"Give peace a chance" at McCartney's Paris concert

beatlz · Mar 26, 2003, 08:15 AM

"Give peace a chance" at McCartney's Paris concert
3-26-02

PARIS,(AFP) - Former Beatle Paul McCartney added an unscheduled number to the first night of his European tour when a French audience of 15,000 struck up a spontaneous rendition of "Give Peace a Chance" by his late songwriting partner John Lennon.

AFP Photo

McCartney had just completed "Here Today" -- a song he wrote after Lennon's murder in 1980 -- when the Tuesday night crowd at the Bercy sports centre in Paris broke into the celebrated peace anthem, originally penned to protest against the Vietnam war.

Visibly surprised, the former Beatle joined in the chorus but he otherwise made no reference to the war in Iraq (news - web sites), which is opposed by the overwhelming majority of the French public.

McCartney was kicking off the European leg of his world tour, in which he plays around 40 Beatles classics as well as hits by his second group Wings.

beatlz · Mar 26, 2003, 08:27 AM

and here is what the bbc said on it:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2887503.stm

McCartney gig rocks Paris

Sir Paul McCartney has begun his first European tour in a decade with a concert in Paris packed with Beatles favourites.
He played for nearly three hours in front of 15,000 fans at the city's Palais Omnisports venue at the start of his 17-date Back In The World tour.

During the shows - due to arrive in the UK on 5 April - Sir Paul is playing the greatest hits from his 40-year back catalogue, including a string of Beatles classics.

The tour will net millions of pounds for the 60-year-old singer who is already the world's wealthiest music artist with an estimated £620m fortune.

Live Beatles songs
Yesterday
We Can Work It Out
All My Loving
The Fool On The Hill
Here, There and Everywhere
I Saw Her Standing There
The Long and Winding Road
Michelle
Blackbird
Getting Better

Sir Paul began the show in sprightly mood, carrying his famous Hofner bass and promising to try out his French - "un petit peu".

He launched into Beatles song All My Loving with the words: "Bon soir Paris - we have come to rock you tonight."

Other Beatles favourites included Yesterday, We Can Work It Out and I Saw Her Standing There.

Sir Paul also played Beatles album tracks such as Birthday, Getting Better, Blackbird and You Never Give Me Your Money/Carry That Weight.

He performed versions of some of his best-loved 1970s work, including Jet, Live and Let Die and Band On The Run, as well as more recent solo tracks such as Driving Rain.

Sir Paul paid tribute to his songwriting partner John Lennon with the song Here Today, which he wrote after Lennon was shot dead in 1980.

Announcing the song, he said: "Sometimes you don't say what you mean to say to people in life.

"Sometimes you miss the opportunity, sometimes it's too late and you regret it."

As the song finished, the crowd chanted: "All we are saying is give peace a chance" - a reference to Lennon's anti-war song.

Sir Paul listened to them before paying a further tribute to fellow former Beatle George Harrison, who died of cancer 16 months ago.

To rapturous applause he performed a version of Harrison's Beatles song Something.

Sir Paul draped himself in the French tricolour for the encore - and was met with a standing ovation.

beatlelover45223 · Mar 26, 2003, 09:18 AM

thanks for posting this... looks like Europe is going to get a great "Hello" from Paul, I didn't get to see him in the US, but have enjoyed listening to clips from his concerts in the US on
Net Radio...
[img]graemlins/music1.gif[/img]

biglou114 · Mar 26, 2003, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted By beatlz:

Sir Paul listened to them before paying a further tribute to fellow former Beatle George Harrison, who died of cancer 16 months ago.

Has it really been 16 months?

armyant · Mar 26, 2003, 10:10 AM

I've been rehearing JET lately and it's a damn good song! I know the lyrics aren't so hot, but the music on that one is TOP NOTCH. One of his best.

Danoota64 · Mar 26, 2003, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted By HMVNipper:
So much for all his American flag-waving and "Freedom" during the American leg of the tour...I guess he does whatever is politically expedient depending on where he's performing at the time.

Wonder how he felt when the crowd burst into one of JOHN'S songs?

Sorry, I'm just very cynical about this...don't come down on me, it just rubs me the wrong way. And I'm NOT anti-French or anything, either, that's not the point -- I'm just disappointed that Paul seems to embrace whatever is least detrimental to his popularity in a particular place, even if it is radically different from something he has espoused before.

Seems like he gives 'em what they want and tells 'em what they wanna hear.

[img]graemlins/peace.gif[/img]

HMVNipper · Mar 26, 2003, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted By Danoota64:
<blockquote>Quote:<hr />Originally Posted By HMVNipper:
So much for all his American flag-waving and "Freedom" during the American leg of the tour...I guess he does whatever is politically expedient depending on where he's performing at the time.

Wonder how he felt when the crowd burst into one of JOHN'S songs?

Sorry, I'm just very cynical about this...don't come down on me, it just rubs me the wrong way. And I'm NOT anti-French or anything, either, that's not the point -- I'm just disappointed that Paul seems to embrace whatever is least detrimental to his popularity in a particular place, even if it is radically different from something he has espoused before.

Seems like he gives 'em what they want and tells 'em what they wanna hear.

[img]graemlins/peace.gif[/img] <hr /></blockquote>Yup.

Rellevart · Mar 26, 2003, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted By HMVNipper:
I'm just disappointed that Paul seems to embrace whatever is least detrimental to his popularity in a particular place, even if it is radically different from something he has espoused before.

I'm not sure that's quite fair. I mean, what would you have him do, start screaming at the audience "SHUT UP SHUT UP, We're NOT singing that song here!"?? It says that the AUDIENCE started the song and he was surprised....and yeah, I suppose he could have forced them to quit, but honestly, would anybody really do that??

Yes, Paul does know what side his bread is buttered on, but I think people are also too quick to jump on him for things that aren't of his doing.

HMVNipper · Mar 26, 2003, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted By Rellevart:
<blockquote>Quote:<hr />Originally Posted By HMVNipper:
I'm just disappointed that Paul seems to embrace whatever is least detrimental to his popularity in a particular place, even if it is radically different from something he has espoused before.

I'm not sure that's quite fair. I mean, what would you have him do, start screaming at the audience "SHUT UP SHUT UP, We're NOT singing that song here!"?? It says that the AUDIENCE started the song and he was surprised....and yeah, I suppose he could have forced them to quit, but honestly, would anybody really do that??

Yes, Paul does know what side his bread is buttered on, but I think people are also too quick to jump on him for things that aren't of his doing.<hr /></blockquote>No, I don't think he should have stopped them, not at all. But I'd be willing to bet it burned him, nonetheless, that the crowd didn't burst into one of his songs!

I didn't make it clear before -- the beef I have is not that the crowd was singing Give Peace a Chance...but that after all his American flag-waving and hyping of the "fight for the right to live in freedom," during the American tour, he has now draped himself in a French tricolor...in order to have them cheer for him.

Rellevart · Mar 26, 2003, 12:43 PM

And furthermore (I think about these things more and get even warmer under the collar - ha ha)...who doesn't bend how they react based on their audience? I may feel VERY strongly about, say women's rights, but I'm not going to go barrelling into a room full of super conservative stay-at-home moms and spout feminist rhetoric! I may feel strongly about peace or war, but I'm not going to go to a peace demonstration wearing a George Bush T-shirt or go to a pro-war demonstration and sing "Give Peace a Chance". Yes, being strong in your beliefs is a good thing, but there's also something to be said for tact and diplomacy. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Rellevart · Mar 26, 2003, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted By HMVNipper:
I didn't make it clear before -- the beef I have is not that the crowd was singing Give Peace a Chance...but that after all his American flag-waving and hyping of the "fight for the right to live in freedom," during the American tour, he has now draped himself in a French tricolor...in order to have them cheer for him.

Ah, that makes a lot more sense then. But again, do you go to a stadium in Detroit and say "I love Chicago best!"? Nah, probably not. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

HMVNipper · Mar 26, 2003, 12:49 PM

What you say is true, Rell, and I'm not disagreeing with you...as I said, I'm just feeling really cynical about this. It'll probably pass...but at the moment I'm just being a hard-ass. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Rellevart · Mar 26, 2003, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted By HMVNipper:
What you say is true, Rell, and I'm not disagreeing with you...as I said, I'm just feeling really cynical about this. It'll probably pass...but at the moment I'm just being a hard-ass. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

It's even ok if you ARE disagreeing with me! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] My a$$ is pretty hard too. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Legs · Mar 26, 2003, 12:56 PM

That's Paul, just pleasing the crowd he's with at that moment. He says color in the U.S. in England it's colour, he uses the lift in the U.S. and in England he takes the elavator.

Well I wouldn't mind some spontaneity, I mean I'll be seeing Paul just to see Paul once in my lifetime, but I know beforehand everything he's going to do. There is that bit in "You never give me your money" where he doesn't remember the words. He burst into a folk song, and after a few chords he will say, "No, no stop I am not going to play that, it's silly", something he's been doing since the 70's.
So if we can't look at Paul for some spontaneity, I will mobilize our dutch crowd for his show in the Netherlands, and after "Here Today" we will all sing a John song.
I was thinking how he will react if we all would sing "How Do You Sleep"?

J. Palegringo · Mar 26, 2003, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted By armyant:
I've been rehearing JET lately and it's a damn good song! I know the lyrics aren't so hot, but the music on that one is TOP NOTCH. One of his best.

Man, I love that song! I love John's lyrics, but I always thought Paul's bass made them sound even better...for example, his playing on Lennon's "Hey Bulldog". He still knows how to get that thick, thick sound!

J. Palegringo · Mar 26, 2003, 02:17 PM

So, Vive le France, God Bless America! Maybe Paul loves 'em both!!!

Does remind me of this quote:

Reporter: "The French have yet to make up their mind about Beatles. What do you think of them?"

Paul (I think!): We love Beatles! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Regarding Lennon's idiotic "How Do You Sleep", this song sounds like nothing more than an example of family squabbling over old resentments. Later in life, John and George were both adamant in stating their love for our Paul!

[size="1"][ Mar 26, 2003, 03:20 PM: Message Edited By: J. Palegringo ][/size]

Penny Lane · Mar 26, 2003, 03:46 PM

yes, everyone went through their bitter times, but in the end, everyone was friends, eh???

and in the end.............. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Legs · Mar 26, 2003, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted By J. Palegringo:
Regarding Lennon's idiotic "How Do You Sleep", this song sounds like nothing more than an example of family squabbling over old resentments. Later in life, John and George were both adamant in stating their love for our Paul!

Ah don't be so serious, my comment (as so many, but not all) was not to be taken serious. Still I am going to ask the dutch brigade to sing some Lennon and perhaps some Harrison.

HMVNipper · Mar 26, 2003, 11:51 PM

So much for all his American flag-waving and "Freedom" during the American leg of the tour...I guess he does whatever is politically expedient depending on where he's performing at the time.

Wonder how he felt when the crowd burst into one of JOHN'S songs?

Sorry, I'm just very cynical about this...don't come down on me, it just rubs me the wrong way. And I'm NOT anti-French or anything, either, that's not the point -- I'm just disappointed that Paul seems to embrace whatever is least detrimental to his popularity in a particular place, even if it is radically different from something he has espoused before.

[size="1"][ Mar 26, 2003, 01:00 PM: Message Edited By: HMVNipper ][/size]

oracle193 · Mar 27, 2003, 06:07 AM

Hey Legs!

I appreciated your gentle humor. Maybe Paul
needs a gentle wake-up call to his social con-
sciousness. I miss the days of "Pipes of Peace"
and his tours where he used to promote and help
fund Friends of the Earth and animal rights groups.
He's capable of far more lyrical depth and also used to sing "Give Peace A Chance" at all his major concerts! [img]graemlins/peace.gif[/img]