call these songs oldies, but it's hard to imagine them ever getting old.

PHOTO © copyright 2013 Ray Paul

The party began at 6 pm and Mary was already inside. She was very easy going, warm, cordial and friendly, and mingled with the guests in attendance all night long.

Ray Paul with Mary McCartney
PHOTO © copyright 2013 Ray Paul

Mary posed for photos with guests (when they requested one) and for those who brought any of her books, she was more than happy to sign and even personalize them. I had Mary sign her "From Where I Stand" photographic book and
my friend Vanessa had her sign her "FOOD" book.

I told Mary that I met her brother James in Toronto a year ago and that I'd be seeing him in Rochester, NY next Tuesday. She said "Isn't he good? His new album is just amazing. I was just at one of his shows back home awhile ago."

PHOTO © copyright 2013 Ray Paul

For those who purchased any of the very expensive and large sized photographs exhibited last night, Mary then knelt down and signed them (see photos attached). I met one guest in attendance who purchased one of her photos. I couldn't help but ask what the price was that he paid for it. He told me it was $17,000.00!

Red and white wine were served to all the guests. I left at 8 pm and Mary was still chatting with the guests and mingling.
She was in no hurry to leave or make a quick appearance. Mary looked like she was genuinely enjoying herself. High marks for staying and her friendliness to all who came.

I was fortunate to be invited by Izzy, the owner of the gallery, and to be able to attend. Many thanks to Izzy for putting on a
wonderful evening.

MORE...

May 14, 2013 -- CBC New (Canada)

Photographer Mary McCartney goes behind the scenes

Mary McCartney, daughter of Paul McCartney and his photographer wife, Linda Eastman, followed in her mother's footsteps to become a photographer.

She grew up surrounded by the bustle of a show business family and her eye was drawn to what happens behind the scenes ­ at concerts, fashion shows and at dance performances.

Her work, showing at the Izzy Gallery in Toronto, includes her shots of models such as Kate Moss, as well as famous subjects, from Madonna to Elvis Costello.

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO

McCartney says she thrives on the chaos backstage and loves to show her subjects from an unusual angle.

Her famous name has helped open doors for her as a photographer, but McCartney said she learned how to deal with people from her mother, who was a rock photographer.

"She wouldn't sort of harrass her subjects, she would stay in the background, make you feel comfortable, then take a picture and carry on," McCartney said in this video interview in Toronto.

"So I think she made it look very easy and when you try and do that it's actually really challenging - to take a portrait of someone and get something of them when they don't feel startled."

McCartney, whose sister is designer Stella McCartney, says she's also learned from her father, who collected photos as well as dabbling himself.

"Over the years I've gone to exhibitions with him, spoken to him about what he likes, what I like, so it's kind of nice to bounce ideas."

May 14, 2013 -- Travelvideo

Sir Paul McCartney Plants a Tree at the Txai Resort Itacare in Bahia, Brazil

Paul McCartney chose the heavenly Txai Resort, in Itacare, Bahia, to rest after his shows in Brazil.

Paul arrived at the hotel last Tuesday (May 7) and went straight to the piano, placed there especially for him on the veranda of his bungalow. The singer also took the opportunity to have a massage with a specialist from the Shamash Healing Space, one of the country's more renowned spas.

During his stay, the ex-Beatle got to know the resort's philanthropic projects, among them the "Txaitaruga," a project for the conservation and monitoring of 10,000 sea turtles that lay their eggs on the shores of Itacare, and along with his band, he was able to take part in the release of the baby turtles into the sea.

The musician also showed great interest in the Companheiros do Txai [Companions of Txai], a project created to help small farmers from the Itacare/Serra Grande APA (Protected Environmental Area) to use the forest resources of the Mata Atlantica rainforest in a sustainable fashion, which are purchased and used by the hotel itself.

To conclude his visit to the hotel, Paul was invited by the President of Txai Resorts, Jose Romeu Ferraz Neto, to plant a seedling of the Juerana tree, a species from the Mata Atlantica rainforest threatened with extinction used by the Pataxó Indians for the making of crafts, that will remain in the garden as a gift in honor of the environment.

That's right! The newly remastered "Rockshow" will be screened at the most unique venue you will ever see it in!

The Fab 4 Free 4 All, in conjunction with Specticast and Eagle Rock, will be sponsoring and hosting a screening of this great visual documentary of the Wings Over America tour in the DOME THEATER of the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York on Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 7:30 PM.

This is a perfect pairing as we present WINGS in the AVIATION museum! The movie will be in theaters around the world beginning May 15 and we encourage you to see it in you local theater. Check the listings for a theater near you at www.rockshowonscreen.com

But if you want to catch it again two weeks later, as you will never experience it again, we would love to have you join us.

We have joined forces with a fantastic charity which will receive the net proceeds from this event, Songs After Sandy, a charity project begun in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to help community based restoration efforts in New York and New Jersey! Please check them out at www.songsaftersandy.com. Ringo and Paul, as well as a host of other great artists, have donated songs for the exclusive downloads in return for your charitable donations.

We will have great prizes to raffle off during the evening and we promise it will be a very special night for a very special film and charity. There are only 270 seats and they WILL GO FAST.

We hope our listeners will be very generous by joining us on May 30. Tickets can be obtained by clicking on the following link.

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/365544
or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006.

We hope you will share this with anyone you know that would enjoy this screening.

The Fab 4 Free 4 All

Cradle of Aviation Museum
Charles Lindbergh Blvd.
Garden City, NY 11530

General (516) 572-4111
Reservations (516) 572-4066

The photograph above was taken during the summer of 1976 and perfectly illustrates how being a member of the McCartney family must have been, in some ways, completely normal, and at the same time, utterly surreal.

In it, Linda and four-year-old Stella are settling down to dinner in a lounge, the former perched on a sofa while balancing a tray on her lap.

Across from them, Paul sits playing a bass guitar as Mary, only six, leans in to listen. It appears to be a fairly typical cosy, slightly boho picture. Except for the fact that it finds the McCartneys aboard their private jet, high in the skies above America.

'That became normal for us,' Paul tells me. 'In our minds, we were giving the kids a normal upbringing. While at the same time we knew it was not.'

McCartney is on candid form today as he talks for the first time, and often movingly, about the momentous tour with Linda and their children that saved him from his deep post-Beatles depression.

He recalls the effect vicious criticism aimed at Linda, when she joined Wings, had on their family life, laughs as he shares vivid memories of wild adventures on the road with their young children as the McCartneys juggled family life with the chaos of touring the biggest stadiums in the world with a group of hedonistic musicians.

'At the time we didn't realise that that was quite strange,' he says. 'But actually, looking back at some photos, I do think, God, what were we on? But that was just the way we did it.'

Throughout the 1970s, the McCartneys were a travelling family, accompanying Paul everywhere as he carved out his post-Beatles career with Wings, whose membership included Linda on keyboards.

When back in England, the children attended local state schools near their home in Sussex (Paul and Linda being determinedly anti private education), though they often had to put up with mickey-taking from classmates about their odd, itinerant lifestyle.

'Mary's friends used to call her a "hippy commune kid",' Paul remembers.

'It was those kind of days, though. I mean, it wasn't really that far out. It was just kind of a question of everyone mucking in. We were more like gypsies than anything else. This family was going to move around'

If McCartney in the 1970s managed to make balancing family and touring life look somehow effortless, he admits that it wasn't always the case.

The pressures heaped on the married couple sometimes strained their relationship, causing them to bicker and argue, particularly if, while on the road, one of the children got sick.

'Yeah, that would be the worst thing, if we were away and one of the kids was ill,' Paul admits.

'But life causes arguments and there were plenty of reasons for that. I don't think having the kids on tour was particularly stressful. I think just people living together can be stressful.

'You know, it was a great love affair, but nobody's perfect.'

Particularly in later years, Linda privately tired of being in Wings and on the road. But while she would reveal these feelings to others, Paul says that she kept these frustrations hidden from him.

She never said to you: 'I've had enough'?

'Uh, no,' McCartney says. 'I think it's quite possible she thought that. She might have confided that to a couple of her mates, but we never really got into it.'

As McCartney talks to me today, it is nearly 15 years since Linda's death from breast cancer in 1998 ­ which understandably devastated him ­ and 32 years after the end of Wings.

In spite of the fact that he turned 70 in June 2012, recent years have found him creatively re-energised, the past 12 months alone seeing him top the bill at both the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert and the opening ceremony of the Olympics, before walking away at the start of 2013 with a Grammy for his jazz standards album, Kisses On The Bottom.

But while obviously best known as a Beatle, McCartney can sometimes be taken aback by the impact other aspects of his career have had on younger individuals.

He tells me about an acquaintance of his, a former Olympic swimmer, who was dying to know which song McCartney was going to perform at the UK opening ceremony. Paul told him he wanted to keep it as a surprise.

The next time the singer bumped into the swimmer, he was a touch amazed to hear the athlete say that, while he loved Hey Jude, he was slightly disappointed that he didn't play his favourite, Wings' 1976 hit, Silly Love Songs.

'Suddenly,' McCartney marvels, 'you realise it's an age thing.'

McCartney clearly enjoys hearing compliments about Wings, not least since the 1970s were one long struggle for him.

Emerging from the wreck of The Beatles, he no longer had the protective shield of the Fab Four, nor could he count on instant adulation for his work.

In fact, the opposite was true. He found his motives and music constantly questioned and then came under fierce attack for having the audacity to make his non-musician wife a member of the band.

Paul first met Linda, an American divorcee and already a renowned rock photographer, in 1967, at the Bag O'Nails nightclub in London's Soho.

'There was an immediate attraction between us,' he recalls. 'It's so corny, but I told the kids later that had it not been for that moment, none of them would be here.'

To Paul, Linda seemed altogether grown-up and womanly, in contrast to the giggly girls who tended to flock around The Beatles.

'She had a five-year-old child,' he points out, referring to his adopted daughter, Heather.

'I was genuinely impressed by the way she handled herself in life.'

The couple married in March 1969, though the subsequent period proved a troubling one for McCartney, who suffered an acute personal crisis during the final, messy days of The Beatles.

Retreating to his High Park farm on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland, Paul found it hard to get out of bed in the mornings and was drinking heavily.

In the end, he was pulled out of this depressive hole by his new wife.

'Linda saved me,' he admits. 'And it was all done in a sort of domestic setting.'

In deciding to put together another band and make his return to live performance, Paul turned to Linda first, even though she wasn't a musician. The couple were lying in bed one night in 1971 when he first broached the idea.

'How it started,' he remembers, 'was I said: "Just imagine, y'know, we're up on the stage and a curtain opens and there's an audience. How would you feel about that?"

'And she thought about it for a moment and she said: "I think I'd quite like it." And I said: "Well OK, that's enough to start with. We can build on that.'''

This was easier said than done, however. In the first line-up of Wings, Linda struggled to keep up on a musical level.

When in 1972, Paul decided that the newly formed band should set out ­ with kids and dogs in tow ­ on a UK tour of universities, turning up unannounced at student unions and asking to play impromptu shows.

Wings were so laid-back, they didn't even book B&Bs until the day of the show, Paul and Linda often fashioning a cot in their room for the baby Stella, using an opened drawer.

'We'd put blankets and sheets in it and improvise, and there you had a little baby cot.'

Throughout this tour, the musical teething problems they experienced were sometimes far worse than anticipated.

At one key gig at Leeds Town Hall, Linda froze onstage, paralysed by nerves, forgetting the chords to proto-animal-rights ballad Wild Life, which she was supposed to play to introduce the song.

Paul immediately rushed across the stage to her rescue, only to find that he too had forgotten the chords. The audience began to laugh nervously.

'It was hilarious really, Paul remembers, 'because I started it, '1-2-3'. I just looked around at Linda and there were no chords coming out and the audience thought, "This is good this is a little joke they've got going."

'So I said '1-2-3' again and nothing came. Then I went over and it looked more like a joke ­ like a great big set-up thing.

'The joke was then I forgot the chords and I thought, Oh my God. So for a moment there was panic.'

Eventually, Linda somehow remembered the simple keyboard riff and the band joined in, their hearts racing.

'I would say to her: "Everyone gets nerves, you know, particularly if you haven't done it much,"' McCartney recalls.

'Anyway, she got over it, the more confident she got with her music. Onstage, she became the cheerleader. She had so much spirit, she became the core of the band.'

Nevertheless, Linda had to endure much in the way of vicious criticism from journalists, which McCartney nonchalantly insisted at the time was 'like water off a duck's back'.

But surely some of it must have hurt?

'Well, it was like oil off a duck's back,' he laughs. 'Bit harder to shift.'

At the time, many writers, and even fans, were scratching their heads in bewilderment wondering why the former Beatle was so keen to have his wife in his new band.

Then, at one point in the 1970s, the singer perhaps revealingly admitted that, taking uncertain steps in the long shadow cast by his former group, he needed Linda there 'for my confidence'.

Today, however, he refutes this.

'That's not really true,' he insists. 'The thing is, if I'd needed someone there for my confidence, I would have got someone like Eric Clapton. So then I'd have more confidence, because I know he knows how to do it and I know how to do it.

'So it wasn't so much that; it was more just Linda and I wanting to be together.

'I realised that if I was going to get a band together, one of the possibilities was that she would be in it. The other possibility was that she would come along with the band.

'But the first option, of being in it, sort of tickled us.'

More than anything, McCartney says, he saw Wings as an 'experiment'. Having toyed with the idea of putting together a supergroup containing other famous names, the star decided to go back to square one with a band of virtual unknowns, including ­ at least in a musical sense ­ Linda.

'I like the idea of raw talent,' he explains. 'We were going to do what all bands basically had done, which was start from nothing.

'When we started with The Beatles, we didn't really know anything ­ we were fresh out of Hamburg with a few songs under our belt and we had to learn that fame game. So I liked the idea we'd all learn it together.'

Early Wings tours continued to be highly unorthodox. Their first European jaunt in 1972, for instance, found them travelling from show to show in an open-topped double-decker bus painted in psychedelic colours.

But the lumbering vehicle's top speed was an unimpressive 38mph, resulting in promoters sometimes being forced to meet the band en route if it seemed they might be in danger of missing the gig.

This, ultimately, only added to the sense of adventure.

'We were,' says McCartney, proudly, 'a bunch of nutters on the road.'

Still, a self-imposed rule in the first years of Wings, not to perform any songs from his Beatles catalogue, was challenging for him, particularly when his initial output following the breakup of his former group was decidedly patchy.

For every great single such as the beautifully dreamy Another Day or the thrilling, episodic Bond theme Live And Let Die, there was the baffling soft-rock nursery rhyme Mary Had A Little Lamb and the lightweight protest song Give Ireland Back To The Irish.

'I wanted to grow Wings from seed,' he explains. 'And that was what we ended up doing.

'However, this meant that, you know, if you had a bad spring and you didn't get enough rain or enough sunshine'

You'd find you had a poor song harvest?

'Yeah,' he laughs. 'And we had some pretty bad weather in the early days.'

After all of the initial struggles, come 1976, McCartney felt sufficiently emboldened by the progress of Wings to return to the U.S. for a major concert tour, ten whole years after The Beatles had quit live performance.

The Wings Over America jaunt was a hugely ambitious affair, taking in enormous arena gigs and a sold-out show at Seattle's Kingdome stadium, where the group played for 67,000 fans, beating the attendance record previously held by The Beatles for their landmark Shea Stadium show in New York in 1965.

In America, McCartney's reappearance onstage was treated by many as some kind of second coming.

At Wings' first U.S. show, on May 3, 1976, at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, the star got a 15-minute standing ovation before he'd played a note.

But it was, he admits: 'Nerve-racking. This was big-time American media: The Beatle returns. What's he going to be like? You want to throw up. But you get on there and you suddenly see, these are your people, this is OK. You're home.'

Following the modest early days of Wings, McCartney had stepped back into the full glare of the media spotlight.

'Yeah, it was interesting,' he says. 'Because we started so small, it was like I wasn't famous. But then, suddenly all that fame came back. You were suddenly on prime-time news.'

Even with this level of tour, there was never any question of the McCartney kids being dumped on to nannies or sent away to boarding school.

'That's right, and we even got slagged for that,' Paul says. 'I remember someone saying: "Oh, they're dragging their kids around the world."

'And our answer for that was to say: "Yeah, look, the thing is, number one, we love 'em. Number two, what are we gonna do? We're gonna be in Australia and a nanny's gonna ring up and say: 'Ooh, your kid's got a fever of 105.'" We would wanna be there, so that was it.'

Wherever they were in the world, the McCartneys employed tutors for the kids.

'We'd get them to talk to the school first and find out what subjects they were going to cover,' Paul explains.

'We kind of kept up. The kids tell me now they didn't really keep up. They did inevitably sort of fall behind a bit. They would moan when they had to go to a tutor instead of going on the beach in Brazil. But, hey, if you're talking geography, they got an A plus.

'Y'know, nobody's saying it was perfect,' he adds.

'But is life really perfect when you sit in an office all day and then you go home and see your kids at night? I'm not sure that's any better.'

Aboard the customised British Aircraft Corporation 1-11 jet that flew the McCartneys and band from gig to gig, the children particularly loved the mini-disco situated in the rear of the plane, with its fluorescent lights, luminous stars and state-of-the-art sound system.

Elsewhere, in spite of the fact that some members of the group displayed distinctly hedonistic tendencies ­ not least wildcard Scottish guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, who died three years later in 1979 as a result of his various habits ­ McCartney says that it wasn't difficult to maintain a reasonable distance between his children and the harder-living rock and rollers.

'Well, the nice thing about anyone who's likely to get a bit crazy is they're normally not gonna do it around the kids,' he stresses.

'I've known some of the most legendary madmen in rock 'n' roll, but, when they're hanging out with me and the kids, they're unbelievable gentlemen.

'Someone like Keith Moon was the world's greatest gentleman.

'So this is what happened ­ anyone who was likely to get crazy, it would be on their own time, in a hotel room and somewhere where the kids weren't. They were very respectful and the kids never really saw any kind of hedonistic behaviour.'

As the Wings Over America tour progressed, the almost Beatlemania-like crowd hysteria began to intensify and Paul's returned star power drew celebrities from all corners.

Backstage at Madison Square Garden in New York, the McCartneys were visited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her children, John Junior and Caroline Kennedy.

At an extravagant end-of-tour party at comedian Harold Lloyd's former estate in Los Angeles, A-list Hollywood guests included Henry Fonda, Steve McQueen and Tony Curtis, along with major musical names including The Jacksons and Bob Dylan.

In the final reckoning, Wings Over America was a triumph. After a bumpy start to the 1970s, Paul McCartney was now as successful in his own right as he had been as a Beatle.

'I sometimes wonder if it was crazy after The Beatles to do the entire thing again. To cook another three-course meal starting from scratch.

'And at times it looked like a crazy decision but we finally proved we could be a really cool band ­ play to American audiences in the same way The Beatles had and have the same impact, in a different way. It was a buzz. A huge buzz.'

In the end, McCartney has nothing but positive memories of his life with Linda and the kids and Wings.

'Y'know, I like to see the good in everything,' he concludes. 'The memory overall of the Seventies was that it was difficult, but the fact it worked was really rewarding.

'So it's great to see Linda up there, rocking, looking great. 'Cause you sort of think, God, the s*** she endured, bless her. And here we are on stage, and it all worked out.'

'Wings Over America' is out on May 27. The concert film 'Rockshow' will be in cinemas for one night on May 16.

Tom Doyle's new biography, 'Man On The Run: Paul McCartney In The 1970s', is published on September 6 by Polygon.

Thursday May 9th 2013, Paul McCartney performed his third and final massive stadium show in Brazil, on the first leg of his brand new tour. A week full of rock n' roll and surprises saw Paul perform in Belo Horizonte, Goiânia and Fortaleza, three cities in Brazil he had previously never visited.

Speaking after the show Paul said:

"Brazilian audiences are incredible so that's why we keep coming back. All of the shows this week were incredible. The crowds were just amazing and of course in Goiânia we had the grasshoppers join us, which was unbelievable. No one could see that coming!

CLICK TO WATCH - Paul introduces "Harold"...

In keeping with the first two shows of the tour, the final emotional night in Fortaleza saw a multi-generational crowd come together to party for almost three hours in sweltering heat, without a grasshopper in sight!

The show saw the audience laugh, cry, dance, scream and shout as Paul performed hits spanning his entire career. Fans showed their appreciation to Paul with yet another surprise. During Hey Jude the crowd let off green and yellow balloons, a surprise they had organised on social network sites in the weeks ahead of the concert. It was an astonishing sight to see and Paul was clearly moved by the tribute.

"I'd like to thank everyone who came out to see us this week. We had a ball. Me, the band and the crew have had a great time and it's largely down to the audience reaction we got. So thanks to everyone for being so cool, being so ready to party and for loving our music."

Next stop Orlando...

May 9, 2013 - Fortaleza, Brazil - Castelao Stadium (Youtube Videos)

CONCERT SET LIST

1. Eight Days A Week
2. Junior's Farm
3. All My Loving
4. Listen To What The 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. Hope Of Deliverance
12. We Can Work It Out
13. Another Day
14. And I Love Her
15. Blackbird
16. Here Today
17. Your Mother Should Know
18. Lady Madonna
19. All Together Now
20. Mrs. Vandebilt
21. Eleanor Rigby
22. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
23. Something
24. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
25. Band On The Run
26. Hi Hi Hi
27. Back In The USSR
28. Let It Be
29. Live And Let Die
30. Hey Jude

Encore One
31. Day Tripper
32. Lovely Rita
33. Get Back

Encore Two
34. Yesterday
35. Helter Skelter
36. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

After dedicating the songs "My Valentine to wife Nancy Shevell, and "Maybe I'm Amazed" to his late wife Linda McCartney, Sir Paul McCartney "blessed" a Brazilian couple. Kenzo Kimura, a 27-year-old publicist, took to the stage and asked his girlfriend Caroline Valente, to marry him "We never imagined that this would happen," confesses the groom now.

The proposal in public was thanks to a poster that the two made together. The poster said in English "Paul, I want to ask my love in marriage on stage. You blesses us?" It was held up by the couple during the sound check that the former Beatle performs for an audience of around 50 people, before each show. According to Kimura, Paul saw the poster and made an "OK" signal to them during the presentation.

Kenzo Kimura proposes to Caroline Valente

The request occurred at the end of the show at the concert that night. WATCH VIDEO

Near the the end of the last show of the 'Out There!' tour, Kenzo and Caroline almost lost hope. During the song "Get Back" when both were standing at the front stage barricade holding the poster, Paul pointed to them, smiled and called them. "When he came out for the second encore, immediately his people came to get us," says Kenzo.

Shortly after "Yesterday", he and Caroline took the stage for the proposal, made partly in English and in Portuguese. "When I came down from the stage, I could not remember a lot, I think I was in shock. I remember that he [Paul] pulled me, gave me a kiss and a hug and said ' Congratulations,'" details the groom. According to him, during "The End", the closing song of the show, Paul made a heart and pointed to the bride and groom to sing the verses "the love you take is equal to the love you make." "I don't know how I didn't cry," reveals Kimura.

According to Kimura, he and Caroline had engagement plans anticipated for Paul's show at Fortaleza. "Those who know us know how much we love the Beatles. It is the set list of our life, we breathe Beatles." said Kimura. He and his bride met at a McCartney concert. The engagement on Thursday, May 9th was the 4th time both had attended a Macca concert.

The film, which is included in the forthcoming Deluxe Edition of 'Wings over America', features several live favourites and shows the band hanging out off stage.

Tune in from 9pm to watch the 75 minute documentary.

Pre-order your copy of the 'Wings over America' Deluxe Edtion now from Amazon.

(Fans wishing to make an evening of it can also watch Paul in 'Love Me Do: The Beatles '62' which follows at 10.15pm!)

more...

Radio Times (UK)

Wings Over the World

Though essentially a promo of the 70s group featuring on-tour highlights, there are many subsidiary joys. We see a bearded and unburdened post-Beatles Paul McCartney jamming solo in the sunshine, goofing in Perth with Norman Gunston ­ the Les Patterson of his day ­ and squaring up to Ringo Starr in some green-room horseplay.

But the best bits are the off-guard interludes: in a rough-and-ready rehearsal for Live and Let Die, Macca scouses up the line "If this ever changing werld..."; and he scats along to a soundcheck for Yesterday, singing "scrambled eggs", famously the song's working title. A nice moment, too, when Paul and wife Linda take humble backing vocals for Wings' unsung hero, Denny Laine.
About this programme

Documentary featuring footage from Wings' triumphant tour of 1975/76, following the rock band in the UK, Australia and the US. Concert performances showcase 15 of their greatest songs, including Jet, Maybe I'm Amazed, Silly Love Songs and Band on the Run, and there are also home movies of lead singer Paul McCartney enjoying life off stage with his family. The programme begins with the former Beatle and his wife Linda in Scotland, before recalling the gradual build-up of the group toward their heyday.

His band The Beatles are arguably the most famous musical group of all time.

But on Tuesday night, Paul McCartney was more about the grasshoppers as he found his stage invaded by a swarm of the insects during a concert in Goiania, Brazil.

The 70-year-old musician was forced to complete his three-hour performance as clouds of the Esperanca Grilo creatures buzzed around him.

However, animal-lover Macca appeared unfazed by the stage intrusion as he pushed through and delighted the 47,000 crowd with his songs.

Sir Paul even introduced one of the little grasshoppers as Harold during a performance of hit song Hey Jude.

As he sang the track, Sir Paul turned to Harold as he sang the words 'the movement you need is on your shoulder', adding 'it certainly is now'.

Sir Paul had kicked off his Out There! tour in Brazil earlier this week, and will be travelling to countries including Poland, Italy and Austria as well as various venues in America before the tour draws to a close in Seattle on July 19th.

His set lists have included rarely performed songs such as Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite, All Together Now and Eight Days A Week, which he played live only once before the tour began, with The Beatles in 1965.

May 6, 2013 - Goiania, Brazil - Serra Dourada Stadium

Sound Check (From Angelica Sagurie)

1. Matchbox
2. Blue Suede Shoes
3. Coming Up
4. C Moon
5. Celebration
6. Things We Said Today
7. San Francisco Bay Blues
8. Ram On
9.Guitar Improvisation
10. Bluebird
11. Lady Madonna

CONCERT SET LIST

1. Eight Days A Week
2. Junior's Farm
3. All My Loving
4. Listen To What The Man Said
5. Let Me Roll It
6. Paperback Writer
7. My Valentine
8. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five
9. The Long And Winding Road
10. Maybe I'm Amazed
11. Hope Of Deliverance
12. We Can Work It Out
13. Another Day
14. And I Love Her
15. Blackbird
16. Here Today
17. Your Mother Should Know
18. Lady Madonna
19. All Together Now
20. Mrs. Vandebilt
21. Eleanor Rigby
22. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
23. Something
24. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
25. Band On The Run
26. Hi Hi Hi
27. Back In The USSR
28. Let It Be
29. Live And Let Die
30. Hey Jude

Encore One
31. Day Tripper
32. Lovely Rita
33. Get Back

Encore Two
34. Yesterday
35. Helter Skelter
36. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

New 'Out There!' tour launched in Belo Horizonte - Paul brings Beatlemania to Brazil

Saturday 4th May, Paul thrilled a sold out audience of 55,000 people in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The show at the massive Estadio Mineirao marked the opening of his all new "Out There" tour, which will travel across six countries in the coming months.

The show opened with Eight Days A Week, which Paul had previously only played live once with The Beatles in 1965. The setlist included many more treats for the fans with the first live performances of Beatles classics Your Mother Should Know, Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!, Lovely Rita and All Together Now. Paul also performed his solo classic Another Day for the first time since 1993. Wings favourites Listen To What The Man Said and Hi, Hi, Hi were also added to the setlist having never been performed at a Paul McCartney solo show before. We Can Work It Out was also added back into the setlist, Paul last performed it at the Glastonbury Festival in 2004.

The show was packed with Paul's biggest hits spanning his career that have become firm live favourites in his shows including Band on the Run, Hey Jude, Live and Let Die, Yesterday and Let It Be.

The brand new production, which fills over 31 trucks worth of equipment, also saw spectacular lasers and lighting, huge pyrotechnics, state of the art video displays and a special riser that saw Paul raised up 20ft above the stage to perform Blackbird and Here Today acoustically on his own. During Hey Jude the audience held up home made 'Thank You' signs, a surprise for Paul organised by fans on social network sites.

The city of Belo Horizonte gave Paul a warm reception with billboards across the town welcoming him. Fans camped outside the stadium in the days running up to the show in order to secure the best position when the doors opened. Local papers declared 'Beatlemania' had come to Brazil as Paul's every move since landing in the city on Friday morning became headline news with hundreds of fans lining the streets around the hotel he was staying in.

Last year local fans had started their own petition on Facebook to get Paul to play in Belo Horizonte. After securing the endorsement of thousands of residents the petition was delivered to Paul's London office. One of the fans, Adriana Mundo (28), who had supported the petition said: "When we heard Paul was coming here we couldn't actually believe it. It's a dream come true for us. We've never had anything like this here before. It's such an honour for our city."

At the end of his show Paul got the girls up on stage from the audience who originated the petition ­ Priscila Brito (27), Luisa Mattos (25), Camila Flores (25) and Cecilia Cury (21) ­ who were shocked by the recognition they received from their idol. Paul publicly thanked the girls and also signed Cecilia's Beatles tattoo.

Next stop Goiania...

The singer performed tracks such as Your Mother Should Know and Lovely Rita on the first night of his Out There tour in the city of Belo Horizonte.

Many later Beatles tracks were never performed live, after the band called an end to touring in 1966.

The Out There tour will include the US, Canada, Italy, Austria and Poland.

Sir Paul will play three concerts in Brazil this week - before continuing to Florida in the US in the middle of May.

Saturday's gig also saw Beatles' tracks Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite and All Together Now given their first live rendition.

Sir Paul sang Eight Days A Week live for only the second time. The Beatles played it just once in 1965.

The show, attended by 55,000 fans, saw the veteran star performing solo acoustic versions of Blackbird and Here Today on a platform some 20ft above the stage.

Sound Check (From Angelica Sagurie)

1. Honey Don't
2. Blue Suede Shoes
3. Highway
4. All My Loving
5. C Moon
6. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
7. We Can Work It Out
8. Midnight Special
9. Calico Skies
10. Something
11. Bluebird
12. Lady Madonna

CONCERT SET LIST

1. Eight Days A Week
2. Junior's Farm
3. All My Loving
4. Listen To What The Man Said
5. Let Me Roll It
6. Paperback Writer
7. My Valentine
8. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five
9. The Long And Winding Road
10. Maybe I'm Amazed
11. Hope Of Deliverance
12. We Can Work It Out
13. Another Day
14. And I Love Her
15. Blackbird
16. Here Today
17. Your Mother Should Know
18. Lady Madonna
19. All Together Now
20. Mrs. Vandebilt
21. Eleanor Rigby
22. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
23. Something
24. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
25. Band On The Run
26. Hi Hi Hi
27. Back In The USSR
28. Let It Be
29. Live And Let Die
30. Hey Jude

Encore One
31. Day Tripper
32. Lovely Rita
33. Get Back

Encore Two
34. Yesterday
35. Helter Skelter
36. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

Paul backstage tonight before concert at Mineirao Stadium.

Michael asks: "If you could re-live one day in your life what day would it be?"

We caught up with Paul during the rehearsals for his forthcoming all-new "Out There" tour which begins at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil this Saturday.

Paul replied, "Thank you for your question Michael. If I could re-live any one day in my life it would have to be when any of my kids were born."

Paul at rehearsals, Los Angeles, April 13th 2013 Photo: © MPL/MJ Kim

Paul has been in Los Angeles with Wix, Rusty, Abe and Brian rehearsing for his forthcoming all-new "Out There" tour which begins this Saturday at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Tour photographer MJ Kim was on hand to send PaulMcCartney.com exclusive photos from the rehearsals. Check them out HERE!

The "Out There" tour will see Paul and his band travel the world throughout the year, visiting both places of historical significance to Paul and new spots for the very first time.

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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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