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July 28, 2008 -- The Telegraph (UK) 'Edited for Paul content'

After two decades fronting the hugely successful band, Texas, Sharleen Spiteri has gone solo

When Jools Holland asked her during the television show why she chose to make a solo album after two decades fronting a massively successful band, she said, 'Because I wanted to be scared again.'

Spiteri turned 40 this year. She lives with her five-year-old daughter, Misty, near London Zoo in a house that is light and spacious but not ostentatious or over-designed.

I t was this love of family that led her to bond with Stella and Mary McCartney after meeting them on Chris Evans's show TFI Friday years ago. They have remained close friends, and Mary's sons Arthur and Elliot, are now Misty's playmates. Sir Paul has also been round, so when her class recently learnt a Beatles song at school, Misty could truthfully say that Paul had played it for her on the piano. 'How great is that?' Spiteri grins. 'But though she knows he was in the Beatles and all, she mainly sees him as Arthur and Elliot's grandad. I feel lucky to know someone who was bigger than anyone probably ever will be again, and see how normal his kids are. That's what I try to do with Misty.'

And despite having a former Beatle bashing out songs on her piano, Spiteri largely manages to live her life below the paparazzi radar. She organises an annual Burns Night dinner with fellow Scot Ewan McGregor to raise money for Scottish children's hospices, and because Spiteri was pregnant at the same time as Mary McCartney, Kate Moss and Sadie Frost, Stella threw a baby shower for them all. Their children were in the same nursery school and they are sometimes invited to the same events, but she does not feel part of any supposed Primrose Hill set. 'We don't hang out. I don't give Kate a phone and go round for a coffee.'

Paul McCartney talks exclusively about his historic return to New York's Shea Stadium and helping Quebec City celebrate it's 400th Anniversary -- All in the space of just one weekend!

Paul McCartney returned to Shea Stadium this past weekend, for the first time since his now legendary performance with The Beatles more than 40 years ago. (August 15th, 1965). It was the first concert ever given at Shea, a frantic scene of thousands, screaming and crying behind barricades that certainly couldn't contain the deafening noise. It was and remains to this day, the most historic concert ever given.

"Shea was a blast!" commented Paul McCartney, talking for the first time about his return to the legendary Shea Stadium, home to the New York Mets baseball team, for its final farewell. "I can't tell you what it felt like to be back there onstage after all these years - and to think I nearly didn't make it."

And he nearly didn't! On Friday just gone, 18th July, Paul's friend Billy Joel had planned to perform a 'Last Play At Shea' concert.

"Billy had asked me if I could join him a while back when he was planning the show", Paul recalls. "The thing is that I already had my own show in Quebec City that weekend. With all the rehearsing and travelling it didn't look logistically possible."

"I really wanted to do it as Billy is a mate and I have such special memories of Shea," Paul continued. "I had to fly to New York city to get to Quebec and it kind of dawned on me that as I was flying Friday evening I might just be able to make it to Shea by the end of the show. So I made a few calls and the rest was to be left to fate. I knew it was going to be close though."

Throughout the day of Friday 18th July, New York City had been rife with rumours that Paul McCartney might be joining Billy onstage that night to help commemorate the end of one of the cities most historic sites, but as the curtain went up there was no sign of music's revered icon.

Billy Joel took to the stage at 9pm, as Paul was thousands of feet up in the air making his way from London to New York. Paul's flight touched down 2 hours later at 11pm at JFK airport. Paul rushed off the plane with his legendary Hofner bass guitar in hand, was fast checked through arrivals right by the plane itself and got straight into a waiting car flanked by NYPD police cars and bikes. Throughout the flight the NYPD had stayed in contact with air traffic controllers to ensure no time was lost.

"It was crazy. I'd been on a plane for hours and had no idea how far into the show Billy was. The pilot had been keeping us informed of how we were doing time-wise and we found out later that air traffic control had worked hard to ensure we landed on time, but then there was still going to be the traffic to negotiate in order to make it for the show. When the plane doors opened I was met by the police and airport security who rushed me straight through all the arrival procedures and then got me out as quickly as possible."

The police fleet made it to Shea Stadium in just 11 minutes.

"I've really got to hand it to those guys as without them I don't think we'd have made it. I'd really like to say a special thanks to them and express my gratitude for getting me to the show on time!"

Just before 11:20pm Paul jumped on stage, surprising not only Billy Joel, but also the sold-out audience as he launched straight into 'I Saw Her Standing There'.

"It's so cool to be here on the last night," Paul told the 63,000 strong audience from the stage. "I came here a long time ago. We had a blast that night and we're having another one tonight." Paul then closed the night with his seminal anthem 'Let It Be', with Billy Joel on backing vocals. This show ended just as Paul's first ever performance at Shea had started ­ with a deafening crowd.

"Everything happened so quickly", Paul said. "I didn't have a chance to soundcheck or warm up in any way and Billy had no idea I was there! We had just about enough time to find me a guitar strap as I walked on to the stage. I heard the band count the song in and bang there I was, in front of thousands of people playing away. I just about managed to get to the microphone for the opening line of the song. In then hit me that this 4:30am in the morning my time and I thought what am I doing here! But it was great."

Rock photographer Kevin Mazur who had been photographing the show said, "Nobody knew for sure that McCartney was coming." Throughout the night the crowd had already been wowed by big names from music such as Tony Bennett, Roger Daltrey and Steven Tyler (who was in the audience for the Beatles in 1965).

One fan, Rosalia Rosen, had been present at The Beatles show at Shea as well as being in the audience on Friday night. "Seeing Paul again on Friday night was destiny. I've come full circle. I barely breathed, I just stood there and absorbed him."

This was to prove to be a memorable night for Paul to, having first performed at Shea Stadium with The Beatles in 1965 at the height of Beatlemania, just one year after the stadium opened. Famous film footage recorded at the time shows thousands of fans fainting, crying and screaming; the world had never seen anything like it. The Beatles were the first band ever to ever hold a concert in a sporting stadium - yet another rock n' roll first in the history books. The Beatles concert at Shea was groundbreaking and record breaking and is now seen as the most famous music concert ever. It was the first outdoor concert on a large scale that demonstrated such events could be hugely successful and profitable. 43 years later Paul was back to give the legendary venue a legendary send-off.

"Standing out there on stage and hearing the crowd, all the memories came flooding back of being there all that time ago with the band when we first toured the US. It was mad the first time round because we didn't really know what to expect, as no-one had ever played a stadium show before. Like a lot of things we did, it was going into the unknown. The technology was so different. We couldn't really hear ourselves when we played there as the crowd were so loud. Vox had specially designed us 100-watt amplifiers but they were nowhere near loud enough. The crowd were just as loud this time round but technology has moved on now so we can hear what we are playing. This stadium is such a special place to us. We'll never forget it and its memory will live on."

For most people that would be enough excitement for one weekend but not for Paul McCartney. The next day he travelled North to the city of Quebec to perform a free show on Sunday 20th July in their national park, The Plains Of Abraham, to celebrate Quebec's 400th anniversary.

"Paul McCartney is not just a superstar; he's a legend, an icon who brings us instant international prestige. His concert will project Québec 2008 on the world scene," declared Daniel Gélinas, CEO of the Société du 400e, the event organizers ahead of Paul's visit. "Paul McCartney is giving us a fabulous present and we are thrilled and proud to welcome him to Québec City!"

Paul McCartney was the talk of the town. The city was full of posters, banners, buskers and fans. The local radio station renamed itself Paul McCartney FM and was playing up to 8 Paul McCartney songs an hour. Paul was plastered all over the local and national newspapers; 'Paulmania', as the local press called it, was in town. You couldn't walk down a street without someone asking, "Are you here to see Paul McCartney?"

Paul landed in Quebec the evening ahead of his show and as he made his way from the airport to his hotel he happily stopped his car to sign autographs for the fans that lined the streets for the entire distance of the journey.

"It was really cool to see all the fans and it was great that they had made an effort to come out and give me such an amazing welcome. People couldn't have been nicer. It really set such a great vibe for the weekend."

Organisers estimated that The Plains Of Abraham could only take up to 60,000 people. They began to worry as it became clear that literally hundreds of thousands of people were descending upon the city with one objective - to see Paul McCartney. Organisers hurriedly made contingency plans so screens were erected around the city and a decision was made to broadcast the concert on TV.

Before his visit Paul had said, "I have a feeling it's going to be a great night". And he was right.

Paul took to the stage around 9:30pm as the sun was going down, greeting the crowd in French. He kicked off the two and three quarter hour show with 'Jet' and then performed a show the likes of which Quebec had never seen. Taking place in Quebec's national park, The Plains Of Abraham, the crowds filled the entire park as well as all the surrounding roads.

"With these big shows you never quite know what to expect. I know there were some people who were not too happy about an English language artist being part of the celebrations but you know music is an international language that helps bring people together", says Paul. "It was amazing. The crowd was incredible. I felt so lucky that after the amazing experience at Shea Stadium I was having a weekend with two really special nights. Throughout the day the number of the audience kept on growing. First we heard it would be 70,000, then 120,000, then 150,000, then 250,000 and it kept on going. It was amazing onstage - all we could see was people, in every direction. It reminded me of Glastonbury."

Paul and his band played 36 songs including some of the world's most popular hits that have become the soundtrack to so many people's lives. Paul played hits by The Beatles including 'Drive My Car, 'The Long And Winding Road', 'Good Day Sunshine' and 'Hey Jude'. He played Wings hits such as 'Jet', 'My Love' and 'Band On The Run' and solo songs including 'Flaming Pie', 'Fine Line' and his most recent hit single 'Dance Tonight'. Show highlights included a special version of The Beatles song 'Michelle' which had the audience singing along in French and a special dedicated rendition of 'Birthday'. The audience spanned generations and sang along with every word. The massive crowd made an overwhelming sound when they joined in with Paul on 'Hey Jude' and the elaborate stage featured some of the biggest screens ever used for an outdoor show, as well as fireworks. The crowd went wild when Paul waved Quebec's flag and put on a Quebec zip top before the final encores. When the show finally came to an end the crowd didn't want to go home and it looked as if Paul felt the same way.

"Man, we had such a great night. No one ever wants a great night to come to an end. It was great looking out into the audience and seeing them enjoying themselves as much as we were. Then there are all the special banners they make, I always try to have a read of those. There was a sea of Union Jacks and the audience also had their own flashing lights with them, which looked incredible when the sun had gone down. I had a really great time with 'toute la gang!'"

The following day Paul was all over the TV, radio and press (he was on the cover of all of the Canadian papers). Front page headlines included 'Quebeckers Come Together Over Paul', 'One Knight Stand: Sir Paul Conquers Quebec', 'Paul-mania Sweeps Quebec' and 'Paul Makes History As He Conquers Quebec'. The local press office estimated that over 2600 international articles had appeared overnight around the world including coverage on Time, CNN, BBC, Rolling Stone, Billboard, L'Express and Le Nouvelobs. Final reports indicated that at least 270,000 people had squeezed into the park to watch Paul's show.
Is this just an average weekend for Paul McCartney?

"This was the mother of all weekends!" laughed Paul. "It was incredible looking back to have a weekend with two such major events. Even looking back now it's all a bit dreamlike. Just thinking about the rush to make it to Shea Stadium and just about getting there on time for the show and then performing such a big show in Quebec it doesn't seem all real. I had such a great time. Shea brought back some magical memories of the guys and when we were starting out. Quebec was just really special and unforgettable. It also gave me a good excuse to brush up on my French."

Paul McCartney appeared onstage at Shea Stadium on Friday 18th July as part of the 'Last Play At Shea' concert. In the same weekend he performed a free outdoor concert in Quebec City to over 270,000 people as part of Quebec's 400th Anniversary celebrations.

Kiev, London, NYC and Quebec

Just got back from our show in Quebec, a free show for nearly 300,000 people celebrating 400 years of independence. It was quite a sight..

The streets around the Hotel and the streets of the city were filled to the top with people anticipating Paul's arrival there. The local constabulary had to disperse the fans from every possible entrance in advance of our police escort speeding us into the garage of the castle-like Fontenac Hotel.. But hang on...

Our big show in Kiev!
Let's back up because I haven't had time to write all of you since our other BIG show in Kiev in the Ukraine, I've just been sooo busy. So, last we met we just finished the show in Liverpool, right? So, we went back to the south of England to rehearse for Kiev.. 4 beautiful days at Paul's country spot there.

Pulled over by the Ukrainian cops...
We flew into Kiev the day before the show. At dinner on the terrace I met some locals who invited me out for a drive around their city.. and as an ambassador of my own fair city, how could I refuse? It was great until Katya took an illegal left right in front of the cops!! Yeah, so they pulled the 4 of us over and took Katya into the back of the police car to question her... and closed the door! That would be a lawsuit here!! Anyway, she told them she was showing Paul McCartney's guitarist around... they insisted she was drunk and demanded 100 Euros!! Wow... so THAT'S how it's done there? Ah, but what a gorgeous city... and what nice people.

Show day - it was POURING.. I mean BUCKETS..
The next day was show day.. woke up to a nice but clou dy day.. Well, pretty soon it started raining... then lightening, thunder and then it was POURING.. I mean BUCKETS.. for an outdoor show with 350,000 expected to show up! The rain stopped for our soundcheck after we postponed it. We all hoped we would have a clear night... It poured even more. Sheets of rain, more than we had ever seen. Our trailer was almost floating away as Paul calmly continued to learn Ukrainian in the dining/hang out area.. We were all awaiting news of cancellation... it never came. We walked with umbrellas to a drenched stage and started the show. The people couldn't believe it... HE'S here!

No one left... soon, after about 6 songs the rain slowed... then it stopped. The crowd was ecstatic, hearing these songs live for the first time... Wow... I'll never forget their spirit, standing in the rain, lightning and thunder over us all, not giving an inch of their standing space... Beautiful!!

And finally... on to beautiful Quebec
So, shoot forward to Quebec... after rehearsing in London we flew to NYC... [105 degrees!!] As the motorcade slithered into the parking garage and we took the backdoors and service elevators to our rooms we looked out over the beautiful Quebec City... Show day, NO RAIN!! ahhhhhh, nice! In the Field of Abraham where the French fought for and gained their independence, one certain Englishman returned to sing for them... As far as you could see there were people.. faces behind the stage for a mile, watching us on another big screen... and in the nearby city squares and parks as well... Paul McCartney sang 37 songs, not even counting some segues and impromptu jams... 3 hours. We had a terrific time, thanks to Canada. I LOVE it up there.

So, back home with a bit of a tour hangover. Leaving my pals in the band and on the crew is always weird... I'm back in the studio with Johnny (Hallyday) and lovin' it.

-- Brian

July 26, 2008 -- The Daily Record

Macca Is Hob-Mobbed

Beatles legend Paul McCartney was left speechless yesterday when he was mobbed by fans - while he munched a HobNob (a cookie).

Macca, back in his home city to meet graduates from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, had tried to sneak out the back door while eating the biscuits.

But he was caught by surprise with his mouth full and ended up spraying fans with crumbs when he tried to chat to them.

Sir Paul tells his LIPA stars: Made the most of your mistakes

Sir Paul McCartney told his Liverpool Performing Arts Institute graduates to take advantage of "mistakes" as he honoured veteran actor John Hurt yesterday.

The former Beatle handed out companionships, LIPA's equivalent of an honorary degree, to the Golden Globe winner and several well-known faces from the music industry.

LIPA founder Sir Paul, who presented the awards, told students to take advantage of accidents and random chance. He gave the example of being in the studio to record "I'm Only Sleeping" on the Beatles album Revolver when an accident resulted in the tape playing backwards.

The mistake ended up creating a psychedelic effect which helped make the album one of the defining records of the era.

"We caught hold of the accident when it happened," he said.

Hurt, who has picked up two Baftas and a Golden Globe, was clearly delighted to be given his award at the Philharmonic Hall yesterday.

He said: "I am thrilled to be here and be part of it all.

"LIPA is like life imitating art. The TV gave us the idea of Fame, which did not actually exist.

"Here it is, now a reality. And it works on both an aesthetic and practical side."

Other high profile names being honoured yesterday included record producer Trevor Horn, who launched the career of Liverpool band Frankie Goes To Hollywood and music industry lawyer Ann Harrison.

Cathy Dennis, who appeared nervous as she accepted her award, was also rewarded for her songwriting and singing career.

Early in her career she had a number of top 20 hits before writing hit records for Kylie Minogue and Britney Spears, including Can't Get You Out of My Head and Toxic.

The musician Luis Cobos accepted an Honoured Friend award on behalf of the Artistas Interpretes O Ejecutantes (CORR), an organisation which helps keep music of different styles and origins alive at yesterday's ceremony.

Composer and performer Nitin Sawhney and choreographer Lea Anderson also received a Lipa award.

LIPA founding principal and chief executive Mark Featherstone-Witty said: "This has been another year when people at the top of their professional powers have shared their professional lives with our students.

"In addition to the people we are honouring today, I'd also like to thank all the people who gave their time to take a masterclass for our students this academic year."

These have included actors Alan Rickman, Mark Rylance and Scottish singer Sandi Thom, a former LIPA graduate herself.

More than 260 students received degrees and other awards from Sir Paul during the two-hour event.

Jonathan Deamer, 21, who graduated with a degree in music, entertainment and management, said he planned to stay in the city.

Born in Surrey, Deamer said he loved Liverpool so much he planned to stay and take a job with Sentric Music.

The company, founded by former LIPA students, specialises in digital marketing.

He said: "I've loved the last three-years at LIPA and it will be good working with former students so we can chat about the institute.

"It was great seeing McCartney., he shook my hand and said congratulations, I've always been a fan and I've enjoyed his music masterclasses during my time at LIPA."

Speaking at yesterday's graduation bash at the Philharmonic Hall, he said: "The spirit of this school is what sets it apart from lots of other places."

Sir Paul also unusually talked about life in The Beatles, revealing what set them apart from other groups was their ability to seize on new and unusual things that happened to them both inside and outside the recording studio.

He said: "We caught hold of the accident when it happened."

He urged Lipa graduates to do the same.

Actor John Hurt was among those honoured with a Companionship ­ Lipa's equivalent of an honorary degree ­ by Sir Paul at the ceremony.

The award-winning 68-year-old Shakespearean actor and film star said: "I am thrilled to be here and be part of it all.

"Lipa is like life imitating art. The TV gave us the idea of Fame, which did not actually exist.

"Here it is, now a reality. And it works on both an aesthetic and practical side."

The other recipients of this year's Lipa Companionships were choreographer Lea Anderson, singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis, music industry lawyer Ann Harrison, record producer Trevor Horn, who worked with Liverpool band Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and composer Nitin Sawhney.

The musician Luis Cobos accepted an Honoured Friend award on behalf of Artistas Intérpretes O Ejecutantes.

More than 260 students received degrees and other awards from Sir Paul during the two-hour event.

Among them was Paul Jones, from Ormskirk, who has just graduated from a sound technology course and hopes to go into record producing.

The 20-year-old, who performs as John Lennon in The Beat Beatles, said: "I had friends who had been to Lipa and I was aware of what a top-end school it was if I wanted to do music.

"It has been a fantastic three years."

Knowsley singer-songwriter Andrew Coleman also graduated from his music degree course.

The partially-sighted performer, 23, who had a one-to-one with Macca before he left the Mount Street college, said: "I wanted to go to one of the best and hardest universities to get into.

"I have had a great time and my music and songwriting has improved."

New York Cops Get Paul McCartney To The Show On Time

Paul McCartney is no stranger to setting world records; he is listed by the Guinness World Records as the most successful pop musician of all time. Last Friday, 18th July 2008, it looks like Paul might just have set another world record as he made it from New York's JFK Airport to Shea Stadium in an incredible 15 minutes with the help of the New York Police Department.

Paul dropped in as an extra special surprise guest at Billy Joel's farewell to Shea Stadium show. Throughout the day there had been rumours that Paul might be joining Billy on stage, but as the curtain went up there was no sign of music's revered icon.

Billy took to the stage at 9pm, as Paul McCartney was thousands of feet up in the air making his way from London to New York. Paul's flight touched down 2 hours later at 11pm at JFK airport. Paul rushed off the plane with his legendary Hofner bass guitar in hand and got straight into a waiting car flanked by NYPD police cars and bikes. Throughout the flight the NYPD had stayed in contact with air traffic controllers to ensure no time was lost. The fleet made it to Shea Stadium in just 15 minutes. Just before 11:20pm Paul jumped on stage, surprising not only Billy Joel but also the sold out audience as he launched straight into 'I Saw Her Standing There'.

"It's so cool to be here on the last night," Paul told the 55,000 strong audience. "I came here a long time ago. We had a blast that night and we're having another one tonight." Paul then closed the night with his seminal anthem 'Let It Be', with Billy Joel on backing vocals.

Paul McCartney first performed at Shea Stadium with The Beatles in 1965, just one year after the stadium opened. The Beatles were the first band ever to ever hold a concert in a sporting stadium - yet another rock n' roll first in the history books. 43 years later Paul was back to give the legendary venue a legendary send-off.

Paul McCartney would like to thank the New York Police Department for helping him to the show.

Paul joins Stella at son-in-law's design company exhibition

Paul McCartney is famous for the support he lends to his loved ones' various creative endeavours. And this week he attended a key event in the career of his fashion designer daughter's husband.

Stella McCartney's spouse Alasdhair Willis was unveiling an exhibition of pieces created by Established & Sons, the furniture design and manufacture company of which he is CEO.

And the fomer Beatle hadn't just nipped across town for the private viewing at the company's gallery in St James' Park. He'd jetted in from Quebec, where at the start of the week he played a free concert to mark the Canadian province's 400th anniversary.

John Hurt's LIPA honour

Veteran actor John Hurt will be honoured with a Companionship by Sir Paul McCartney at the LIPA graduation ceremony tomorrow.

The Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee, who has enjoyed a high-profile career spanning more than four decades, is among seven luminaries to be honoured at the event at the Philharmonic Hall.

The other recipients of this year's LIPA Companionships are choreographer Lea Anderson, singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis, music industry lawyer Ann Harrison, record producer Trevor Horn, and Nitin Sawhney, the composer and performer.

The musician Luis Cobos will accept an Honoured Friend award on behalf of Artistas Intérpretes O Ejecutantes.

LIPA founding principal and CEO Mark Featherstone-Witty said: "This has been another year when people at the top of their professional powers have shared their professional lives with our students."

More than 250 students will receive degrees and other awards from Sir Paul McCartney.

Day in the life

Tomorrow is St Macca's Day.

The annual pilgrimage which guarantees Paul McCartney to be in town as lead patron for the LIPA degree ceremony at Philharmonic Hall.

The ex-Beatle traditionally shakes the hand of every graduate and gives them a memento.

But the big question this time around is: will he be accompanied by the new love of his life, 47-year-old New York millionairess socialite, Nancy Shevell?

The couple returned this week from Quebec, where Macca had given a concert for the city's 400th birthday.

And ­ provided there's no accumulative jet-lag ­ the word is that Paul will be popping into the ECHO Arena later tomorrow to catch the Summer Pops gig by his mate Jools Holland.

Should his entourage ­ with or without Nancy ­ pass down The Strand, past the giant Capital of Culture poster which has him strumming a mean bass, there will be no need to avert glances.

I note the wedding ring of old has been air-brushed from the picture.

Landmark pizza place goes on the market

It sent shock waves through the community last week when Felix Lupo, owner of Astro Pizza, a fixture for decades on Main Street in Amagansett, appeared in a photo advertisement standing alongside Town and Country Real Estate agents to announce to the world that his building and restaurant were for sale.

Astro neighbor Fred Danzig was not happy. "We built our house here in 1981," he said. "His store," referring to Felix Lupo's first pizza shop, "at that time, was a few doors down the street. We ate there every day. Each day, we would see Felix working the ovens. His wife, daughter and son Tony would be working in the dining room."

He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I see their selling the business as the passing of a generational torch. They are a very important part of Amagansett history. Paul McCartney and Alec Baldwin are regulars there. Per square foot, I'd say, the restaurant gets as many celebs and beautiful people as Nick and Toni's."

Long known for its good food and down-to-earth service, Astro Pizza/Felice's Restaurant has managed to stay out of the glow from "Hamptons" glitz. Yet neighbors say it has been a true neighborhood celebrity hideout. "Well," said Ms. Stipanov, "It's true, we have a lot of celebrity regulars."

She continued by citing their favorite dishes. "When Alec Baldwin comes in, he likes to eat eggplant heroes, but he also likes pizza. Matthew Broderick, who loves our pizza, came in with his son last week. And when Jody Foster comes in, she likes to eat pizza and a gorgonzola salad. Paul McCartney is a regular and is probably one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He likes to eat pizza with vegetables. When my mother was still alive, he would come in and sing 'Volare' with her. And after my mother died, he came in to offer his condolences to my father, saying he was sorry for his loss, and that he understood how difficult it was to lose a beloved wife. He really loved and misses Linda, you know."

Sir Paul McCartney shows off new girlfriend to best mates

Sir Paul McCartney has showed off new love Nancy Shevell to his most trusted friends.

Macca arranged a special dinner at a local restaurant before a gig in Quebec, Canada, so that the US millionairess could meet his inner circle.

A source said: "He is clearly very much in love and was as proud as punch that it went so well.

"It was plain to see that their relationship has come on in leaps and bounds.

"Whereas his priority at first was to keep everything relatively low-key, now wants to show her off to all his pals. It went really well and Nancy was on sparkling form and charmed everyone."

The couple then went back to the five-star Chateau Frontenac Hotel on Saturday night where they had the best suite.

They had a glass of wine in the bar and a fellow guest said: "They seemed very at ease in each other's company."

Sir Paul's team was also staying there because he wanted Nancy, 47, to feel part of the gang. The next day, Sir Paul, 65, and Nancy, who were first snapped kissing in November, went sightseeing and cycling in the old town.

And Nancy was given pride of place at the side of the stage as the ex-Beatle played a free gig for Quebec's 400th birthday that night.

A source said: "It's clear that she's now a part of his inner sanctum and accepted by everyone."

They then flew off to Long Island, New York, for a quiet holiday together at Sir Paul's beachside retreat.

More on the Quebec Concert

PHOTO: © copyright 2008 Bill Greenberg (exclusive to the Macca Report)

Paul took the stage (Sunday July 20) at around 9:30 pm. He came out with a black suit and a blue button down underneath.

Initially I was on top of the hill and the amazing sea of humanity both in front and behind the stage was absolutely awe inspiring. But that was expected by me. What wasn't, was that the streets were also packed all around the battlefield despite the fact that only one street screen and speakers were set up. Really, not being able to get a good view, we went to where that big screen was in the street and found ourselves the perfect spot in front of the screen with incredible sound. We were in a section with a lot of nice people who didn't seem to be singing at first but as we were singing along with every song a lot of people seemed to loosen up and see that having fun was allowed.

Paul was much more animated in this show then I have ever seen him. They were flat out having a ball on stage. After Hey Jude, the group bowed and went into the little shuffle dance.

After the first encore was some serious gorilla acting and after the last song just an ordinary bow. You've seen the set list that I sent so no major surprises but a real nice set list none the less. Mrs Vanderbilt remained in the set and was brilliant although not many in the crowd knew it.

A return to "Too Many People" was nice but again he announced it as "this is for the Wings fans." A couple of small mistakes but one large one during "Live And Let Die" which actually brought Paul to a laugh (see video). The "Foxy Lady" jam, the jam after "I've Got A Feeling" and the jam during "Sgt. Pepper's" were all extended and were longer than normal.

This was shown as a pay per view on Canadian cable so a DVD should be out soon. If the camera work on the screen is any indication than it will be a really nice addition.

Sound Check

01. Matchbox
02. Honey Don't
03. Coming Up
04. Drive My Car
05. Instrumental
06. C Moon
07. Fine Line
08. Jam (possibly called "Going Somewhere, I don't know where" or "I'll come for you")
09. Midnight Special
10. Calico Skies
11. Dance Tonight
12. Some random ukulele playing (probably testing sound levels)
13. a short jam (unknown song)

Setlist from Paul's Quebec Concert

01. Jet
02. Drive My Car
03. Only Mama Knows
04. All My Loving
05. Flaming Pie
06. Got To Get You into my life
07. Let Me Roll It/ Foxy Lady (ending)
08. C Moon
09. My Love
10. Let 'Em In
11. Fine Line
12. The Long And Winding Road
13. Dance Tonight
14. Blackbird
15. Calico Skies
16. I'll Follow The Sun (3 1/2 endings)
17. Michelle
18. Mrs. Vanderbilt
19. Eleanor Rigby
20. Something
21. A Day In The Life
22. Give Peace A Chance
23. Good Day Sunshine
24. Too Many People /She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
25. Penny Lane
26. Band On The Run
27. Birthday
28. Back In The USSR
29. I've Got A Feeling
30. Live And Let Die (fireworks)
31. Let It Be
32. Hey Jude

First Encore
33. Lady Madonna
34. Get Back
35. I Saw Her Standing There

Second Encore
36. Yesterday
37. Sgt. Pepper/ The End

Just as feared by those Quebec nationalists who last week objected to Paul McCartney's presence on the Plains of Abraham, his concert Sunday night was another conquest.

"Sir Paul a conquis Québec," declared Quebec City's Le Soleil. (Sir Paul conquered/won over Quebec.) "Paul McCartney a conquis Québec," the normally staid and very nationalist Le Devoir said across its front page. Le Journal de Montréal's verdict: "Paul McCartney a conquis ses fans."

The ex-Beatle greeted a crowd estimated at more than 200,000 in French, saying "Bonsoir les Québécois! Bonsoir toute la gang!" and during the lengthy show, his English remarks were translated in French on the video screens. The people lapped it up.

Late last week, some of the nationalists who had been frothing about the arrival of a British artist to celebrate Quebec City's 400th birthday realized what fools they had made of themselves. Pierre Curzi, the Parti Québécois culture critic who complained that McCartney's free concert Sunday reflects a "Canadianization" of the 400th anniversary party, tried to climb down. "I am a baby-boomer who was rocked in the cradle to the music of the Beatles, I really like Paul McCartney and I am the first to be delighted by the success of these celebrations," he said, adding that he only wanted Mr. McCartney to keep in mind how fragile the French language is in Quebec.

It was Luc Archambault, a Quebec City artist, who led the anti-McCartney charge with an open letter complaining that the concert would bring back "painful memories" of the British conquest of Quebec nearly 250 years ago. Friday afternoon, Mr. Archambault insisted he never opposed McCartney's presence in Quebec and complained that the media treated him unfairly.

Mario Bouchard, a fan quoted in La Presse, had a message for those who stirred up the fuss. "We're a village that needs to open up to the world," he said. "They almost ruined a historic moment."

With fans screaming for more and morning-after newspaper headlines trumpeting a conquest, Paul McCartney's concert left a mark on the Plains of Abraham.

Quebec City was still spinning with excitement Monday, hours after the former Beatle dazzled the provincial capital for its 400th birthday bash. The legendary rock star lured an estimated 200,000 people to the party Sunday evening.

"Merci beaucoup toute le gang," McCartney told the enthused masses in Quebecois French shortly before kicking off the final songs of the show.

"Merci toute le gang, man."

A youthful, energized McCartney performed 36 solo, Wings and Beatles tunes for two-and-a-half hours for the adoring crowd.

His only breather came before the five-song encore.

Quebec City singer Pascale Picard and Montreal band The Stills opened the show.

After the concert, the father of The Stills' frontman Tim Fletcher, said it was amazing to see his son up there.

"It was a mind-blower for them - for us, we're just thunderstruck," David Fletcher said.

"Playing for McCartney, a legend . . . is just extraordinary. We're so thrilled for him."

Fletcher had VIP tickets and found a spot right in front of the stage.

"I guess I can die happy now, I've seen McCartney live in front of a crowd like that," he said.

"The reception that he got, it was great to be part of that whole feeling.

"He's 66 years old and he was out there performing like a 20-year-old."

The colossal birthday party attracted fans of all ages, many of whom travelled to the city from abroad.

"He was an idol from my youth, like so many people," Renald Letourneau said of Sir Paul.

"He's an extraordinary man. We had to see him once in our life. We weren't going to wait for him to come back, we weren't going to take a chance."

Quebec City native Deborah Lambert said she's been listening to McCartney since 1963, when he was one of the Fab Four.

"I remember the sisters at the convent telling me, 'You know, if you knew your homework like you knew the songs of the Beatles, you'd be doing very well'," Lambert said.

"I was learning Beatles songs before homework."

Organizers and security officials anticipated the huge numbers for the free outdoor concert.

But fears of unrest in the crowds never materialized, local police said.

Police reported only six arrests, each for minor infractions.

"Everything went smoothly, people were disciplined, people were cool, people were very 'peace and love'," said Daniel Gelinas, lead organizer for Quebec City's year-long anniversary festivities.

"McCartney's team was taken with the event and thrilled with how everything went."

Gelinas said people will probably remember the concert for years to come.

"We wanted to make sure people have memories that would be engraved in their minds forever," he said.

Last week, several Quebec nationalists were questioning the British knight's participation in the celebrations.

They claimed his presence evokes painful memories of Britain's conquest of New France in 1760.

The Plains of Abraham was the site of the key 1759 battle between British Gen. James Wolfe and France's Marquis Louis-Joseph de Montcalm.

But McCartney brushed off his critics by telling them to "smoke the pipes of peace."

On Sunday, he displayed his affection for La Belle Province by waving a fleur-de-lis flag and sporting a souvenir Quebec sweatshirt on stage.

"C'est ma premiere visite a Quebec," he shouted to the crowd during the show.

"And it's a great place."

If there is one overriding theme that comes over powerfully when talking to Mary McCartney it is how strong a bond of love and respect she had, and has, for her mother Linda. The late American photographer and businesswoman and her husband, the former Beatle, Paul, famously had one of the most enduring love affairs of modern times: she was the proverbial great woman standing, if not behind, then beside, a great man.

But what is abundantly clear from speaking to the couple's daughter, Mary, 38, is that behind both was an uncommonly close and loyal family, a closeness that remains. Earlier this year, to mark a decade since Linda died of breast cancer, Mary and her father unveiled a retrospective in London of Linda's work, which the pair had been working on for three years. Right now, the whole family, including Mary's fashion designer sister Stella, are closely involved in revitalising the Linda McCartney vegetarian food range, something Mary describes as "a very personal project".

In addition Mary, now herself a respected photographer, has become a strong advocate of good cancer care. So when she was approached by Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres to take photographs of famous Maggie's supporters wearing striking, new designer T-shirts, she was delighted to lend her support. The photographs, being published for the first time as part of The Herald Friends of Maggie's campaign, feature celebrities including the actress Amanda Holden, and the singer Sophie Ellis Bextor pictured with her mother, the former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis, whose friend Caron Keating died of breast cancer in 2004.

Coming together for the photos in the new London Maggie's centre gave McCartney the chance to spend time with staff and patients. She found the whole experience "truly inspiring" and believes her mother would have, too.

"I think she would have loved it," says Mary emphatically. "It feels like it's been designed to keep everyone's spirits up, which I think she would have liked." Thinking about her mother's period of treatment, she recalls strip lighting, a lack of windows and a distinct hospital smell, which Maggie's avoids: "It isn't dull, dark and depressing. There's glass, wood, colour and daylight, it's very open plan. It didn't feel oppressive. It's a real contrast to hospitals - you can allow in so much air and it doesn't have the smell. You walk in and it feels like a well-designed space."

Another factor that would have appealed to the redoubtable Linda, she says, is that it is well run. "I think she probably would have appreciated the organisational aspect of it - it doesn't feel flaky."

When Linda McCartney was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995, it was Mary's first experience of cancer at close hand. Her head was full of questions about this bewildering new visitor to their lives. "It's like learning a new language - chemotherapy, radiotherapy, all the different medicines. It can be very daunting," she says. So the fact that Maggie's centres provide support and information to the families as well as the patient, deeply impresses her. "It's so important. I find that it's the kind of illness where there are always so many decisions to make.

"The day I was at Maggie's, there was a husband there with his wife, collecting the medication for the week, and he was having a consultation with one of the counsellors. He said he saw a counsellor each week. I think he really benefited from it as well. They can help give you information so you can feel more confident about moving forward.

"That's why I feel quite strongly that there should be as many of these centres as possible because they're such a great help to people."

A loving family is a great support and the McCartney family were certainly that. Mary has an elder half-sister from Linda's first marriage, Heather, who was adopted by Paul; a younger sister, Stella, the fashion designer; and a younger brother, James, a musician and songwriter. The family adopted a low profile during Sir Paul McCartney's recent divorce from Heather Mills, which generated weeks of headlines. "I wasn't really surprised by the amount of coverage but I definitely kept out of it. I didn't read a lot of it," she says. Mary herself has two sons from her marriage to producer Alistair Donald and is expecting her first child with film-maker Simon Aboud. In fact, as we speak she is a weary nine-and-a-half months pregnant.

As a parent, she believes she has taken a lot from her own upbringing, such as "giving my children a sense of freedom, encouragement and adventure, which I got from my parents". Family holidays in Argyll were central to that. "We'd spend August up there. I kind of feel as if I grew up there," she says. She recalls driving up from the south of England in the summer, past mountain springs, looking in amazement at remote crofts and wondering what the occupants did when they needed a pint of milk. Her experience of exploring for hours and "being a bit feral" is deeply etched.

Has she come to Scotland recently? "I haven't as much since my mum passed away but I'm starting really to get a craving to go again now," she says. "I think we all stopped for a while because it felt a bit weird going up without her, but now it's kind of time to start again."

One of the projects that has been occupying her and her family recently has been "revitalising" the Linda McCartney vegetarian food range, which was launched in 1991. Mary had helped her mother with both her cookbooks and food range. Last year, the firm Hain Celestial bought the licence to the foods and the McCartney family (who are all vegetarian) have since been working with the firm, not only with photography and packaging design, but with new lines. "We're working with them now on coming up with ideas based on the recipes that mum had and the way she cooked. We're very hands-on. We want to do it for her, the way she would have wanted it done."

Mary's photography, too, is in a sense a tribute to her mother. Linda Eastman McCartney photographed stars such as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and The Doors. When Mary decided to become a photographer too, Linda was thrilled. "She was really happy, really pleased," says Mary, with a smile. "If I'd had a day taking pictures, she'd go how did it go? When do you get the contact sheets back? Phone me the minute you get them back and come down and we'll go through them.'" While McCartney does a lot of fashion photography, which is a more formal style, she definitely sees similarity between her and her mother's styles when it's just her and her camera.

Her eye for fashion has certainly been caught by the new Maggie's T-shirts, exclusively designed by Dandy Star. The colourful T-shirts each bear one of three words, "hope", "joy" or "be", chosen to represent the ethos of Maggie's; McCartney says they made her job as a photographer easy. "They're great; often charity T-shirts are things you love because they're for a great cause but these are ones that a lot of people would want to wear anyway. They're bright, simple and they've got good typography on them; they're not filled with logos."

She hopes her photographs promoting the T-shirts will encourage more people to support Maggie's: "It's just a really really important organisation."

T-shirts are available in a range of colours for men, women and children; price £20 adults, £15 children. Men's M, L and XL, available in brown (joy) and purple (hope). Women's S, M and L, available in green (joy) or purple (hope). Children's 1-10yrs, available in purple (be). Can be found at Maggie's online shop at http://shop.maggiescentres.org or from Maggie's centres.

http://lcn.canoe.ca/cgi-bin/player/video.cgi?file=/lcn/actualite/arts_spectacles/20080720_30drivemycar.wmv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn2kYVO015U

PHOTOS

Billy Joel and Paul McCartney Mazur/WireImage

Billy Joel and Paul McCartney had a duet at Shea last week.

Credit New York City cops for helping Paul McCartney and Billy Joel come together Friday night at the unforgettable final concert at Shea Stadium. McCartney flew into JFK on a British Airways flight that arrived at about 11:00 p.m. - three hours after the show's start.

The NYPD, who'd been in contact with air traffic controllers, met the plane on the tarmac. McCartney ran down the stairs to a waiting car, Hofner bass in hand, and a flying wedge of police cars got McCartney to Shea in 15 minutes. He jumped on the stage, surprising the audience, and Joel and he launched into "I Saw Her Standing There."

"Nobody knew for sure that McCartney was coming," said rock photographer Kevin Mazur. The crowd had already been wowed by Steven Tyler, who was 17 when he saw the Beatles play the first Shea concert in 1965, Roger Daltry, Tony Bennett, and Garth Brooks, wearing his Mets spring-training jersey, and a goosebump-causing version of Joel's "Goodnight Saigon" with a stage full of soldiers and New York City cops and firefighters. But fans ascended to rock music heaven when Joel sat up on his piano and he and McCartney sang "Let It Be."

July 21, 2008 -- Daily Mail

A return to Beatlemania as Macca fans storm through the concert gates

At 66, Sir Paul McCartney proves he can still inspire Beatle-like mania the world over.

Thousands of people could not disguise their jubilation as they stormed through the gates at Quebec City's historic site, the Plains of Abraham, to watch their hero perform in a free concert yesterday.

And despite his recent marital woes, the Can't Buy Me Love singer clearly relished a return to the day job, greeting the 200,000-strong crowd in their native language before belting out Beatle hits.

Battles historical and fabricated evaporated as McCartney quickly won over a highly excited crowd with a simple, "Bonsoir les Quebecois! Bonsoir toute la gang!'' after opening his set with an exuberant "Jet."

A sea of glow sticks, cellphones and flickering red light badges of Quebec's Festival d'ete took the place of lighters in a crowd that stretched as far as the eye could see.

McCartney then continued the magical night in rocker mode as he pumped his beloved Hofner bass - the same model he played with the Beatles - and delivered, in quick succession, "Drive My Car" and "Only Mama Knows."

It was a show for the ages as Sir Paul delivered a generous two-hour-plus set in the open air on a gorgeous summer night - a spirited performance filled with Beatle classics and surprisingly heavy on Wings favourites, with a few solo gems mixed in.

In the days leading up to the concert, the news that a British star would play the city's anniversary prompted an outcry from some francophone artists, and critics, who argued McCartney was an inappropriate choice for the celebration.

But come the concert, few fans had time for politics.

"(The controversy) is obviously stupid,'' Doris Hardy said. "Whether it's French or English, it's great to have an artist of this stature in Quebec.''

Marco Lehouillier said he just wanted to hear some great music.

"It's old hat,'' he said of the political complaints. "They shouldn't still be talking about that anymore.''

There were more than a few surprises during the show, including a bouncy "I'll Follow the Sun," a stirringly beautiful "Calico Skies," a high-energy "Mrs. Vanderbilt," accompanied by a couple of hundred thousand pairs of hands clapping, the rocker "Too Many People," a cheery "Let 'Em In" and a hard-rocking "I've Got a Feeling" and some pretty spectacular fireworks during "Live and Let Die."

"Je parle seulement un petit peu francais,'' the singer said early in the show, beginning the first of his many French introductions, which consistently drew cheers, "so I'll be speaking English.''

Not that that seemed a problem to anyone, as he reached back 45 years to sing a joyous "All My Loving," continued with "Flaming Pie" and a driving "Got to Get You Into My Life," before upping the crowd's energy level with a screaming John Lennon-esque "Let Me Roll It" and the reggae-lite of "C Moon."

Lennon was also invoked with an emotional medley of "A Day in the Life" and "Give Peace a Chance." George Harrison's spirit was present as well, as McCartney plucked his old bandmate's Gibson ukulele and sang "Something."

"Band on the Run," "Good Day Sunshine," "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" and "Penny Lane," like virtually every song, became an occasion for celebration and singalong.

Not surprisingly, he sang both "Michelle," which contains French lyrics, and "Birthday," dedicated to "une dame qui a 400 ans.''

"C'est ma premiere visite au Quebec - and it's a great place,'' he said.

The feeling of community was palpable as McCartney randomly picked selections from rock's strongest songbook and made everyone feel like family again.

Montreal's the Stills, who had suggested they might sneak in a cheeky tribute to the man of the hour did just that early in their evening-launching set as they segued from "Don't Talk Down," the opening track from their upcoming album Oceans Will Rise, into McCartney's "Two of Us," drawing appreciative handclaps and a singalong from the audience.

The group rocked for its life during the high-profile gig, with the twin guitar attack of Tim Fletcher and Dave Hamelin nicely making the transition into a huge-crowd context. At times, their music had a trace of U2 grandeur about it, with the new song "Being There" in particular coming off as a live classic in waiting. "Destroyer," from Without Feathers, followed, sounding equally anthemic.

The Pascale Picard Band, who went on after the Stills, are quite the success story this year.

After only one album, the singer-songwriter's energetic mainstream rock has gathered fans and sales. She admitted to being nervous, but still managed to drive the energy up a few notches with a polite brand of punkish energy. Picard, too, did a tribute of sorts to the headliner by working George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" into her set.

from Bob Gannon Macca Reporter

Setlist from Paul's Quebec Concert

01. Jet
02. Drive My Car
03. Only Mama Knows
04. All My Loving
05. Flaming Pie
06. Got To Get You into my life
07. Let Me Roll It/ Foxy Lady (ending)
08. C Moon
09. My Love
10. Let 'Em In
11. Fine Line
12. The Long And Winding Road
13. Dance Tonight
14. Blackbird
15. Calico Skies
16. I'll Follow The Sun (3 1/2 endings)
17. Michelle
18. Mrs. Vanderbilt
19. Eleanor Rigby
20. Something
21. A Day In The Life
22. Give Peace A Chance
23. Good Day Sunshine
24. Too Many People
25. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
26. Penny Lane
27. Band On The Run
28. Birthday
29. Back In The USSR
30. I've Got A Feeling
31. Live And Let Die (fireworks)
32. Let It Be
33. Hey Jude

First Encore
34. Lady Madonna
35. Get Back
36. I Saw Her Standing There

Second Encore
37. Yesterday
38. Sgt. Pepper/ The End

A fired up Paul McCartney took the stage to tens of thousands of adoring fans on the historic Plains of Abraham for Quebec City's 400th anniversary celebrations Sunday night.

"Bon soir les Quebecois, bon soir toute le gang," the ex-Beatle shouted as he opened the show with the Wings number "Jet."

With the crowd already wild the band turned it up a notch by turning to Beatles' classics like "Drive my Car," "Only Mama Knows" and "All my Loving."

"I only speak a little bit of French," he said in French before switching languages. "So, I will be speaking in English."

About 200,000 people were expected for the free outdoor concert. It was McCartney's first show in Canada since 2005.

"C'est ma premiere visite a Quebec, and it's a great place," the English songwriter said to cheers, again showing his limited knowledge of French.

When the gates were opened to the concert grounds, hundreds sprinted for the chance to get front row standing room.

Montreal indie band The Stills and Quebec City singer Pascale Picard opened the show.

Tim Fletcher of The Stills told CTV that he credited McCartney as an inspiration for a generation of musicians.

There was no sign of any of the controversy that had erupted about a British singer headlining Quebec's celebrations.

The show is being held on the historic Plains of Abraham where the British defeated the French in 1759.

A few sovereigntists publicly bashed the plan to have a world famous English singer highlight the city's birthday party.

Quebec painter Luc Archambault sent around a petition decrying the "dangerous" presence of music with English lyrics, but he later backed away from those statements.

Before the show, hordes of fans just kept entering the former battleground in wave after wave.

"People have just kept arriving," CTV's Genevieve Beauchemin in Quebec City told CTV Newsnet Sunday before the show. "This is something Quebec City doesn't see every day.

"This is an international superstar, so it's attracting lots of people."

Although the concert grounds were closed Saturday, many fans -- some from Quebec, some from far away countries -- were already were lining up for a chance to see McCartney up close, even braving pouring rain.

"(The fans) stayed there, they weathered it all, saying it was worth it," Beauchemin said. "They are very devoted here."

Beauchemin said that there was no sign of controversy and that everyone was having a good time.

"(The controversy) has really fizzled," she said. "Some of the artists who signed (the petition) have said, 'Now that I think about, let's just enjoy it."

Luci Tremblay, spokesperson for the Society for Quebec 400th, said that McCartney's staff had been reassured there won't be any problems from the public.

"We explained to them that it was just a very small bunch of people," she said.

On Saturday, rumours that McCartney would show up at the historic Chateau Frontenac, had hundreds of onlookers waiting on the street for a glimpse of the legend.

McCartney did arrive in Quebec City Saturday evening, and news that the "Yesterdays" songwriter was having dinner at a restaurant brought quite the crowd there.

Tremblay said that the inclusion of an artist of McCartney's stature to the festivities has brought "the eye of the world" on the small city of Quebec City.

Earlier this week, McCartney said he would try to make use of his limited ability to speak French but was vague about what he had planned for the show.

Paul McCartney took to the stage on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City on Sunday night, despite grumbling from some Quebec nationalists about a British performer accepting a high-profile gig as part of the city's 400th anniversary party.

"Bonsoir les Québécois, bonsoir toute le gang," the former Beatle greeted his fans after he opened the concert by belting out the Wings song Jet.

The crowd erupted and McCartney and his band kicked it up a notch playing the Beatles' 1965 classic Drive My Car, Only Mama Knows and All My Loving.

Montreal band The Stills and Quebec City singer Pascale Picard opened the concert.

McCartney arrived in Quebec City late Saturday on his private jet at the city's airport where fans cheered as he smiled and waved to them.

Even more people gathered in Old Quebec as the singer-songwriter took a short tour of the city in the back of his vehicle before he stopped for dinner at a restaurant and checked into the Chateau Frontenac.

Fans started camping out in the parking lots near the venue of the free show in their cars on Friday. The gates opened at 6 p.m. ET. The concert began at 7:30 p.m., and McCartney took to the stage at 9:30 p.m.

Premier Jean Charest and Mayor Régis Labeaume sat in a VIP section. At a special behind-the-scenes ceremony, the mayor was to give a special 400th anniversary medal to McCartney.

Organizers had said they expected about 200,000 people to attend the concert.

The controversy over McCartney's visit seems to have faded.

Quebec painter Luc Archambault complained last week about the presence of music with English lyrics, but a few days later he said he "greatly" admired the singer and just wanted to inform him about Quebec's history and the challenges facing French-speaking artists in the province.

In response, McCartney told CBC on Thursday, "I think it's time to smoke the pipes of peace and to just, you know, put away your hatchet because I think it's a show of friendship."

McCartney fans sang along to the 1960s Beatles hit Drive My Care during the sound check as thousands converged on the site of Paul McCartney's free concert to celebrate Quebec City's 400th anniversary.

Serge Bélisle, of the Quebec City police, said about 200,000 or more spectators were expected.

"It's a North American happening," Bélisle said. "Everything is going well."

McCartney sang Hey Jude, The Long And Winding Road, Honey Don't, as well as Wings hits and singalong songs.

As helicopters flew overhead, spectators could hear McCartney say the bass sounded a bit off in the sound check session.

Traffic was diverted away from the site and extra buses were added.

Many walked to the site while others used bicycles.

Bélisle said only between 80,000 and 100,000 would be able to actually see McCartney. The remainder of the crowd would have to see him on giant TV screens erected on and off site.

Montrealer Jean-Pierre Lapalme camped out in his van from Thursday night.

"He is the biggest star in the world," Lapalme said. "The best! The best! The best!"

And he added, referring to Quebec artists and others opposed to McCartney's presence in Quebec City at the time of its 400th birthday: "F__k you Normand Braithwaite!"

Anne Lepape, from France, credited The Beatles with giving her the incentive to learn English.

Fiona George of Ottawa, originally from England, said her father used to tell the story that he met The Beatles in a Liverpool pub before they were famous.

George said she was here "because of Quebec's 400th anniversary and it's the atmosphere."

Music icon Paul McCartney exploded onto an old battleground Sunday, churning out a song list laden with Beatles tunes to a pumped up crowd on the historic Plains of Abraham.

The knighted ex-Beatle was in town to help Quebec City celebrate its 400th birthday - and he was an enthusiastic invitee.

"Bonsoir les Quebecois, bonsoir toute le gang," McCartney shouted to his faithful after he opened the show by belting out the Wings song "Jet."

The crowd erupted and the band turned it up a notch by ripping into Beatles' 1965 classic "Drive My Car," "Only Mama Knows," and "All My Loving."

"I only speak a little bit of French," he said in French before switching languages. "So, I will be speaking in English."

But McCartney, whose appearance raised the ire of some Quebec nationalists who said a Brit shouldn't be part of the city's festivities, alternated between the languages when addressing the crowd throughout the concert.

At one point, a huge image of Quebec's flag covered the stage backdrop during "Mrs. Vanderbilt." Later, he strutted around the stage waving the fleur-de-lis banner.

During "Yesterday," he came out wearing a souvenir-shop sweatshirt with "QUEBEC" written across the chest.

Organizers expected some 200,000 people at the free outdoor concert on the Plains of Abraham.

A massive tangle of swaying arms and bodies covered the rolling fields in front of the stage. It was McCartney's first appearance in Canada since 2005.

"C'est ma premiere visite a Quebec, and it's a great place," McCartney said, earning a roar from fans.

On several occasions, McCartney's English comments were translated into French and the words scrolled across the giant screens.

An energetic McCartney played 36 tunes through the two-and-a-half-hour show.

During the first half of the concert, he performed a mixed bag of Beatles, Wings and solo tunes.

The rest of the way was heavy on Fab Four hits, including "Hey Jude," "Get Back" and "Let It Be."

He started off "Something" on a ukulele that he said was a gift from George Harrison.

"That one was for George," he said.

He also paid homage to another deceased ex-bandmate, John Lennon.

"This song is dedicated to my friend John," he said in French, before starting into "A Day In The Life" and then "Give Peace A Chance."

McCartney later launched into an anniversary tribute with "Birthday."

"This song is for a woman who is 400 years old," he said in French. "Happy Birthday, Quebec."

Montreal band The Stills and up-and-coming Quebec City singer Pascale Picard opened the concert to set the stage for the legendary rock star.

Tens of thousands of music fans streamed onto the Plains of Abraham and spilled into the surrounding streets of Quebec City on Sunday in hopes of securing a good vantage point to watch the music icon.

Dozens of people started lining up as early as Saturday afternoon for a shot at nabbing coveted ground at the front of the stage.

When the gates finally opened a couple of hours before the show, a mass of fans flooded down a slope, as hundreds sprinted for the front row.

Seven jumbo screens were set up on the historic battlefield and along downtown streets, several of which were closed to traffic.

Hoping to guarantee themselves a spot in front of a screen, thousands of people camped early Sunday in the middle of the Grande-Allee, one of the provincial capital's main boulevards, while others were stretched out on the lawn of the provincial legislature.

The party in honour of Sir Paul also got underway early.

Beer vendors on the Plains made swift business throughout the day, which contributed to long lineups of swaying patrons waiting impatiently for portable toilets.

Meanwhile, whiffs of marijuana wafted through the crowd.

Restaurants and bars along the main drag blasted Beatles tunes and souvenir tents offered up the latest Paul McCartney gear.

Carol Cleeland travelled from New Jersey to see the show.

"We've been fans of the Beatles and Paul McCartney since the beginning," said Cleeland, who headed to the Plains of Abraham with her sister, Elizabeth, more than 12 hours before McCartney's concert.

"We love Paul McCartney's music and everything about him. He's just a really great guy."

Fan Leo Rodrigue sported a red Montreal Canadiens sweater with the name "McCartney" emblazoned across the back above the number one.

"I saw him the first time at the Montreal Forum, Dec. 9, 1989," Rodrigue said.

"It's the greatest. (He's) the greatest artist. All songs of McCartney is beautiful."

McCartney arrived in Quebec City on Saturday evening and was greeted by hundreds of adoring fans, many of whom had waited several hours outside the Chateau-Frontenac Hotel to catch a glimpse of the British knight.

Fans approached his car as it drove through the hotel parking lot and McCartney, who had his window partly down, waved to the crowd.

Journalists yelled questions at him from a distance as he got out of the car in the hotel's underground garage and he waved and replied, "Bonjour."

When one yelled: "Are you happy to be in Quebec City?", he gave a thumbs-up and shouted, "Oui."

The much-anticipated show, McCartney's only scheduled performance in North America this year, was part of Quebec City's 400th birthday bash.

But there are some in the province who would have preferred McCartney stayed home.

Several Quebec sovereigntists have been questioning McCartney's participation in Quebec City's 400th anniversary celebrations because of his British roots.

They claim his presence evokes painful memories of Britain's conquest of New France in 1760.

The Plains of Abraham was the site of the pivotal 1759 battle between British Gen. James Wolfe and France's Marquis Louis-Joseph de Montcalm.

In an interview with Radio-Canada on Thursday, the 66-year-old bassist brushed off the nationalists' claims.

"I think it's time to smoke the pipes of peace and to just, you know, put away your hatchet because I think it's a show of friendship," McCartney said.

McCartney played to 350,000 people in Kyiv, Ukraine in June..

Celine Dion is set to perform on the Plains of Abraham for Quebec City's birthday on Aug. 22.

Quebec Rehearsal footage...

Paul let in the camera for the band rehearsals this week and this is what we found...

Check out the footage of the guys rockin' through what sounds like an awesome set, including the re-introduction of "Only Mama Knows" from Paul's last album "Memory Almost Full".

McCartney greeted in Quebec by thousands of fans

Paul McCartney arrived Saturday evening, around 8pm, in Quebec with Nancy Shevell for his Sunday concert, for the 400th birthday of Quebec.

A crowd gathered at the Quebec airport where Paul got into a burgundy hybrid Lexus to go to either Frontenac castle or the Concorde hotel where thousands of admirers waited.

The concert will take place at the Plains of Abraham where an estimated crowd of 250 000 people is expected. Hundreds of fans have lined up since Friday to enter the site.

Q: The fans from Quebec voted on a song they would like you to play on Sunday, even though it's never been played in concert before. The song is Beautiful Night. Are you going to play that song ?

PAUL: You know what, I wish I'd heard that earlier, because we've just finished our rehearsals, and we didn't rehearse that one. So we wouldn't be doing it. But next time we come back, we'll definitely include that.

Q: Is there a special song that you'll be playing here, something that will mark the 400th anniversary of Quebec City?

PAUL: I never say what the playlist is going to be, because I think the people prefer to be surprised. It's always a bit of a nuisance, because journalists always want to know so they can say "he's going to play this or that." I always keep it a surprise. We've got a few interesting numbers that I think people will like. Like I say, I prefer not to say it in advance. Because it just blows the surprise, really.

Q: When you play songs from the Beatles, do you feel young, or nostalgic?

PAUL: I feel great. What happens is that I rediscover the songs, because I wrote them when I was so young -- most of them when I was early or mid-twenties. It's a great feeling because I'm singing the songs, but I'm also listening to them and discovering how these young writers used to work, you know, and how this band, The Beatles, put a record together. It's very interesting. So, there is a slight nostalgia It's not so much that I feel any younger, but the nostalgia reminds me of when I was younger. I'll often get a picture of us, a mental picture of us recording the songs. That often happens. A couple of the songs we're going to do on Sunday, we've been rehearsing them this week, and I definitely get memories of writing the songs, and recording them. But I think the main thing is rediscovering the songs, and reexamining them, and looking at them from my perspective, now, and thinking "you know what, those kids weren't bad!

Q: What are some of the favorite memories that come to mind?

PAUL: I think that during the early days, when we were recording at Abbey Road, we had a lot of fun because, looking back on it, you realize that we did some pretty good music. Obviously, I have a clear memory of being in that studio with John, George and Ringo, and George Martin, and putting the songs together, crafting them, singing them and looking at each other as we'd make some of the songs. It's very special, you know, especially since John and George are no longer with us. It's a very special thing to have those memories. It was a very exciting time.. We were young kids, we'd just gotten money for the first time in our lives, we had cool clothes, it was the sixties, which was a very exciting time, and there we were at Abbey Road making cool music. So it's a kind of golden memory for me.

Q: Do you remember a moment when the four Beatles, or you and John, came really close to playing together after the 1970 breakup?

PAUL: Not really... I think most of that was rumors, people saying "we hear they're getting back together. A lot of it was rumors. There were one or two times, when we would speak to each other, when a couple of us might say "hey, it would be good to get together, but the other might sort of say no, I don't think so. We never reached a point where the four of us said yes, it'll be a great idea, let's go and do it. And in the end, we decided to leave well enough alone. We thought, what we've done has come full circle, we made records from A to Z, and to go out again and try to recreate that might not be as good, and might spoil the memory of it. So we never got around to it, and we decided to leave it as it was. To leave it as the memory the people had of the Beatles.

Q: Looking at the music today, how does it compare to back then?

PAUL: It's a very interesting question, because I know so much more and my horizons are so much wider. I've worked with symphony orchestras, with choral work, on the classical side, and I work with various types of musicians, so the work I've done is more complex. So I think my perspective, from now, is an interesting one because it's so broad. That's what I meant before: when I'm playing some of the Beatles' songs, they're deceptively simple. And I think "Oh my God, that was really clever!" To make a song that simple, that short, and yet that memorable. So it's an interesting perspective.. But I love it, and I'm so lucky, because I did that then, and I'm doing this now, and I've always loved it, and every little bit in between has always seemed like something new. Certainly, looking back on then, I can certainly look back and say, "My god, some of the stuff the Beatles did was brilliant. And I'm allowed to say that now, without sounding immodest.

Q: About your hit Silly love song: why do you think so many people consider that love songs are so silly?

PAUL: You know, I think the truth is that most people really like love songs. I was very lucky. I came from a very warm family, in Liverpool. Love was just part of my growing up, you know. The love of your parents, your uncles and aunties, your cousins. It was a very big family I was from, so, when I would listen to songs, if it was a kind of emotional, good love song, like some of the classics my father used to play, like Nat King Cole's When I Fall in Love, Stardust by Hoagie Carmichael, some of these old things I loved them. I've never fallen out with them. But what I was writing about in Silly Love Song is that people, at certain times in their lives, feel the need to be cynical. I think that sometimes happens when you're, I don't know, 18 or 20. You're just growing up, and you went through a very awkward period. So when anyone talks to you, if you're a guy, about love, you just go "aaaw, pretend you're not interested. But I think pretty soon, if you get a family, or you get a partner, you find out what it's all about. Or rather, you find out it's what most of life is about, really, if you're lucky. So I like love songs. And especially the great ones. And I'm really proud that some people think that I've written a couple of good ones.

Q: Turning back to the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, why did you choose this particular venue, given the number of invitations you get, to go perhaps anywhere in the world?

PAUL: This year, I was asked a few things. I was asked to play in Liverpool, and the idea there was that Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture, which is a big thing for the city, you know. Because it's my hometown, I accepted the invitation, and we had a great evening, and it was a kind of celebration that Liverpool is being recognized as something special, you know, in this year. When my promoter came to me, and we had a meeting about what we might do, he said "Quebec has asked if you'll go there. And I said "well, what's special? ". He said "It's their 400th anniversary. And I said "Wo, that's amazing. And I've never been there. I think really, it was the fact that you are 400 years old, and it's not every city that can say that. And particularly, you know, right now it's your celebration, and I liked the idea of coming and being part of the celebration, and just helping everyone have a good evening. That's what I'm there for.

Q: As you probably know, the French language is central in Quebec. What importance are you giving to the survival of the French language on this continent, for your show on Sunday?

PAUL: I speak a little French. I live in the South of England, and I'm two hours away from the center of Paris by train. So I can hop on a train and be in the Gare du Nord in two hours. So I love France. It's one of those things. I, personally, have a good relationship with French people. I love the language. And I love languages anyway, and I think they're very important to preserve. I'm hoping to speak some French. I don't know a lot of French, but you know, I can parler français un petit peu. Or as I say to people, un petit pois! Sometimes I like to speak languages, so I will be hoping to speak some French, because I know a lot of the audience is French-speaking, so you know, I'll try my best. Obviously, I might have to lapse into English, if I suddenly want to tell a story or something. I'm not that fluent. But I love speaking French. And the strange thing is, you know, most English people learn French at school: if they are going to learn a language, it's French. In my school, it was weird, because I learned Spanish and German. So I never learned any French in school. But as I say, I like French enough, and I like the language enough to have picked it up a little bit on my own, just visiting France. My daughter, when she first started as a fashion designer, Stella, she worked a lot in Paris, so I spent quite a bit of time there, visiting her, when she was starting out. So I learned a little bit. I'd always say merci beaucoup, and then I would hear French people say Je vous en prie And I'd say "what did you say, and they'd say je vous en prie, and I'd say "could you say that slow, and they'd say je vous en prie. So I'd learn that. So know, when someone says merci beaucoup, I can say je vous en prie. Or if it's a friend of mine, I can say je t'en prie. Etcetera.

Q: Any message you want to say, using the show as a political platform?

PAUL: I don't think so. It's more of a celebration. It's like a night out, for me. I'm not really informed enough about Quebec politics to get in there. I don't like to do that. If I think I'm informed about a subject, and have a very passionate feeling, then I will do that. But I hate to go off half-baked, you know, to launch into an issue and not know what I am talking about.. I've been asked to come and help celebrate this anniversary by putting on an evening of fun for people. So that's how I'm approaching it. It's really more of a party for me.

Q: Back to the music. What is the best song you've written so far?

PAUL: Aha. The next one!

Q; Did you ever hear a song that made you say: I wish I'd written it?

PAUL: Yes, there are a few songs like that, that I would have loved to have written. Particularly the old ones. Things like Stardust, by Hoagie Carmichael, or Cole Porter, Cheek to Cheek, and more modern ones I like Billy Joel, you know the one I like you the way you are don't change it. I don't even know the title, but I like it. Fields of Gold, by Sting. I would have liked to have written that one. But you know what? I'm not desperate. I've written enough.

Q: Do you feel that prominent musicians should get more into social activism?

PAUL: I think it's not a bad thing..., I think in the past, traditionally, entertainers didn't get involved. I mean people like Charlie Chaplin, Paul Robeson, were pro-socialism, and they stuck their necks out a little bit. But I think people now only admire them for it. I think it's become more recognized, by people like myself, U2, Bob Geldof, a lot of entertainers, that you have a certain power inasmuch as a lot of people will listen to you. So if there is an issue you feel is important, you have the right, as a citizen, to address these people on this issue. Maybe only half of them will be interested in what you have to say, but I think it's quite a good idea for what you see as the good of people. I think something like the original Live Aid, by Bob Geldof, was a very important thing for him to do. Or the concert for Bangladesh that George did way before that. George probably started that whole thing. I think it's a great thing. It can obviously affect people's thinking. I'm not sure that before Live Aid, a lot of people knew about African deaths. It awakens people's attention to these important things. And they don't have to listen. If they just come to listen to the music, they can do that. I'm glad that some of my colleagues are keen to make the world a better place.

Q: Mr. McCartney, if you were to find yourself in a room, today, with George, John and Ringo, and look back, what would be the thoughts, the images you would share at this late date in your life?

PAUL: I think we would probably go back to Hamburg, and probably think about our days before we were famous. When we were just wild kids in Hamburg. That was an exciting period. And I think we would then move on to our early recording career, working at Abbey Road, making the records. I think John and I would have great memories of writing together, which was very exciting. And I know both of us loved that. Then we would probably choose some moments from our performing career which were significant for our singing career. You know, like singing for the Queen, which is kind of cool when you're just kind of working class scruffs. And then, playing things like Shea Stadium, which was the first big stadium gig anyone had ever played. And then probably, we'd remember little things. Like the first time we went to America, I remember we were all down in Miami, doing the Ed Sullivan show. When you asked that question, an image came to my mind of us all, just in a swimming pool in Miami. So I think there would be a lot of parcel memories like that as well. Or when we were in Paris, when we got the news that we'd got our first number one in America, with I want to Hold Your Hand. That was great. There'd be so many great moments that it would be difficult to choose. We could spend a good week, I think, just reminiscing.

Q: Since his death, John has become bigger than life. What about your legacy?

PAUL: Oh, I don't mind, you know. It's okay. If none of my songs were recognized, I would have that problem, but I'm very lucky, as a huge amount of my songs, more than most people, are recognized. So, when a song that I think is good goes slightly unrecognized I mean, you can't really say that an album that went platinum was unrecognized, but I know what you mean. It's not pulled out as a classic. I don't mind though. A lot of people pick up these songs later. A lot of young kids are coming back to me, these days, with Wings songs, saying "Man, I love those songs!". There's time, you know. Everything doesn't have to be successful now. I think in time, people might look over some of my stuff and say, that wasn't a number one, but it was a pretty good song. I'm very happy with the success I've had. It would be a bit of a pity if I were to moan about the success I haven't had. I wrote all those songs, and I also meet some people who like to like the more underground songs. A lot of people like to be cool, so they don't like to be seen to be choosing the big hits. They like to choose the more offbeat things. A lot of younger kids are like that, that I meet. It's quite nice when someone comes out of the woodwork and says, "I like The End of the End I happened to be talking to Jeff Lynne, of Electric Light Orchestra, who happens to be a good friend of mine, and he just said, I like Only a Mother Knows. As long as one person who I respect likes it, it's good enough for me.

Q: Where do you go from here?

PAUL: Quebec. (laughter)

Q: After Quebec. What's next?

PAUL: I don't know. Onward. Forward, you know. I very much enjoy what I do. I feel very lucky to still be enjoying it. I think a lot of people in my position would have got fed up by now. But I haven't overworked, you know, so the idea of coming to Quebec is very exciting.. I had dinner with the guys from the band, over at my house, last night, and we cooked up a meal. And we were all excited. We were like "Yeah, dude, can't wait. I don't know what's next, really. There may be a North American Tour next year. That's being talked about. I have a couple of projects I'm writing that I'm very excited about. I'm writing a guitar concerto. I'm well into that. So I've got plenty of things to keep me busy, but the next move is Quebec City.

Q: With all the glory, all the money, you continue to work hard. Are you a workaholic?

PAUL: No. I think I sometimes give that impression, because people say that about me. But in actual fact, I don't work very hard at all. If you knew the truth I work less hard than most people. One of the nice things with music, I always say to people, we don't call it working, we call it playing music. I think there's something significant in that. I would do this, even if it wasn,t the way I earn my living. It's like a hobby for me. This week, for instance, I've rehearsed with the band. Three days. That's a three-day week. That's not a workaholic. When we finish this conversation, I'm about to go take a ride on my horse for two hours. Hey! Anyone in the room jealous? Sometimes it just looks like I do a lot of things. Well, I do, do a lot of things. But they're quite well-paced. So I don't overwork. I don't think so, anyway.

Q: Will you be meeting friends in Quebec City?

PAUL: Yes, I have a couple of Canadian relatives, and I have some friends who are from Quebec who have rung me and who are going to come and see me before the show. So it will be nice to see a few old friends.

Q: Any Francophone artists?

PAUL: There are a couple of Canadian artists who are on the bill, so I look forward to hearing them. There are some friends who were born in Quebec, as well, so they're very excited to come and hear me in their home town. I'm looking forward to it.

Q: Dominic Champagne, who directed Love, with Cirque du Soleil, told us that he was wondering if the fact that you had worked with Cirque du Soleil and a lot of Quebec artists had influenced your decision to come to Quebec City.

PAUL: I don't think it did, actually. You're right, I've had much more contact with French-Canadians recently, through the Love show. It wasn't part of the reason to come to Quebec, to tell the truth, but it's part of the excitement. I'm looking forward to see Gilles [Ste-Croix, du Cirque du Soleil]. He's a cool guy, he comes to my shows quite a bit. I like it a lot, he's very talented, and he's a nice guy, too. They've put together a great show in Las Vegas, so we've become really good friends, him and Dominic and a lot of the French-speaking team.

Q: Thanks for your time.

PAUL: I hope to see you on Sunday. And if not, you'll see me!

(laughter)

À la prochaine! (at the next one)

Paul McCartney threw off his divorce woes in a celebration of old time rock 'n roll at the 'Last Play at Shea'.

The former Beatle took on old-time rocker Billy Joel in a battle of the bands at the final concert at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York.

The concert nearly ended as the first show in 1965 began, with Sir Paul, 66, singing 'Let it Be' over a deafening crowd.
Paul McCartney and Billy Joel

Despite a combined age of 125, Sir Paul looks a good 10 years younger since his harrowing divorce battle

At one point, clearly enjoying the celebration, Sir Paul gave host Billy Joel, 59, a good old-fashioned smacker on the cheek.

Together, Sir Paul and Billy Joel have a combined age of 125. Yet Macca still looks 10 years younger since his painful divorce battle.

Earlier in the night, Sir Paul pleased the 63,000 screaming fans with a singalong of Piano Man.

Other stars at the concert included Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, who looked particularly well preserved, and Tony Bennett.

With a total combined age of 267, the old time rockers saw off the Shea stadium in style.

Fans started lining up Saturday to get a chance to see Paul McCartney up close when the legendary musician performs in Quebec City's 400th anniversary celebrations Sunday.

About 200,000 fans are expected to attend the show set on the Plains of Abraham. Some fans travelled from afar to get a chance to see the former Beatles star.

One group of fans came all the way from Mexico City.

"We have been on a bus for like four of five days," one of the Mexican fans told CTV Montreal just outside the concert ground.

"We don't have anywhere to stay, so we will stay here," his friend said, pointing to the grass.

Many of McCartney's fans had some noticeably grey streaks in their hair and may remember watching the Beatles perform on the "The Ed Sullivan Show" as teenagers.

"It's all our memories because you see some of these songs by the guy who did them 40 years ago and it reminds me of when I was a much younger man," Steve from San Francisco said.

Marsha Kimmel of Montreal said that she actually saw the Beatles perform in 1965 in New York but that she couldn't actually hear the concert then because of all the screaming fans. That's why she was back.

"This is just a concert this is more like a religious experience for me, so its pretty special," Kurt Leavins of Edmonton said.

Officially, the area where the fans are waiting does not open until 5 a.m. Sunday, but organizers don't seem to mind.

While seeing McCartney is a dream come true for these fans, some Quebec nationalists were angered by the inclusion of a mega-star from Britain.

Luci Tremblay, spokesperson of Society of the 400th Anniversary told CTV Newsnet that she wasn't paying attention to the controversial surround the McCartney show.

She said there were a variety of performers, both French and British in origin, taking place in the show.

"Where you like it, or don't like it, its part of our culture," she said.

She added that the inclusion of an artist of McCartney's stature has brought "the eye of the world" on a small city like Quebec City.

SEE IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CONCERTGOERS

It takes a lot to upstage Billy Joel at Shea Stadium.

Billy Joel, left, performing in what was advertised as the last concert at Shea Stadium, was joined by Paul McCartney.

But late on Friday night, nearly three hours into a career-spanning performance advertised as the last concert at Shea before it was to be demolished, Mr. Joel seemed happy to turn over the spotlight to Paul McCartney, who, he said, had just flown in from London.

The sold-out crowd of 55,000 people let out an ear-splitting roar as Mr. McCartney sang the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There," with Mr. Joel singing backup and, fitting his reputation as a self-deprecating rock star, looking on from his piano as if he were just another fan himself.

Before beginning "Let It Be," Mr. McCartney alluded to the Beatles' first concert at Shea in 1965, the year after the stadium opened.

"It's so cool to be back here on the last night," he said. "Been here a long time ago - we had a blast that night, and we're having another one tonight."

The concert was the second of two farewell shows by Mr. Joel, who told the crowd earlier in the night: "They're tearing this house down. I want to thank you for letting me do the job and keep doing it - the best job in the world."

Mr. McCartney wasn't the only big guest. The country star Garth Brooks, dressed in a Mets T-shirt, sang Mr. Joel's "Shameless," which was a big hit for Mr. Brooks; Steven Tyler of Aerosmith performed "Walk This Way;" and Roger Daltrey of the Who - which played at Shea in 1982 - sang "My Generation" as Mr. Joel smashed a guitar on the center-field stage.

Before the show, fans praised Mr. Joel, Long Island's favorite son, as an approachable superstar whose songs chronicle everyday New York lives and struggles. "Only New Yorkers have a true sense of what he talks about," said Lauren Marchiano, 26. As an avowed follower of both Mr. Joel and the Mets, she said, the night was doubly poignant for her.

But the most popular topic of conversation seemed to be how much everyone had paid to get in. Ronnie Glowacki, an administrative assistant from Brooklyn, had been frozen out when tickets went on sale in February; she would say only that she paid "somewhere between zero and $500" to get in on Friday. A Yankees fan, she was there to catch what could be a last glimpse - not of Shea Stadium, but of Mr. Joel.

"I don't know how much longer he's going to be doing concerts, so I want to get every one I can get in," she said. "For me it's all Billy."

Paul at Shea on youtube

http://www.youtube..com/watch?v=pK0wTAe6v6E

http://www.youtube..com/watch?v=8b3sy7PZ6OA

http://www.youtube..com/watch?v=OUg02dh68so

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fPfB06P7Us

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PAUL McCARTNEY'S QUEBEC CONCERT
THIS SUNDAY, JULY 20
At the Great stage on the Plains of Abraham

Photo Credit: MJ Kim
© 2008 MPL Communications Ltd.

Legend
Paul McCartney will perform his first live show in Canada since 2005 when he will lead the city of Québec in celebrations for their 400th anniversary on the 20th of July. The free concert will take place in one of the world's most prestigious and historic city parks, the Plains of Abraham, the site of many clashes between the French and British empires in the 18th century.

Just weeks ago Paul McCartney performed the largest ever show in the Ukraine, in Kiev, and played a stadium concert in Liverpool. If these previous shows are anything to go by, Québec City is in for a night it will never forget.

This will be Paul McCartney's first visit to the capital. He first played in Canada when The Beatles appeared at the Montréal Forum in 1964. Since then he has toured in Canada on numerous occasions but never in Québec. So this will be a grand premiere for him and for the population of Québec City.

The Program

Site Plan & Giant Screens

Access

Important Security & Access Regulations

Services for person with restricted mobility

Traffic Changes & Parking Regulations

The Show to be Televised

The Program
The show will open at 7:30 p.m. with two guest groups: The Stills from Montréal, followed by the Pascale Picard Band.
Paul McCartney will come on stage around 9:15 for a two-hour show.

The show is free and no ticket or pass is needed to enter the site.

The Société du 400e asks that everyone who still has their blinking summer festival button to proudly wear it to the concert to light up the night for Paul McCartney's Québec City concert.

Site Plan & Giant Screens
The show will be held on the Plains' main stage (behind Québec City Armoury), the venue of choice for major events in Québec City.

There will be seven giant screens onsite, one on each side of the stage, and five more around the site to let the most people possible watch the show:

- Two in the front of the stage, behind the control tower and on the hill,
- One behind the stage,
- One on the water reservoir hill (near the Citadel),
- One on Grande-Allée, near the war memorial gate (Croix du sacrifice near the Parliament Building).
- There will also be two more giant sceens in Lévis (on the south shore of St.Lawrence River)

Access
The site will be closed to the public 48 hours before the show so no one can line up or sleep there the night before.

On the day of the show :
Main entrance, West side of the Plains
Between Avenue Georges-VI and Avenue Ontario, east of Avenue Garneau. The concert site on the Plains of Abraham will be open to the public as soon as sound tests are completed, around 5 p.m. on Sunday. The gates will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to enter a "buffer zone" before the concert area opens at 5:30.

Second entrance, East side of the Plains
Another gate will open around 6:30 at the corner of Grande-Allée and Avenue Georges-VI.

Important security & access regulations
- To make room for the most spectators possible, chairs are strictly prohibited onsite.

- People without backpacks will have priority access.
- People with backpacks must stand in line to have their bag searched for alcoholic beverages or glass containers. Alcoholic beverages and glass containers are strictly prohibited onsite.

Services for people with restricted mobility
People with restricted mobility and their guide/helper will be able to line up around 5:30 p.m. at the meeting point. Access to the site will begin around 6:30 p.m.

Click here to find out more about how to get to the meeting point ("Point de rencontre" on the map) for people with restricted mobility, with or without reservation.

People with reserved places (30) attributed on July 14 have priority entrance to the site. These 30 places are located in front of the stage. Chairs are provided.

200 places without reservation (100 persons with restricted mobility and their guide/helper) have been added. This new section will be located behind the stage, in front of a giant screen. No chairs will be provided. You must bring your own.

Traffic Changes & Parking Regulations
Due to the heavy traffic expected in the Plains of Abraham sector on July 20, and as a safety measure, the City of Québec will change the traffic pattern on several access roads, temporarily blocking streets or modifying traffic and parking regulations. For details on all the measures in effect, the public can go to the City of Québec website or sign up for advance e-mail notification of all advisories.

To give the public real-time traffic, parking or other important updates, the City of Québec will run public interest messages on Sunday on CFOM 102.9 FM. For the occasion, the station will be playing a special program of songs by the Beatles and Paul McCartney.

The Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC) has also beefed up public transportation for the evening:
- more busses
- special Métrobusses
- Hydro-Québec shuttle
- predetermined embarkation areas

Customers can go to the RTC website or call RTC customer service at 418 627-2511 to plan ahead.

The Show to be Televised
Paul McCartney's concert will be broadcast live Sunday night on Canal Indigo for $19.99 and rerun the next day on Illico sur demande for $17.99.

"Apparently, yes." He calls Mr. McCartney "a living monument of 20th century culture." His body of work is "majestic, timeless and universal," Mr. Roy says, advising the hotheads to follow the advice of Mr. McCartney's former band mate John Lennon and "give peace a chance."

Sir Paul had this to say in an interview with CBC Radio-Canada: "I think it's time to, you know, smoke the pipes of peace and to just put away your hatchets. I think it's a show of friendship. I'm very friendly with the French people that I know. I know people of all nationalities. Hey, I'm friendly with German people. By that argument, I should never go to Germany or they should never come here."

Sovereigntist songwriter Stéphane Venne writes in the same newspaper that the protests,"which draw a paranoid link between McCartney's nationality and the English conquest of Quebec in 1760, display a lack of vision and a lack of courage, two essential conditions to achieving independence."

The Journal de Montréal quotes Sylvain Légaré of the opposition Action Démocratique du Québec, who calls the protesters foolish and dearly hopes Mr. McCartney has not caught wind of their complaints. "We're going to look like a nice gang of habitants," he says. Readers comments on the subject in Le Journal run 10-4 in favour of inviting the ex-Beatle. "We are so blinded by our so-called nationalist fibre that anyone who doesn't speak French has to be insulted, ridiculed and especially criticized by our Quebec identity police," writes Serge Gélinas.

Calling herself a "Québécoise pure laine," Carole Brunet says she doesn't understand why Mr. McCartney was chosen to celebrate Quebec City's 400th anniversary. "We are talking here about our French origins. It seems to me we have enough of our own artists who could have taken part. Why him?"

French Canadians are upset about Paul McCartney performing in Quebec City as part of 400th anniversary celebrations, because "The presence of [his] English-language music on the most majestic part of Battlefields Park, as beautiful as it might be, can't help but bring back painful memories of our Conquest."

The quote is from a letter endorsed by Parti Québécois Members of the National Assembly, and part of a push to have McCartney sing in French at the concert.

The letter asks McCartney to use his performance to make a plea for the sovereignty of the Quebec people and asks McCartney to show the same sensitivity to "the people of French Quebec" as he has shown to "the fate of the seals."

Better still, one of the two Parti Québécois Members said McCartney's presence reflects a "Canadianization" of the anniversary celebrations.

According to the National Post, not all French Canadians are raving lunatics, with Jean Charest, the Quebec Premier, say that the people involved should be embarrassed: "Nobody criticizes Céline Dion for singing in Paris, Munich, England or elsewhere on the planet," he said.

July 17, 2008 -- The Mirror

Macca 'to play first Israel gig'

Sir Paul McCartney is set to play a historic first gig in Israel - where The Beatles were banned more than 40 years ago.

Macca, 66, is on the verge of signing a deal to play to 250,000 in Tel Aviv this September.

Worried advisors are hammering out a strict security plan.

A source said: "Paul is desperate to put Israel on the map of places he's performed.

"He is pushing to make it happen, although the security issues are a real threat.

"Paul's very laid back so is not one to normally take such a keen interest in his personal wellbeing.

"But this show is very different given the tensions in the region."

In 1965 The Beatles were turned away by Israel's then education minister David Zarzevski, who believed a gig by the band would corrupt the country's morals.

However earlier this year, Israel's government sent apology letters to Macca and drummer Ringo Starr - as well as the relatives of deceased Beatles George Harrison and John Lennon - inviting them to play as part of the country's 60th birthday celebrations.

The letters stated: "We should like to take this opportunity to correct the historic omission which to our great regret occurred in 1965 when you were invited to Israel.

"We missed a chance to learn from the most influential musicians of the decade."

Paul will make amends by playing at either the nation's football station Ramat Gan or putting on an open air gig in Hayarkon Park.

He will then play other dates in Western Europe before heading further afield in 2009.

The source continued: "Paul wants to see how Europe goes before he hits the road worldwide.

"His biggest consideration remains seeing his daughter Bea while touring. He wants to take her on tour, but that means special arrangements with Heather Mills.

"He will see how well shared custody of Bea with her goes while he is in Europe, before planning anything bigger.

"He is desperate for them to amicably share Bea despite him being abroad."

McCartney's free Quebec concert ruffles sovereigntists

Several prominent Quebec artists and sovereigntists are complaining about Paul McCartney's highly anticipated concert this coming weekend, accusing the former Beatle of "Canadianizing" the city's 400th birthday celebration.

A group of politicians and artists, including Parti Québécois culture critic Pierre Curzi and actress Pol Pelletier have lent their name to an open letter that denounces McCartney's free July 20 concert on Quebec City's Plains of Abraham.

The open letter's original author ­ artist Luc Archambault ­ writes that McCartney's appearance misrepresents the spirit of the 400th anniversary celebrations, which commemorate the fight for the survival of the French language in North America.

The concert reflects a general "Canadianization" of the 400th anniversary celebrations, Archambault concludes.

He expresses his wish that McCartney would invite Quebec folk legend Gilles Vigneault up on stage Sunday night to sing Gens du Pays, Quebec's unofficial anthem.

McCartney's Sunday show is expected to draw between 150,000 and 300,000 people.

McCartney's Quebec concert live on pay per view

Sir Paul McCartney will play on the Plains of Abraham on July 20 as part of the celebrations surrounding Quebec City's 400th birthday. The show will be the ex-Beatle's only North American performance this year and is his first concert in Canada since 2005.

"I am doing a gig, a big gig, in Quebec City on July 20 to help Quebec celebrate their 400th anniversary," the former Beatle said in a videotaped message from London on Monday, June 30th.

Today it was announced the concert will be broadcast live on Canal Indigo, a French language pay per view channel and will cost $19.95. Canal Indigo is available primarily in Quebec on cable outlets such as Cogeco and Videotron.

For viewers unable to watch the concert live, Videotron has announced the concert would be available to its Video on demand (VOD) beginning July 21st for $17.99.

There has been no word on whether the concert will be available to pay per view or video on demand subscribers in English Canada.

The Stills To Open for Paul McCartney

Sir Paul McCartney has enlisted The Stills and Pascale Picard to help him celebrate Quebec City's milestone birthday.

The Montreal band will open for the ex-Beatle's June 20th show, part of a litany of events occurring in the capital city in honour of its 400th anniversary.

The free show, which is McCartney's only scheduled North American date this summer, will take place on the Plains of Abraham and is expected to attract over 100,000 fans.

The Stills expressed their excitement over the supporting gig. "We are completely honored, blown totally 100 per cent away," guitarist/vocalist Tim Fletcher said on the Arts & Crafts website.

"(McCartney's) influence on our own music is incalculable and profound and his songs have been stuck in our heads since we were just tiny little beings developing in our mothers' wombs. It will be a beautiful night to remember for all times."

By: Howie Edelson

A clash between Celine Dion's management and Paul McCartney was narrowly avoided after it was revealed that McCartney's upcoming concert in Quebec City would seat 150,000 more audience members than Montreal native Celine Dion's show.

The Montreal Gazette reported that Dion's husband-manager Rene Angelil objected that McCartney's free concert, set for July 20th to celebrate Quebec's 400th birthday, would seat 250,000, as opposed to Dion's show on August 22nd which would only seat 100,000.

In a compromise the celebration planners have called a tie, which will ultimately result in both shows fitting 200,000 audience members onto the grounds at Quebec City's Plains of Abraham.

Boost for Fakenham food factory

Frozen food brand Linda McCartney has a long future ahead in Fakenham, bosses have said this week.

Three new product lines are to be added to the Fakenham-based frozen vegetarian food range, it was announced.

The meat-free ready meal producer has come up with new lines - vegetarian mince, vegetarian "meatballs" and vegetarian "chicken-style" pieces.

They are all part of a review of the producer's portfolio and a rejuvenation of the brand.

The Vegetarian Mince will be exclusively listed in Sainsbury's stores nationwide from early autumn this year.

David Matwij, operations manager for the business, said that this was very good news for the Fakenham operation, and would help provide a solid future for the factory, which currently employs about 180 staff.

Peter McPhilips, recently appointed executive chairman of the firm, has promised to reinvigorate the brand with "the full blessing and support of Sir Paul McCartney and his family".

Linda McCartney frozen food produce is made under licence by Hain Celestial at its Holt Road site in Fakenham, bought by the UK-wide group in 2006 from Heinz Frozen and Chilled Foods.

The new lines have been supported by the McCartney family as part of a rejuvenation of the entire brand to provide vegetarian cooks with an alternative to meat and existing meat-free options.

The frozen food brand had sales of £40 million ($80 million) in its heyday, but had fallen to £10 million ($20 million) prior to a relaunch at the end of last year.

The Fakenham factory was opened by Linda McCartney and it remains a dedicated meat-free site.

Sir Paul McCartney admitted on Wednesday undergoing secret heart surgery to increase blood. The procedure was performed on the 65-year-old former Beatle during the fall.

McCartney underwent a coronary angioplasty which opened up his arteries. It was done at a private hospital after he visited a heart specialist at a London clinic. The popular musician was not feeling well, prompting a visit to the doctor. "Paul felt there was something not quite right and luckily sought professional help... It's not something that can be left to chance," a friend of McCartney's told the Mirror.

A spokesman for McCartney confirmed he underwent the medical procedure, adding that he is fast recovering from his operation.

An angioplasty involves passing a fine tube through the groin up to the aorta. A small balloon at the end of the tube will inflate to burst the fatty deposits blocking the arteries.

Apparently McCartney is feeling better and even managed to appear on BBC's New Year Special when he sang his hit song "Dance Tonight" with Kylie Minogue.

Prior to his medical problem, McCartney was on the headlines over his divorce with his 40-year-old wife Heather Mills. Two couple will battle it out next month for a divorce settlement at a five-day High Court hearing.

Stella McCartney has revealed how she was embarrassed to be seen with her superstar dad when she was younger.

The designer claims she dreaded schoolmates finding out who her famous father was and would hate being taken to school in Macca's car.

"I spent half my life denying that Paul McCartney was my dad," she told Grazia magazine.

"My biggest fear as a kid was being late for school and missing the bus, because it meant dad would take me in his Mercedes. I was mortified each time."

Since she has made it big in the fashion world, Paul has taken to joking that: "Now they ask if I'm Stella McCartney's dad.

More than four decades after the Beatle and his famous band mates were told they couldn't perform in Israel for fear that they would corrupt the country's young people, the "Let It Be" singer has signed on for a September concert in either Tel Aviv or Ramat Gan. The big-budget show, first reported by Yediot Aharonot, will follow McCartney concerts in Georgia and Turkey. The show, likely to be the largest and most expensive of the summer, is being organized by David Zarzevski, a promoter behind the Eilat Jazz Festival and recent Tel Aviv-area concerts by Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu.

The show will mark McCartney's debut concert in Israel, though not his first invitation to perform. The singer and his Beatles counterparts planned a concert in the country in 1965, but they were barred from performing by then-education minister Yaakov Schneider on grounds that the band members might serve as negative role models for the country's youth. (Israeli government approval is no longer needed for performances by foreign artists.)

Israel's current ambassador to England sent letters to McCartney, Ringo Starr and relatives of deceased Beatles George Harrison and John Lennon earlier this year, expressing regret for the incident. The letter to McCartney declared that "Israel missed a chance to learn from the most influential musicians of the decade."

July 3, 2008 -- People.com

Paul McCartney Opens Up About Final Moments with George Harrison

I Want to Hold Your Hand. And they did.

So says Paul McCartney, speaking for the first time of his final moments with fellow Beatle George Harrison, who was succumbing to cancer.

"We held hands," McCartney, 66, tells Britain's Uncut magazine. "It's funny, even at the height of our friendship, as guys, you'd never hold hands."

"I sat with him for a few hours when he was in treatment about 10 days from his death," McCartney says of Harrison, who died in 2001, at the age of 58. "We joked about things ­ just amusing, nutty stuff. It was good. It was like we were dreaming."

McCartney, who first met Harrison on a bus while the two were schoolboys in Liverpool, said the guitarist was more than a friend ­ he was family.

"He was my little baby brother, almost, because I'd known him that long."

Sir Paul McCartney may be congratulating himself on his choice of vehicle.

He's always been a supporter of green issues and driving a hybrid car (albeit a rather large and luxurious one) would seem to be the right choice.

But his £84,000 ($168,000) Lexus is in fact responsible for stamping a huge carbon footprint on the environment.

This is because the car was flown 7,000 miles from the factory in Japan. That single journey created more than 14 tons of carbon dioxide - 20 times more than if the vehicle had been shipped by sea.

The first sighting of Paul McCartney's much talked about eco-car

That's a great deal more than Sir Paul's driving might have produced had he decided to opt for a conventional car.

The 65-year-old was photographed in the maroon Lexus LS600h for the first time as he was driven to his London recording studio yesterday.

A spokesman for environmental management consultancy Carbon Footprint said: 'Sir Paul would have to drive 36,100 miles in the car to create the same amount of carbon dioxide as that single flight. It's a ridiculous situation.'

The Lexus LS600h was sent to the former Beatle from Japan as a gift from the car manufacturer. It features a powerful five litre V8 petrol engine.

However, it produces relatively low carbon emissions of 219g per kilometre - comparable cars in terms of size and power have emissions of 249g per kilometre.

As a hybrid it also has an electric motor, powered by batteries, which can be used to power the car at low speeds, such as when it is in traffic, and produces no emissions.

Such is vegetarian Sir Paul's passion for issues surrounding animal rights and the environment that he took out the leather interior and had it replaced with cloth.

The singer demanded that no animal products were used in his new car and it has been fitted with a hand-stitched green woven fabric.

Thumbs up: Paul McCartney in North London yesterday

Lexus has enjoyed a close relationship with Sir Paul. The company sponsored his 2005 tour of the U.S. and produced a one-off McCartney-themed hybrid SUV, which was sold to benefit an antilandmine charity.

He has, in the past, praised the firm for producing environmentally sensitive cars. His fashion designer daughter Stella also drives a Lexus.

Lexus said of the decision to send the vehicle by plane: 'To ensure the car's quality and security, as well as to meet marketing deadlines, it was airshipped on a regularly-scheduled commercial flight to the UK.'

A spokesman for Sir Paul declined to comment.

July 2, 2008 -- Uncut

Paul McCartney has spoken about his relationship with George Harrison, describing the last moments they spent together before his death, in an exclusive interview in this month's Uncut.

"I sat with him for a few hours when he was in treatment just outside New York," said McCartney. "He was about 10 days away from his death, as I recall. We joked about things ­ just amusing, nutty stuff. It was good. It was like we were dreaming. He was my little baby brother, almost, because I'd known him that long."

"We held hands. It's funny, even at the height of our friendship ­ as guys ­ you would never hold hands. It just wasn't a Liverpool thing. But it was lovely."

McCartney also speaks about their early days as students and how Harrison came to be in The Beatles.

"He pulled out his guitar and played 'Raunchy', and that was it ­ he was in the band. He was a bit too young, almost out of the age range for us, a little too baby-faced, but he was just a great player."

The interview appears in the new August issue of Uncut magazine in an 11-page feature on 'The Lonely Beatle' alongside comments from Pattie Boyd, Michael Palin and Ravi Shankar.

Sir Paul McCartney is urging people to donate funds to support Paralympic athletes.

The ex-Beatle is appearing in a TV advertising campaign this month to raise £2 million ($4 million).

Cash from the appeal will be used to send athletes to the Paralympic Games in Beijing and for the future of disability sport.

The campaign is organised by ParalympicsGB, which spends money on athletes' training, travel and medical support.

Sir Paul, 66, said: "I met leading Paralympic dressage rider Sophie Christiansen and was completely blown away by her skill, dedication and the fact that she had won a gold medal for Britain, so I felt I had to do something.

"My suggestion was simple. Why not create an ad that would highlight the work of ParalympicsGB and call on the British public to donate much needed money."

Pop legend Sir Paul McCartney, who will appear at a July 20 concert on the Plains of Abraham, urged demonstrators in Brussels yesterday to complete their fight for a European seal products import ban.

He once called the seal hunt a "stain" on Canada's image. The ex-Beatle said an EU ban could successfully shut down the international sealing industry.

"Stopping the import of seal fur into the European Union could really put an end to this brutality once and for all," he said in a video message played at the event. "Please ask the EU to ban this terrible trade today."

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