Paul McCartney's Liverpool sound concert 1st June thread

Posted May 31, 200817 yr

Sir Paul McCartney: I’ve got a few surprises up my sleeve for Sunday’s Anfield show

Posted by pjwa under News

by Catherine Jones

SIR PAUL McCartney is promising a “great evening” with some surprises when he takes to the stage at Anfield this weekend.

The Beatle legend is headlining the Liverpool Sound concert as his gift to Capital of Culture year.

More than 35,000 people will descend on the Liverpool FC stadium on Sunday evening to watch Macca and his band along with city favourites The Zutons and Leeds indie rockers The Kaiser Chiefs. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters is also due to appear alongside the 65-year-old legend and his band.

This weekend’s gig was originally due to have had a waterfront venue, with a plan to drain the water from Salthouse Dock and erect a stage and seating inside.

The idea was abandoned after a feasibility study suggested it would cost millions of pounds to stage.

Speaking about the massive event, which has been in the planning for more than a year, Sir Paul, 65, said: “I think it will be a great evening and I’m ready to party.

“The thing about it was, the concert was talked about last year and there were a lot of exciting ideas like Salthouse Dock.

“But I said to people, make sure you can do this because I’ve had experience of these great ideas – it’s great to talk them, but to pull them off is something else.

“I asked, do you leave this facility for the people of Liverpool? They said it was going to be filled in again, and when the figures came in it was just crazy money.

“We said, we’ve got to do a gig, we ought to do a gig, and they changed the venue to Anfield, and I said well, that’s more practical – you don’t have to build a venue.

“I think it will be a really nice show and a great evening.”

Sunday’s concert at Anfield takes place on the fifth anniversary of his last appearance in Liverpool, when he played to a crowd of 40,000 at the Kings Dock.

Sir Paul, who was knighted by the Queen more than a decade ago, rocked the dock just days before Liverpool was announced as Britain’s European Capital of Culture host for 2008.

Sir Paul said: “I didn’t plan the date being the same, but I think someone might have now when I think about it.

“I’m sure they had options as to what day the show was going to be and someone might have noticed and said let’s do that.”

It will be something of a friends and family weekend, with Sir Paul’s daughter Stella in the city at the same time.

Yoko Ono and George Harrison’s widow Olivia are also expected in Liverpool, where they will attend screenings of All Together Now, the film made about Cirque du Soleil’s Beatles’ show Love, and Concert For George at Fact.

But Sir Paul says it is unlikely fellow Beatle Ringo Starr will join him on stage at the stadium.

He said: “That was never going to be on the cards. He opened the year.”

Macca added: “We’ve got a few little surprises up our sleeve, it will be a bit different from our normal shows.

“Dave Grohl is going to do something with us, so that will be nice.

“That’s it basically. It’s not that long a show. There’s a curfew at this place, but I am doing a full set.

“It will be a mixture of music. The idea will be to give the audience what I think they would want.”

Are you looking forward to hearing this concert on BBC Radio 2 & seeing highlights on the BBC or not?

May 31, 200817 yr

Author

Ono looks forward to McCartney show

The Press Association

5 hours ago

Yoko Ono has said she was "looking forward" to watching a special show headlined by Sir Paul McCartney this weekend.

John Lennon's widow, who is visiting Liverpool for the weekend, also said she would attend Stella McCartney's unveiling of her latest fashion range on Sunday.

Speaking about the Liverpool Sound event at Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium where Sir Paul will perform, she said: "Of course I am going to be there. I'm looking forward to it."

Ono, who was speaking at an exhibition of artwork by Lennon being held at Liverpool City Exchange, said she would also be going to see Stella McCartney's fashion show at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).

"It's a very special weekend," Ono added.

Ono, 75, also said she would not rule out staging another exhibition of her artwork in the UK.

Speaking about her exhibition at the Bluecoat arts centre in Liverpool earlier this year, she said: "It was very special and of course I would think about another exhibition at the Bluecoat."

On her visit, Ono also described the transformation of Liverpool during the European Capital of Culture year as a "phoenix rising".

She said: "I think it is amazing. This is really going to change the city in the sense that children 10 years down the line will think this is normal and they will be a totally different tribe.

"It is so exciting. It is great. It's like a phoenix rising."

May 31, 200817 yr

I will try and catch it tomorrow night on BBC 2

May 31, 200817 yr

Some friends of mine are actually off to see the show so I shall hear all about it from them when they return. They were telling me that originally they applied for tickets and it went in a draw and luckily they were picked. I will try and catch it on the BBC.

June 1, 200817 yr

Author

Sunday, 1 June 2008 02:06 UK

BBC Entertainment News

McCartney set for Liverpool show

Sir Paul McCartney is to play a concert to 36,000 fans in Liverpool later as one of the highlights of the city's year as European Capital of Culture.

The concert at Anfield football stadium comes exactly five years after the Beatles legend's last home city show.

"We're going to have a good night out, that's all I ever aim to do," he said.

Support will come from Leeds band The Kaiser Chiefs and local favourites The Zutons. Foo Fighters star Dave Grohl is also expected to put in an appearance.

Sir Paul said he would play all his hits, and promised "a couple of surprises".

But he played down speculation that fellow ex-Beatle Ringo Starr would join him on stage, telling the Liverpool Echo "that was never going to be on the cards".

The concert will raise money for the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (Lipa), which Sir Paul set up in his old school, and the Nordoff-Robbins music charity.

The Capital of Culture was "a great thing" for his home city, Sir Paul said.

"About 12 years ago when we were looking to start Lipa, Liverpool was a bit on its knees - it was not in good shape at all," he said.

"But now there's quite a resurgence."

Sir Paul's classical work Ecce Cor Meum was performed at Liverpool Cathedral as part of the culture celebrations at the start of May.

"I applied to be a choirboy there when I was 11 and got turned down," he said.

"They said I wasn't any good. So this was my revenge!"

In January, Ringo Starr performed at the opening ceremony on St George's Plateau and Echo Arena Liverpool.

Sunday's concert will be broadcast on live on BBC Radio Merseyside with highlights on BBC Two from 2300 BST.

It is billed as the first and last global concert to be held at Anfield, home of Liverpool Football Club, although the stadium did host the Hillsborough Justice Concert in 1997.

Sir Paul said his footballing allegiances lay elsewhere.

"I'm officially Everton. My dad was born in Everton so my family team is really Everton... I like both teams but if it comes to the crunch I'm Everton."