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    Paul McCartney Returns to Ed Sullivan Theater

    • Posted on Jul 16th 2009 11:15AM by Dan Reilly
    • Comments (151)
    Email This
    Paul McCartney returned to the legendary Ed Sullivan Theater on Wednesday night to tape an appearance for the 'Late Show with David Letterman,' 45 years after the Beatles made their landmark U.S. television debut on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' Echoing the Fab Four's final rooftop concert, the 67-year-old played a seven-song set on top of the theater's marquee.

    Before the performance, McCartney sat down for a long interview with Letterman, opening with the host teasing Macca about never accepting the an invite to appear as a guest, to which McCartney quipped, "I don't like the show." He then reminisced about the Sullivan appearance, saying that while he was waiting to perform a solo rendition of 'Yesterday,' a floor manager approached him and asked if he was nervous. "No," responded McCartney, and the floor manager said, "You should be. There's 73 million people watching." McCartney also touched on the famous "Paul is dead" rumor from the late '60s, saying that never understood the connection between going barefoot on the the 'Abbey Road' album cover and somehow dying.


    McCartney also addressed his relationship with Michael Jackson, opting for gracious respect than displaying any outward signs of resentment over their famous falling out. "It was great, you know, we had a great time," McCartney said. "It was Christmas, and I was at home and my phone rang and, you know, a little voice talked to me and I said, 'Who's this?' You know, kind of guarding my privacy, private number. I said, 'Who's this?' 'It's Michael.' 'Michael who?' because I thought it was, you know, a little bit sort of dodgy, but anyway, he said 'Michael Jackson' and he said, 'You want to make some hits?' So I said, 'Yeah, sure,' so, you know, being of the hit-making variety."

    McCartney noted that he thought Jackson was joking when he said he was going to get into the business of music publishing, saying "I thought, 'OK, here's the guy historically placed to give Lennon-McCartney a good deal at last,' because we'd got signed when we were 21 or something in a back alley in Liverpool and the deal had remained the same even though we made this company the most famous -- hugely successful." He said after that, Jackson kept ignoring the issue whenever it came up between them. "So we kind of drifted apart," McCartney said. "It was no big bust-up. We kind of drifted apart after that. But he was a lovely man, massively talented, and we miss him."

    After the interview, McCartney and his band headed to the theater's marquee on Broadway between 53rd and 54th for a set beginning with 'Get Back.' Rather than playing in front of the 700 people in the '64 Sullivan audience -- Letterman noted that they were 50,000 ticket requests for that taping -- McCartney was able to perform for thousands of New Yorkers that packed the streets. The rest of the 30-minute set included his new single 'Sing the Changes,' 'Band on the Run,' 'Helter Skelter' and 'Back in the U.S.S.R.' This weekend, McCartney kicks off three dates at Citi Field, which replaced as Shea Stadium as home of the New York Mets, the site of one of the Beatles most legendary concerts.


    Paul McCartney Tour Dates
    on TourTracker.com
    • Filed under: News
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    Reader Comments(1 of 8)

    vote downvote upReportNeutral

    laber1221at 7-16-2009

    Awesome concert.... I was at the Ed Sullivan 45 years ago and dejevu I was back. What a great surprise. I came in to see a show and heard Paul might perform...so worth going to see. Thanks Paul thanks Dave

    Reply
    vote downvote upReportNeutral

    cbrys6191at 7-16-2009

    You're so lucky.

    vote downvote upReportNeutral

    bginmarinat 7-17-2009

    I was the CBS backstage Page while a college student. Met them, It was a rush to see the show last nite..lots of memories...Glad you were there way back when...

    BG

    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    feluther16at 7-16-2009

    Amazing how good he still is at his age.

    Reply
    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    wutangusaat 7-16-2009

    The Beatles...The Best.

    Reply
    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    syl1969at 7-16-2009

    ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    Jackat 7-16-2009

    Talent like his is ageless, check out the New Dylan album you wanna hear more old folks doing it.

    Reply
    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    med1152at 7-16-2009

    i have been in love with paul since i was 12 years old...boy, and have seen him in person a couple of times,next stop dallas,tx!!!!! med..houston

    Reply
    vote downvote upReportNeutral

    O2BINLAALSOat 7-17-2009

    I too, fell in love with Paul as an 8 yr. old girl. With playing "the Beatles", with friends and siblings, a friend woiuld have to play Paul so I could still be in love with him. We would sing all the songs. That was a very long time ago. Still remember all the words, though. Great fun to see and hear them again. I did not scream like the girls in the tv audience, however.

    vote downvote upReportNeutral

    Richardat 7-16-2009

    really good to see and hear Paul again but I was always a George Harrison fan

    Reply
    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    ldbubkasat 7-16-2009

    Paul McCartney is the greatest rock star that ever lived. Michael Jackson would be in awe in his presence.
    The most grateful acknowledgement is that Michael owns his songs. Lennon/McCartney is up there with Beethoven and Tchaikovsky as composers. Paul is the only interview that Larry King was humbled by. He remains a legend.

    Reply
    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    cruisedocat 7-16-2009

    Jackson was awed by him. He acknowledged the Beatle influence and that he thought they were the best. He even had his pseudo-Sgt. Pepper suit made and had to own the Beatles catalog rights. Speaking as a long time muscian, Jackson was an excellent motown singer, period. He played nothing, wrote little, and was a highly coached dancer no better than many corriographed dancers. His big hit 'Thriller' was the work of genius producer Quincy Jones. Nice work, but w/o Jones he would have fallen on his face, like his next album, 'Bad'. I like Jackson's work for what it is, but have never seen a more over-rated artist. Don't forget the times, young black teens became major record buyers, which eventually brought us Rap, if you can call that music. McCartney is pure talent and pure genius

    vote downvote upReportLowest Ranked

    Zeprules62at 7-16-2009

    Fist off Paul singlehandedly destroyed the Beatles. He became an arrogant prick who started believing his press. Now after all there years later and he STILL is a prick! He is a massively over rated bass player. Also the Beatles set the path for the pathetic boy bands by being the first band to be mass marketed, thus selling their souls. You didn't see tons of Stones Junk or Zeppelin junk! They were sell outs from the start and he still is!

    Reply
    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    twincam72at 7-16-2009

    Paul destroyed The Beatles? He did? Gee, maybe you should write a book telling more than one billion Beatles fan something you know and we don't. Say, how old are you, anyway? Certainly not old enough to write and spell. So, in addition to being ignorant, you're essentially illiterate as well. That'll get you far in life. By the way, it is The Beatles and not the Stones, not Zeppelin, not Michael Jackson that people around the world love the most -- and Paul is the most beloved of them all. And always has been even though John was every bit his equal as a song writer.

    vote downvote upReportHigh Ranked

    Big Dat 7-16-2009

    You idiot. The stones owe their success to the Beatles. Harrison told Decca about them and Lennon/McCartney wrote their 1st hit song. As for Zep...what a joke. A bunch of Posers!

    vote downvote upReportHigh Ranked

    Langat 7-16-2009

    ? I've read 4 biographies on the Beatles, 6 on John, one one Paul, and George's autobiography. John broke up the Beatles, not Paul. Paul wanted them to stay together and go back on tour. If it hadn't been for Paul's leadership, they would have broken up three years earlier, after Brian died. If you don't think Paul's bass playing is amazing, you're not listening. And they didn't mass market themselves, everybody simply wanted Beatles merchandise because they were making such wonderful music-music that has stood the test of time and is still selling today.

    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    Steveat 7-16-2009

    You have know clue what your talking about. First off the Stones were and still are Beatle want to be's they never could touch the Beatles. They never will be mentioned in the same breath. I'm a guitar teacher and I am a better guitar player than Jimmy paige. He has always been sloppy. I saw them in 1974 at Olimpia in Detroit and it was the most dissapointing concert I ever went to. Sorry but Zepplin was a studio band and thats all they were terrible live. The Beatles were and always will be the best Rock band to ever live.

    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    lb6872at 7-16-2009

    IT'S PLAIN TO SEE THAT YOU HAVE NO EYE FOR TALENT NO EAR FOR MUSIC. THE MAN IS TRULEY GIFTED AND PLAYS SEVERAL INSTRUMENTS, NOT JUST BASS. IF YOU EVER COME TO THE HARD ROCK CASINO IN BILOXI, MS, AS YOU LEAVE THE PARKING GARAGE A BANNER ABOVE SAYS "I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU SAY GOOD BYE, I SAY HELLO". BUDDY, THAT AIN'T STONES OR ZEP!!!

    vote downvote upReportNeutral

    cometcoach2004at 7-16-2009

    The Monkees were a major influence on the Beatles. Before you all get mad that was a quote from "Dumb and Dumber." Haha

    vote downvote upReportHighest Ranked

    reghanroxat 7-16-2009

    listen, you might hate McCartney, but please don't do this. It ruins it for everyone and if you hate him so much, why are you here? P.S. the beatles weren't a boy band you sir, are the arrogant prick

    12345 Next >

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