RLD" TOUR ITINERARYRLD" TOUR ITINERARY
March 28 - Palau
San Jordi
- Barcelona, Spain
March 29 - Palau
San Jordi
- Barcelona, Spain
April 1 - Sportpaleis
Antwerpen
- Antwerp, Belgium
April 2 - Sportpaleis
Antwerpen
- Antwerp, Belgium
April 5 - Hallam
Arena
- Sheffield, England
April 6 - Hallam Arena - Sheffield,
England RESCHEDULED
April 9 - Manchester
Evening News Arena
- Manchester, England
April 10 - Manchester
Evening News Arena
- Manchester, England
April 13 - NIA (National
Indoor Arena)
- Birmingham, England
April 14 - NIA (National
Indoor Arena)
- Birmingham, England
April 18 - Earls Court - London, England
April 19 - Earls Court - London, England
April 21 - Earls Court - London, England
April 22 - Earls Court - London, England
April 25 - Gelredome - Arnhem, The Netherlands
April 27 - Köln
Arena
- Cologne, Germany
April 28 - Köln
Arena
- Cologne, Germany
April 30 - Preussag
Arena
- Hannover, Germany
May 2 - Parken
Stadium
- Copenhagen, Denmark
May 4 - Stockholm
Globe Arena
- Stockholm, Sweden
May 5 - Stockholm
Globe Arena
- Stockholm, Sweden
May 8 - Koenig Pilsener
Arena
- Oberhausen, Germany
May 10 - Colosseum - Rome, Italy (inside)
May 11 - Via
dei Fori Imperiali
(in front of the Colosseum) -
Rome, Italy
May 14 - Stadthalle - Vienna, Austria
May 15 - Budapest
Sportarena
- Budapest, Hungary
May 17 - Konigsplatz - Munich, Germany
May 18 - Konigsplatz - Munich, Germany
May 21 - AOL
Arena
- Hamburg, Germany
May 24 - Red
Square
- Moscow, Russia
May 27 - RDS
(Royal Dublin Society) Stadium - Dublin, Ireland
May 29 - HallamFM
Arena
- Sheffield, England
June 1 - Kings
Dock -
Liverpool, England
Five of Birmingham's policemen
were reunited backstage with Paul before his show. In 1963 they
had given the Beatles their helmets (Bobbies helmets) as a disguise
to smuggle them past 1,000 screaming girls at the Birminghan Hippodrome.
When Paul came into his dressing room he said, "Where are
the coppers then? Where are the scuffers? Long time no see, this
is fabulous!"
After the show former policeman,Tom Jones, 63 said, "Paul
was such a gentleman, it was wonderful to meet him again. We only
got to see the Beatles from the wings at the Hippodrome so to
see Paul's fantastic show was great."
Songs heard at the soundcheck, "Coming Up," "All
Things Must Pass," "San Francisco Bay Blues."
Paul and Heather
waved to fans as they drove into the venue in a jaguar (Paul driving).
The show started at 8:10pm with the pre-show which doesn't seem
to be entralling the UK audience like it did in the US. Paul wore
the red Nehru jacket, long-sleeved red T-shirt and charcoal pin-striped
trouser. Same setlist as Manchester. The 13,000 sellout crowd
stood up when Paul arrived onstage and the main floor stood for
the whole concert. Security was making people sit down in the
block (mezzanine) sections.
In the audience was UK DJ Tony Blackburn, host of the TV show,
"I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here."
Paul was in great singing voice but his talking voice was hoarse
at times.
Paul talked about driving north
through the Midlands to Liverpool and seeing the National Trust
signs - "Historic Durham, Historic Warwick...the only one
that rhymes," he joked.
When Paul took off his jacket the band played "The Stripper."
Wolf-whistles from the female fans was heard.
For the intro to "Michelle"
Paul talked about wearing a black polo neck jumper (sweater) to
look 'sophisticated' which got screams and wolf-whistles from
female fans. Paul remarked, "Now people scream for inanimate
objects." Then he yelled, "There's a black kettle in
the corner!" (fans screamed) "Polka-dot knickers!"
(fans screamed).
Rusty pulled out his digital camera during the show and took a
photo of the audience. He also did his 'fall' at the end of "Live
and Let Die."
For his introduction to "Something" Paul explained how
George Harrison was was a "seriously good ukulele player
" and a life-long fan of George Formby and belonged to the
George Formby fanclub. People cheered. Paul said that when he
told this story in America only a few people knew who George Formby
was.
He dedicated, "Your Loving Flame" to his "lovely
wife, Heather" and dedicated "My Love" to Linda.
At the end of "Calico Skies" Paul mentioned that if
you liked this track it would be available (new version) on a
charity album from the Mirror Group ("Hope" - War Child
Charity) to help the children of Iraq.
Paul had a few minor slips up vocally but his voice was superb
throughout the show though there were some noticeable cold affer-effects.
During "Let It Be" Paul sneezed and made faces trying
to stop himself from sneezing again and altered his voice which
showed some signs of strain, while trying not to laugh. There
was so much smoke after "Live and Let Die" when he performed
"Let It Be" he also coughed. O
nly a few people in the audience held
up lighters during the song.
Abe sang the main harmonies on "Two of Us" while Paul
sang the lower vocals (John's part) and Abe did Paul's vocal part.
Abe did the whistling at the end of the song.
Heather came out before "Hey Jude" (right side of photo
pit) and stayed until the end of the show. She was seen dancing
and waving her arms.
Paul commented on signs in the audience and said that when he
reads the signs while he's performing he sometimes forgets what
he's doing! He pointed to the "St. Paul Loves Sir Paul"
sign and pointed to another sign with pink hearts and said "I
like the hearts."
Congrats to
Brenda Spencer for getting
her "Back in the US" CD booklet (her photo is in the
booklet on the lower right of the page) signed right after "Yesterday."
That was the only item Paul signed from the stage. Fans threw
flowers and stuffed animals to the stage and Paul picked some
up.
Text message to Paul: "Lennon/McCartney." "Tony
Blackburn and Capitol Gold wish Paul the very best for the show."
CAPITOL GOLD
Vendors did a brisk business selling merchandise with big lines.
The "Freedom" shirt sold for £50 ($78.50). The
program was £15 ($23.50)
back to itinerary
Paul was in
great voice and seemed fully recovered from his cold, except his
talking voice was still a bit hoarse. He kept the same setlist
that started in Manchester.
He wore the purple Nehru jacket, red long-sleeved T-shirt and
very baggy Diesel jeans. Paul addressed the crowd, "People
of Birmingham, we have come
to rock you tonight!"
The audience was enthusiastic and the main floor stood up most
of night, but it was only at the end of the show where a few people
rushed the stage.
Security was particulary nasty about cameras and was threatening
to toss people out for taking 'one' photo.
Paul goofed up the chords to "Blackbird" and said "WHOOPS"
and brought the song to a halt which the audience loved. After
the song he joked, "Now you know this is LIVE!"
After talking about the National Trust signs and "Shakespeare
country," he concluded that Shakespeare, who was from the
West Midlands, must have had a "Brummie" accent so he
recited some of the Bard's work ("Hamlet") with a very
passable Birmingham accent.
Paul said, "It's getting HOT in here" and removed his
jacket to female wolf-whistles as the band played "The Stripper."
Paul mentioned Liverpool landmarks (Liverpool Institute) during
his introduction to "Michelle" which got screams from
the Liverpool crowd making Paul laugh. He did the same thing as the night before
and yelled out, "black tea kettle!" "polka-dot
knickers!" Paul seemed amused by the audience's reponse.
He said that the person who wrote the arrangement for the song
was in the audience and thanked George Martin.
For the intro to "Something" Paul said that the person
who shot the rare early photos of George shown on the screen was
in the audience tonight and said, "Mike McCartney!"
and pointed to him in the audience. The audience cheered.
Paul was a bit choked up at
the end of "Here Today" and at the beginning of "My
Love'." "Band on The Run" and "I've Just Seen
A Face" were best received numbers also "Let 'Em In"
went down well.
Paul dedicated "Birthday" to everyone in the audience
who had a birthday and to "Emma" whose birthday is next
week.
Rusty took more photos of the audience and Heather was seen on
the right side of photo pit wearing an all black outfit. She danced
during "I Saw Her Standing There."
In the audience were Mike McCartney, George Martin and Wix's mom
and dad. Wix told the crowd
that his Mum was a Brummie (Birmingham born) and that his brother
lived in the city. Wix mentioned that he was brought up in Birmingham
and his brother and family were in the audience. He said that
when the band played Manchester they stayed in Liverpool and visited
LIPA and talked to a class. One of the questions asked was, "Do
you still feel nervous when you play live?" to which Wix
answered, "YES!"
Fans threw items for Paul to autograph at the end of the show
but Paul only signed a program. A lot of people were leaving at
the encores to beat the parking lot crowds.
Text messages:
"And they thought that
student loans were for buying books." "Wear the black
Polo neck tonight Paul." "Lost my glasses can't see
too well need a front row seat." "Everton beat WBA (West
Bromwich Albion) so any chance of some front row tickets?"
"Paul's still got a sore throat so I'll be singing tonight
- Mick." "I
can remember listening to you when I was in me Mum's tummy 38
years ago." "You
were always my second favourite Beatle!"
At the end of the concert his new version of "Band on the
Run" that was recorded for the BBC Radio 2 commercial was
aired in full over the PA.
back to itinerary
All the Earls
Court shows had earlier start times because of a neighborhood
noise curfew that requested the show be over by 10:45pm. The pre-show
started at 7:40pm but the room lights were left on ruining the
effect. The setlist was the same as the previous show. Backstage the VIP room had about 50 to 75 people
including Wix and Brian. Very elegant hors d'eouvers were served;
stuffed grape leaves, veggie burgers, spiced olives, canapes,
pastries, etc. Waiters poured all the
the liquor you could drink.
Paul wore the purple Nehru jacket, red long-sleeved T-shirt and
Diesel blue loose fitting jeans. Paul's singing voice sounded
a bit hoarse at the beginning of the show but got better after
the first few songs.
David Frost was spotted in the audience.
The London audience kept their British reserve until two-thirds
of the way into the show where they finally let loose. "Back
in the USSR" got the audience rocking.
There was a lot of interaction going on between Paul and the audience
in the first couple of rows. A group of fans did the "Let
Me Roll It" arm roll during the song and Paul participated
by making circles with his right index finger.
There was a sign in the audience that read "Foxy Paul"
and Paul acknowledged that with a wide-eyed smile right after
the "Foxy Lady" ending (which was extended) to "Let
Me Roll It."
After the changing
acoustic guitars, Paul's guitar strap accidently hooked onto the
microphone stand knocking it over with the microphone. Paul caught
it and placed it back and muttered, "It attacked ME!"
After "Calico Skies"
Paul mentioned the charity album ("Hope"- War Child
Charity) that the song was recorded for. He said, "If you
like that, ("Calico Skies") it's on a new album brought
to you by the Mirror Group, and all the money raised goes to relief
for the children in Iraq."
Paul did the usual 'mass-sage' stories, and donned a southern
American accent when he imitated the New Orleans masseuse who
told him to "Please sit
upright on the table...."
During the intro to "Michelle," after the Paul mentioned
the black polo neck shirt, everybody screaming. Paul said "Now
you guys are screaming for items of clothing," and added,
that he was wearing a black polo neck shirt AND pink polka-dot
boxer shorts!
When he told the George Formby
story for the "Something" intro he said that in America
only one person at the back of the arena would know who Formby
was. The audience laughed.
He flubbed the second verse to "Hey Jude" and mumbled
the words.
At the encore
Paul carried a large Union Jack flag which he waved around walking
from one side of the stage to another nearly tripping and falling
over it as it dragged on the floor causing him to misstep. Then
he mimed falling off the stage.
A fan (Lady Brent) tossed a bouquet of tulips to Sir Paul which
he picked up and shoved down the neck of his "no more landmines"
T-shirt. He pulled them out and then he and his bandmates did
their "gorilla dance" dragging their knuckles on the
floor and jumping around like apes.
After "The End" he signed one vinyl "Driving Rain"
album (congrats
to Masahiro Sendai)
before he left the stage.
back to itinerary
For the second
Earls Court show Paul dropped "Things We Said" today
which was replaced by "Maybe I'm Amazed." "Calico
Skies," "Two of Us," and "I've Just Seen A
Face" remained in the setlist.
Paul was seen coming in
around 4:30 in a silver Mercedes. He waved to fans but did not
stop.
There was very tight security with body searches and bag checks.
People were warned that if they were caught with cameras they
would be tossed out. Security with walkie talkies were searching
out camera flashes and people were being searched at their seats
and if a camera was found they were escorted out. Paul's security
physically pushed people back in their seats if they moved out
of their area in the front row.
Heather walked
in to take her spot in the photo pit and shook hands with thrilled
fans sitting in the mezzanine near the stage.
The show started at 7:40pm with Paul coming on at 8pm. Paul wore
a sky-blue Nehru jacket with a bright yellow lining, a red long-sleeved
T-shirt and charcoal pin-striped trousers.
The crowd sat for most of the concert, getting up when Paul first
arrived onstage and then sitting down. Toward the end of the concert
people were on their feet.
Paul said,"Welcome to the court of the Earls. (a reference
to Lord of the Rings) We have come to rock you."
For the acoustic set just before
"Blackbird" the band (as usua) left Paul all alone on
stage. He told the audience, "This is the time they leave
me alone with you. I'm not afraid, are you?" The audience
laughed.
When he introduced
"Michelle" and mentioned landmarks in Liverpool there
was no reaction. But when he mention "polo neck sweater"
women screamed as at previous shows. Paul mentioned that now people
were screaming for items of clothing and the polo neck sweater
was getting screams all around the world.
Paul's voice showed c
lear signs of strain throughout the show missing
a crucial high note on "My Love" to which he grimaced.
He nailed "Maybe I'm Amazed" with no problem.
There was a lot going on in the front rows with fans trying to
have conversations with Paul. Paul
feigning annoyance said, "The people in the front row, we
seem to have a bit of a conversation going on here. 'How are you
Paul ? How you doing.' I can't spend all my time talking to you.
What about those at the back?" he said pointing to the balcony
with brought loud cheers from the balcony.
When the strongman brought out the psychedelic piano Paul said,
"They've brought out the strange box that just appears...
What is it?" A smartass audience member yelled out "THAT'S
A PIANO!" Paul not missing beat said, "Good guess!Yeah,
I know it's a piano."
He talked about
signs in the audience and losing his concentration while performing
because he was reading them. He mentioned one sign and said, "My
Mother Saw You At Shea Stadium! Big deal." (He did something
similar in the States pointing out a sign that wasn't there -"My
Mother Saw You in Chicago in 1965!") There was a line of
signs in the audience that read "We Have Come To Rock You."
The offstage crew played a joke on Brian. During "Birthday"
Brian plays a tambourine which he discards at the end of the song
by tossing it offstage. Evidently he must have hit a few crew
members at previous gigs because, just before tambourine toss
the crew was seen putting on 'hard hats' with little flags on
top to protect themselves from the toss. Brian couldn't stop laughing.
Paul joked about Easter talking about "me and my bunny rabbit."
When the end of the show was coming he told the crowd, "You HAVE to go home....because the Easter
bunny is coming!!!"
There was a new beginning to
"Band On the Run." Paul performed the slow Radio 2 version
(being played after the concert on the PA system) with Wix playing
sitar on the keyboard. Paul sang a few lines and then began the
normal version.
Heather was shown on the screens quite a bit dancing during "Hey
Jude." Members of the crew were dancing at the sides of the
stage.
Paul picked up all the Easter bunnies and eggs thrown on the stage
including a Humpty Dumpty doll and either placed them on the stage
or gave them to band members who put them on their heads.
Just before "Sgt. Pepper Reprise /The End" Paul said,
"Can you believe it? Someone in the front row has just asked
me to play 'Something!' He knows there is no pleasing some people!"
After the song he posed with a stuffed bunny waving the bunny's
paw saying, "Me and my bunny would like to wish you a very
happy Easter."
Paul signed a DVD before he left the stage.
Text messages:
"Play something from Ram
Paul." "I know you said get back Paul but surely you
did not mean this far!" "Paul we need front row seats
as my old man is getting on a bit. Give him something to talk
about down at the pub." "Two gigs over 500 miles how
about a front row seat?" "My mum thinks you're great."
"I saw you at the Finsbury Park Astroia in 1963. I've been
in love with you ever since."
back to itinerary
Paul arrived around 5pm in the silver Mercedes, rolled down the window and took items from waiting fans to sign. Sometime later a roadie came out with the autographed items and distributed them to the fans.
There
were VIP tickets that fans could purchase for tonight's show (and
the last night at Earls Court) that included, hotel, seats in
the first five rows, and the soundcheck. The package cost a minimum
of $1,700 per person. Songs heard at the soundcheck: "Coming Up," "Matchbox,"
"Blue Suede Shoes," "Honey Don't," "Waiting
for Your Train To Get In."
Paul wore the red Nehru jacket, a long-sleeved red T-shirt and
blue jeans. The audience was very
enthusiastic but as a whole they preferred to sit
during the concert. Fans who stood got hassled by the fans behind
them who wanted them to sit down.
Fans from Mexico (Carlos A. Garcia and Mitzi Solano) were in the audience waving the Mexican flag and flicking their lighters on and off during "Every Night" prompting Paul to explain what they were doing. He mentioned after the song how the Mexican fans would turn their lighters on and off non-stop during that song at the Mexico City show. And that he would stop playing the song and the audience would continue in rhythm turning the lighters on an off and he would start to play again. Paul said, "Tonight there are two Mexican guys there (points to them) and, well, sorry guys because tonight you are only two, and I couldn't stop, but anyway thanks!"
Paul called his psychedelic piano a "box" again and more people yelled out "It's a PIANO!" That seemed to amuse Paul. He also was getting a kick out of the screams for his "black polo neck sweater" during the intro to "Michelle." Some female fans hooted when he mentioned the sweater and he mock scolded them saying, "Now stop it now!"
At the end of the show, Paul
said the crowd were a lucky lot, because he thought his voice
might not have held out. He joked and said, "We nearly had
Dawn French (comedian) as a reserve vocalist but she couldn't
make it."
Text message: "That guitar is OK Paul, but you won't make
a living out of it!" "QUESTION How many Beatles does
it take to change a lightbulb? ANSWER: None, Mal Evans would have
done it!"
back to itinerary
Paul arrived around 4:30 pm in the second of
two silver Mercedes. Paul sat with John Hammel in the back seat,
rolled down the window, smiled, waved and said, "hi"
to the group of 25 fans who had been waiting. The car did not
stop. Brian Riddle, Paul's main security man 
and a genuinely nice guy to fans, offered
to take items backstage for Paul to autograph. As promised Brian
emerged two hours later, with five autographs, that included a
"Help!"
vinyl album (Congrats to Betty Wraya),
a "Ram" vinyl album (congrats to Peter White), a "Yesterday
and Today" vinyl album (congrats to Jamie Legner) and a program
(congrats to Dino Vescera).
Behind the scenes at the soundcheck. Paul arrived onstage at 4:50pm
and hugged all the band members. He was wearing a charcoal suit
and a pink-orange T-shirt. The Fanasylum tour group were allowed into the
soundcheck and were seated some thirty rows back. Paul stepped
up to the microphone and said, "Good Evening. Welcome to
Earls Court."
Paul began "Coming Up."
After the song the tour group cheered. Paul jokes, "I want
this group kept under control. SECURITY!" [pointing to group]
Next is "Honey Don't," then "Matchbox." Fans
applaud the end of the song. Paul says in his best Elvis accent,
"Thank you very much...Carl Perkin lovers." Macca then
goes over to Abe's drum kit and starts playing with the stuffed
bears in front of it.
The band played a instrumental jam - switching between two chords
every eight bars. Paul, Rusty and Wix exchanged leads. Then Paul
switched to the piano and played "Celebration," and
"C Moon."
Paul grabs his acoustic guitar and and plays parts of "Blackbird"
and "Things We Said Today."
"Midnight Special," the band does a square dance during
the middle-eight, all together and in step.
Next Paul performed "All Things Must Pass." There was
a short jam after the song and then a reprise of "All Things
Must Pass." When done, Paul said "Was that better for
you Pab? The fans cheered thinking Paul was speaking to them.
Paul says, "I'm not asking you lot!" [laughs] "Pab
is our sound engineer." (Pab is the sound engineer. His name
is Paul Boothroyd)
Paul's cell phone rang and
he took the call. Meanwhile, the band played a soft bosanova beat.
Paul switched to the psychedelic piano and played a shortened
version of "You Never Give Me Your Money." Then "The
Fool On The Hill" (shortened version) and "Lady Madonna"
(shortened version). Paul played a "Lady Madonna" reprise
at a faster tempo and finished the soundcheck. He said to the
fans, "Thanks everyone...that's enough...soundcheck is now
ended."
There were quite a few VIP's in the audience, especially from
Liverpool including Paul's aunt Jean who he honored in the song
"Let 'Em In," substituting "Auntie Gin" for
"Auntie Jean" and adding "Uncle Edward."
Besides thanking family members for coming from Liverpool and
Yorkshire, he also thanked everyone who traveled far and wide
for coming to the London shows. Also spotted in the audience were
Formula One British race car driver, David Coulthard and Julian
Lennon.
Paul changed the word "Jet" to "Geoff" during "Jet" in honor of UK DJ Geoff Lloyd (Pete and Geoff) of Virgin Radio who interviewed him before the show (it will be aired on Virgin Radio, May 18). It was Geoff's birthday's present from Paul.
Paul wore the purple Nehru
jacket, red long-sleeved T-shirt and blue jeans.
Abe who was suffering from a bad case of tennis elbow had a few
problems drumming because of the pain.
The crowd was more subdued than the previous night. More audience members were sitting down. However there was a rush to the stage at the end of the pre-show by fans in first couple of rows.
The Mexican fans from the previous
night were in the audience again waving their flag and holding
a sign that read "We Were Here Yesterday, THANK YOU for your
words." Paul smiled and winked at them. He finished "Every
Night" and mentioned again about the lighters and the Mexico
City concert. A Mexican woman shouted, " I was here yesterday!" and Paul said
"I did not see you," turning his head to the flag waving
Mexicans from the night before and smiling.
Paul's voice hit a few sour notes at the beginning of "Blackbird"
surprising the man himself, judged by his expression.
Once again after "Here,
There and Everywhere," Paul mentioned the allusive sign (that
is not really there) "My Mum Saw You at Shea Stadium in 1965."
After his tributes to John and George some fans yelled out "What
about a Ringo Song?" Paul ignored them.
After "Calico Skies" Paul said, "If you like this song it's from the album called 'Hope' to help the children of Iraq."
Macca played the slow alternate "Band On the Run 2" intro to "Band On the Run" which is becoming an audience favorite.
At the beginning of "Two Of Us" during the first opening notes Paul shouted "Good beginning!" Abe took the higher register of the song and Paul took the lower register. Abe whistled at the end of the song.
Paul said after "Back In The USSR" that the band is going to Moscow and he can't wait to perform the song there. Appropriately fans in near the stage held a banner up that read, "See you in Moscow Paul."
Paul signed two vinyl albums at the end of the show and picked up a Mexican flag that was thrown to him and left the stage with it.
Sign in the audience: "GO
VEGGIE FOR A KISS!" Paul acknowledged the sign by blowing
a kiss to the sign holder.
Text message: "Wake up sleepy London, McCartney's in town!"
Fans helped themselves to the "Back in the World" posters
decorating Earl's Court by ripping them off the walls.
back to itinerary
Paul arrived at the venue around 6:15pm with police escort after his white stretch limo was stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway and had to ride on the shoulder. His plane landed at Rotterdam airport and he had to go by car to Arnhem. Macca waved to fans also stuck in the jam as the limo passed them. There was more traffic than usual because of a school holiday. While he was on the motorway he did a phone interview with the DJ of Radio 2 which went live on the air. The fans were let in at 7pm right after Paul finished his soundcheck. Some fans had been waiting since 8:30am to get a good position on the general admission floor.
Songs heard at the souncheck:
"C Moon," "Purple Haze," "Coming Up,"
"Celebration," "Things We Said Today."
The concert started late at 8:15pm because
of the traffic jam. Security was not as tight as at other shows
and people were able to sneak cameras and videocameras in.
Paul wore the sky-blue Nehru jacket, a red long-sleeved T-shirt
and loose fitting blue jeans. On either side of him were teleprompters.
One with the words to the songs and the other with his scripted
dialog. Fans threw stuffed animals on the stage and Paul placed
them behind him on the amplifiers.
Paul greeted the 30,000 strong at the Gelredome after "All
My Loving" and said in Dutch, "Goedenavond Nederland.
We've come to rock you tonight. Alles goed?" (Good evening,
the Netherlands....Everything OK?) Tickets were available the
day of the show but soon sold out by showtime. The floor was general
admission and the retractable roof of the Dome was closed to keep
the noise level down for neighboring areas. Fans on the main floor
had to endure a lot pushing and shoving, but were very enthusiastic.
Fans in the bleachers for the most part remained seated. The bleachers
had a severe downward angle and not a lot of elbow room which
made it difficult to stand or dance.
Paul's Dutch accent was not bad according to concertgoers though
Paul had problems pronouncing the letter "G" in Dutch.
For the intro to "Your
Loving Flame" Paul said, "Ik wil dit nummer opdragen
aan mijn liefste vrouw Heather." (I want to dedicate this
song to my dearest wife Heather)
When the band left the stage for the solo acoustic set Paul said,
"En nu ben ik alleen met jullie." (and now i'm alone
with you)
When the strongman brought out the psychedelic piano, Paul commented,
"Hij gebruikt sterioïden." (he uses steriods) which
got a laugh from the audience. Paul did not tell his massage stories
and "forgot the words" to "You Never Give Me Your
Money," as scripted.
Paul introduced all the band members in Dutch. Wix told the audience that after the concert in London (his hometown) a few of his cousins came over with him to Arnhem. Brian said he was glad to be in Holland because he's part Dutch from his father's side of the family.
Rusty brought out a English
to Dutch pocket translator and said, "My Dutch is pretty
awful so I have a message I'm gonna play for you." He held
it up to the microphone so the audience could hear the female
voice speaking in Dutch. "De band bedankt u voor het warme
welkom." (The band would like to thank you for the warm welcome)
"Wilt u alstublieft geen kauwgum onder de stoelen plakken!"
(please don't stick your gum under the seats!) That got a good
laugh from the audience.
When Paul introduced "Here Today" he said in Dutch,
"Ik heb dit geschreven na de dood van mijn vriend John."
(I wrote this after the passing of my friend John). Big applause
from the audience. After the song, the entire audience started
singing "Give Peace A Chance." Paul did not join in.
Paul said for his intro to "Something," "George
hield van de ukulele." (George loved the ukulele). After
"Something," fans yelled, "What about Ringo?"
Paul said, "Yes, Ringo too," and started to sing, "
WE ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE... " and the audience joined
in with some singing the Dutch words to the song.
Before "Michelle," he said, "Laten we naar Frankrijk
gaan" (let's go to France)
For the intro to "My Love" Paul said he wrote the song
for Linda and, "Dit is voor alle verliefden." (this
is for all the lovers) Both Linda and Heather got the same amount
of applause for their dedications.
After "Live and Let Die" there was a huge applause and
Paul did his pantomine of putting his hand on his chest and feigning
a heart-attack. Then he leaned over the piano resting on his elbows
looking very amused by the crowd's reaction to the fireworks.
"Band On The Run" had the slow intro from the BBC-2
commercial before getting into the regular version.
Paul congratulated all the people who had a birthday by saying
"Dit lied is voor de jarigen hier." (this song is for
the people who have their birthday) When Paul performed "Birthday"
the house rocked.
For "Hey Jude" Paul conducting the audience, "Nu alle mannen!" (Now all the men), "Nu alle vrouwen!" (Now all the women). Then the left side, right side, middle and then all. At the end of the "Hey Jude" the crowd continued to sing the "nah-nah-nah's" while the band was leaving the stage.
For the first encore Paul came out waving what was supposed to be the flag of the Netherlands, but instead of the Red/White/Blue, it was Red/Blue/White which is the Russian flag! The audience didn't know what to make of this so there wasn't much of a reaction to the flag waving.
"I Saw Her Standing There"
got people on their feet singing and dancing.
At the beginning of the second encore, before "Yesterday"
he said, "Wij moeten naar huis........jullie moeten naar
huis! "(We've got to go home... you have to go home!) and
added in English, "We have to go home sometime." The
audience didn't agree.
Paul and the band waved goodbye as the confetti (in red, white
and blue came) down from the ceiling and the crowd gave them a
standing ovation. Paul picked up a huge bouquet of flowers thrown
to stage but didn't sign any autographs.
Sign in the audience: "We praise YOU Paul" "
Text messages: "I say hello, don't say goodbye Paul, Alex"
"Marja I love you more than Paul, sorry Paul"
back to itinerary
Paul arrived
at the airport around 4:55pm and went straight to the venue with
an entourage of several cars. He was in the second car (Mercedes).
There were about 20 fans waiting who moved toward the car as it
drove in. Paul rolled down the window with a big grin and waved.
He was on a cell phone doing an interview. The car did not stop.
The show started at 8:15pm. Paul hit the stage at 8:33 wearing
the sky blue Nehru jacket, a red long-sleeved T-shirt and blue
jeans. Fans immediately rushed the stage but security blocked
the aisles with access to the stage. The 14,000 strong (sold out)
Cologne audience rocked.
For his introduction to
"Getting Better" he said, "Das ist das erste Mal,
dass ich dieses Lied in Deutschland gesungen habe." (This
is the first time that I'm singing this song in Germany)
"Guten Abend Cologne."
(Good evening Cologne) "We've come here tonight, to rrrrock
you!" said Paul.
A fan in the front row who
had obviously been to his concert before was saying what Paul
was supposed to say before he said it. He said, "You're stealing
all my lines! I was supposed to say, are you having a good time
and YOU, 'yes.' Not the other way around!" A fan yelled out
"Paul I love you!" Paul said pretending to whisper,
"Yeah I love you too."
Paul said, "Wie geht es Euch?"Gut? Wie gut?" (How
are you? Good? How good?) The crowd responded with "JA!"
(YES)
Introducing "Lonely Road," he said, "Das ist ein
neues Lied. (this is a new song.) Well not that new... newish,
newish...ish,"
He said, "I learned a little German in school in Liverpool."
He said his favorite piece of German literature was a poem called,
"Jacob war der frechste rabe von allen." (Jacob was
the rudest crow of all).
Paul spoke in German quite
a bit. He dedicated "Your Loving Flame to "Meine liebe
Frau Heather." (my dear wife Heather). When he ended the
song he said, "It's for you, Heather." (Heather was
in England)
For "Here Today" he dedicated it to his "freund
John." (friend John)
Rusty used his pocket translator which said, "Die Band moechte
sich sehr fur den freundlichen Empfang bedanken. Bitte kleben
Sie Ihre 
Kaugummis nicht unter die Sitze."
(The band wants to thank you very much for the warm welcome. Please
don´t put your chewing gums under your seats).
The strongman brought out the psychedelic piano and Paul said,
"Er nimmt Anabolika!" (He's taken steriods!) There were
no massage stories and Paul sang, "This is the bit where
I don't know the words..." to "You Never Give Me Your
Money."
When the psychedelic piano was brought onstage he said, "Oh
a colorful box - what's this?" Someone yelled out something
and Paul grinned and said, "Normally when I say that in the
show, someone from the front row says, 'It's a piano!'"
Abe was seen breaking a lot of drumsticks from drumming during the show.
After "Calico Skies"
Paul said, "if you liked that song, it's on the charity album
'Peace' to help the children of Iraq."
For the first encore Paul came out waving the German flag and
wearing his usual "no more land mines" red T-shirt.
He signed some CD booklets before he left the stage.
Text message: "Can you
play at my birthday party Macca?" "Paul ist geldgeil"
(Paul is money happy)
back to itinerary
Paul was staying
with the band at the Hotel
Excelsior Ernst.
Heather was not in Cologne. She had work committments in England.
About 500 fans hung o
ut
at the hotel in hopes of seeing Paul. They got to see the band
members instead walking to a nearby McDonalds. The band stopped
and signed autographs for fans that asked.
The second show was not sold out and tickets were selling until
showtime. The audience was definitely in awe of McCartney. Fans
in the first couple of rows were allowed to rush the stage. When
the rockers numbers were played most of the audience was on their
feet. They sat for the slower numbers. Concertgoers who were at
both shows said the audience at this show was better.
Paul wore the blue Nehru jacket with a yellow lining, a long-sleeved
red T-shirt and charcoal pin-striped trousers.
After "All My Loving" he greeted
the crowd with, "Schönen guten Abend Köln! Wie
geht es euch?" (Good Evening Cologne. How are you?)
He mentioned the "Jacob the Crow" poem again and said, "Jakob der Rabe war der frechste von allen Vögeln, die ich je gesehen habe."(Jakob the crow was the rudest of all birds, that I ever saw.)
When the band left the stage
for his solo set he said, "Und nun bin ich allein mit euch."
(And now I am alone with you). Then he introduced in English "Blackbird."
Rusty used his pocket translator which said, "Die Band moechte
sich sehr fur den freundlichen Empfang bedanken. Bitte kleben
Sie Ihre Kaugummis nicht unter die Sitze." (The band wants
to thank you very much for the warm welcome. Please don´t
put your chewing gums under your seats) But he pressed (by mistake?)
the fast forward button so that the end of the text sounded like
Mickey Mouse.
For "Here Today" he said, "Ich habe dieses Lied nach dem Tode meines Freundes John geschrieben." (I wrote this song after the death of my friend John.
To help Paul remember what
to say in German there were pieces of paper stuck to the floor
everywhere. For the intro to "Something" he said, "Mein
Freund George liebte die Ukulele zu spielen." (My friend
George loved to play the ukulele) And then said that he will sing
the song now for George. Someone in the front rows yelled out
that he was George! Paul had a private conversation with him from
the stage and said scarcastically, "Oh, another one who is
called George ... how unusual. But I am not playing this song
for you, believe me!" Then he laughed and said, "There's
a GEORGE in every crowd!"
After the song someone yelled,
"And what about Ringo?" Paul repeated, "What about
Ringo?" and then began to sing, "We all live in a Yellow
Submarine..." The crowd joined in. At the end of the refrain
then Paul ended the song with a "cutting" gesture of
his arms. Then someone shouted "Octopus's Garden" and
Paul repeated "No, we can't do all the Ringo songs."
The usual introductions were
translated into German. For "Michelle" he said, "Komm
mit uns nach Frankreich." (Come w
ith us to France)
For "My Love" he said, "Ich schrieb diesen Song
für Linda und das Lied ist für alle Liebenden."
(I wrote this song for Linda and the song for all lovers)
The singalong for "Hey Jude" was conducted in German by Paul who said, "Zuerst die Maenner!" (first the Men )"Und jetzt die Frauen!" (and just the women) "..Frauen zusammen." (women together) "Alle zusammen!" (everyone together). When the song was over and the band had left the stage, the audience began singing "Hey Jude." Paul came out, sat at the piano and played the last part of "Hey Jude" with the audience singing along before beginning "The Long And Winding Road."
After "Hey Jude"
Paul came out wearing the 'no more land mines' red T-shirt and
waved the German flag. Just before he started "I Saw Her
Standing There" he said, "Wollt ihr mehr?" (Do
you want more?) The audience yelled, "Ja!" (yes). As
he and the band left the stage, they did their 'monkey dance.'
Before the last song, "Sgt. Peppers/The End" Paul said,
"Jetzt aber müssen wir euch hier verlassen. Ich danke
meiner fantastischen Band aber am meisten EUCH." (Now however
we must leave you here. I thank my fantastic band but most of
all YOU.)
He signed a vintage "Beatles Monthly" (issue No. 32
March, 1966) before he left. It was thrown to the stage but when
it landed it lost it's cover, which flew in one direction, the
pen in another and the inside of the magazine in another. Paul
picked up the cover, then the inside of the magazine and found
the pen. Instead of signing the cover Paul signed his first name
on page 30 (upside-down across the covered mouth) and returned
the magazine intact to it's owner, minus the pen. Congrats to Ralf Roeger!
back to itinerary
Jorie Gracen