Ringo Starr Cancels North Carolina Show In Protest.

No Show For Anti-LGBT Law. (Image: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Ringo Starr has cancelled one of his All Starr Band shows scheduled for June in Cary, North Carolina after a newly minted Anti-LGBT law in the state.

Speaking in a statement,  Ringo said "I’m sorry to disappoint my fans in the area, but we need to take a stand against this hatred. Spread peace and love." Ringo also said of the legislators: "How sad that they feel this group of people cannot be defended."

Which is true. Ringo joins Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper in protesting this, who has turned her concert into a rally.


Ringo ended his statement by referencing Canned Heat's 'Let's Work Together' and, oddly, The Beatles' 'All You Need Is Love'

Melissa Danielle's Liverpool Adventure, Part 2.

In Part 1, we read about Melissa arriving in Liverpool, England from Melbourne, Australia a few days before Paul McCartney's concert at the Echo Arena. She saw the sights of Liverpool that will forever be synonymous with the Beatles and now she's going to see her favourite Beatle, Paul McCartney for her first time live in his hometown and she's got a perfect view....

"The time had finally come...I was in the arena! DJ Chris Holmes was playing mixes of Paul/Beatles songs..."

"I couldn't believe how close I was to the stage!

and then after what felt like an eternity..."

"I was totally in awe! I felt like I was in a dream.  I distinctly remember Paul looking at me, reading my sign that said I'd come from Australia just to see him and sort of nodding at me and making a "wow!" face...he did that twice! Once during Hey Jude when he was at the magic piano which was right in front of me and again during another song which I forget but I'm pretty sure it was Got To Get You Into My Life!" 

"During Back In The USSR Paul looked STRAIGHT at me and sang for about 20 seconds or so but it felt like so much longer! I had the biggest smile on my face and I was singing back to him! I wish I got it on video! I couldn't stop shaking, I was in shock!"

"Paul looking right at me! (He did this 4 times) I was jumping around like a crazy woman trying to get his attention so he might have been frightened! After playing for almost 3 hours including 2 encores the show was finished.  I didn't want him to go! I had the best time of my life and I'm so glad i faced my fear of traveling to another country alone so I could see him.  It was well worth it! He is the
GREATEST!"

 The End.

I'd like to thank Melissa for sharing her story and her pictures with us. She is one of Paul's most devoted fans and we are so glad that she got the chance of seeing Paul McCartney in his hometown. As a Paul fan myself, I know exactly what she went through on her first time seeing him but seeing him in Liverpool is just magical. I hope she manages to see Paul several more times!

Melissa in the grip of PPD (Post Paul Depression) Albert Dock, Liverpool on the day after the concert.

You can follow Melissa on Twitter for more Beatles & Paul McCartney goodness!
  

The Beatles Live in Plymouth - 13 November 1963 by Carol Cuffe

British Beatlemania: The front row of the ABC Cinema in Plymouth during the afternoon performance by the Beatles in 1963. Carol Cuffe is to the left of her younger sister with the Beatles jumper on.

This story, courtesy of the UK Newspaper 'The Guardian', tells the story of Carol Cuffe, who had e-mailed the paper after seeing a photograph that was taken at the Plymouth gig she attended with her friend and younger sister. The Beatles were on their UK Autumn tour and played two performances (or 'Houses' as they were called back then). Carol, her sister Brenda and friend Janet seen the afternoon performance.

Here's Carol's account of that tremendous night:

"I was really into the whole Liverpool scene – Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Merseybeats – but the Beatles were something else. They were fantastic. So when I heard they were coming to Plymouth, my home town, I knew I had to see them. One Friday in October 1963, I caught a bus into town after school, made my way to the ABC cinema with my sleeping bag, and sat down on the pavement. At 4.15pm, I was first in the queue for tickets that were going on sale the following day. After a while, a couple of blokes arrived and were annoyed that I was there first. Later, my dad turned up with a flask of soup and some sandwiches. The next morning I got three front-row tickets – for me, my friend Janet and for my younger sister, Brenda. Before the concert, Brenda had hand-embroidered “The Beatles” on the back of her brown woolly jumper. I was wearing my best outfit – a denim pinafore with a black polo neck sweater. Everyone wore black polo necks then, like the Beatles. I was 16, and Brenda was 12."

The Beatles, how Carol would have seen them, at the ABC in Plymouth 1963.

 
"The concert, on Wednesday 13 November, was at the ABC. The cinema screen was rolled up, the 50s gold curtains pulled back, and the Beatles ran on. I screamed and screamed, as did everyone else. You were so thrilled to see these people, so familiar from TV and photographs, right in front of you that you took a deep breath, screamed and didn’t stop. It was a wall of noise. There were no amps back then, so the sound from their small speakers probably only reached row 12. I think I remember hearing them above the din."

"Instead of going straight home, my sister and I hung around outside. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of them after the second performance. There must have been 1,000 people outside the cinema, and I had to keep a tight hold of Brenda’s hand. By the time we realised they’d left, we’d missed the last bus home. We had no money for a taxi so we started walking the eight miles back. After about an hour – it was now around 1am – I saw our father’s car coming towards us. He was livid, and worried. I think he was most upset that I’d kept my sister out so late. I was grounded for a month."


Below is a video with interviews with people and fans who were there for this particular show.

"The next day at school, Stoke Damerel High, my teachers weren’t impressed: this photograph was on page 5 of the Daily Mirror, with the headline: 'Hands, knees and – yeah, yeah, yeah!' I’d lost my voice, too. Most people’s parents got the Mirror, so they all knew I was at the concert.
 
I never saw the Beatles again. When I look back at this photo I think, is that really me, and did I really scream through their whole performance? I was so lucky: it was just before they became superstars; in 1963, we were all young innocents together." - Carol Cuffe


The Beatles returned to the ABC in Plymouth only once more, playing two concerts on the 29th October 1964. By which time they were known the world over.

Paul is "Out There" In Liverpool This May, Will You Be Seeing Him?

He's Out There: Macca returns to Liverpool this May, Will you see him?

CALLING ALL MACCA FANS!

Paul is going back to his hometown of Liverpool! He'll be playing the Echo Arena on the 28th of May and the gig is SOLD OUT. Which is expected as it's bloody Paul McCartney!

What I want to know is, who is going to see him and who will do a guest review of the concert for this blog? I know how hard that is for some of you after seeing Paul McCartney live. All you want to do is scream, cry, scream, twist, shout, cry, watch back your footage you took and/or go on you tube and watch Paul videos of the concert you saw because you simply NEED to relive it again.....and again......and maybe again....and again.....one more time......

I keep in contact with some of you and know a lot of you are travelling from far and wide to come in for this concert. Some of you may be going to the two nights at the O2 Arena in London and the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham? Sadly, that's going to be his only dates in the UK.....for now at least!

But this concert in Liverpool is the most coveted. Paul McCartney, playing in his hometown, the place where he started out on the road to success, only a few miles from where he first met his songwriting partner John, it's going to be overwhelming for some of you I know.

Since we sadly cannot attend this concert, we've decided to reach out to the fans who are going so you can tell us all about your experience seeing this wonderful man in concert in his hometown of Liverpool. We want to know EVERYTHING. The sights, the sounds, the songs, every little thing.

So, if you are interested, please contact me on Twitter or on Facebook and we shall talk all about Paul!

Live: Paul McCartney at the American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX 13/10/2014

Getting Out There: Paul's pictures scroll on the Jumbo trons before the show.

This is more of a picture blog because there are really no words to describe the exhilaration and thrill of seeing Paul McCartney in concert.

I have seen Paul a total of 3 times in 3 consecutive years now. All in the United States too. He LOVES it over here and the United States loves him.

Just to give the people who have never been to a Paul McCartney concert an idea of what to expect when they do attend, here's what goes down:

When you take your seats, the jumbo trons scroll a collage of pictures and film, some never seen before and probably from Paul's personal collection which is accompanied by remixes of Beatles songs and Paul's solo stuff. Right before he's about to come out, the Hofner in lights appears on the Jumbo tron and then the arena goes dark.....

Just before the show begins....

And then he just walks on stage. The place goes WILD. And I mean you will hear a single tone of "WOOOOOOOO" for several minutes straight.

Macca begins his show with the Beatles 1965 classic 'Eight Days A Week'

He waves casually to the audience and then he turns to his band members, Guitarists Rusty Anderson & Brian Ray, Drummer Abe Laboriel Jr and Keyboardist Paul 'Wix' Wickens who have backed Paul on tour now for almost 15 years. Wix is the longest serving member, having accompanied Paul on his 1989/90 and 1993 world tours.

After leading us through one of his songs from his just released 'New' album 'Save Us' and then the Beatles 1963 classic 'All My Loving' and then the 1975 Wings rocker 'Listen To What The Man Said' Paul switched to the electric guitar and took his jacket off to rock out on 'Let Me Roll It' from 1973's 'Band On The Run' which ended with a snippet of Hendrix' 'Foxy Lady' and a story about Hendrix and Eric Clapton!

It really is a shame Paul doesn't get on the electric guitar more often as he can really let rip with his riffs.

Then he treated us to 'Paperback Writer' on his famed Epiphone Casino. This is his favourite electric guitar, he got it in 1964 and the casino can be heard on the aforementioned song, 'Ticket To Ride', 'Taxman', 'Another Girl' and many more Beatles tracks! Paul played lead guitar on a few Beatles songs.

This last pic I snapped rather quickly as Paul decided at the end of one of his new songs 'Everybody Out There' to strum it on the fretboard and sing the refrain again for a second. It was an odd moment and spontaneous. I suppose he just felt like doing it and he could, because you know what? HE'S PAUL MCCARTNEY! HE CAN DO WHAT HE BLOODY WELL LIKES!

As you can see from the last two photos during the Hey Jude singalong, It got very smoky in there due to his performance of Live & Let Die. That one is extremely invigorating. Explosions and fireworks galore!

After Hey Jude the band leaves the stage, making people who are not familiar with this practice and this is their first Macca gig believe the show is over..... 

 It's not over. A couple in front of us got up to leave but we shook our heads at them and told them to wait....

Paul and the band run out with flags. Since Paul was in Texas, he held the Lone Star state flag, Rusty has the US flag and Wix holds the UK flag.

After the flag waving, it's back to the music. Paul took us through Daytripper, Get Back (I wish he'd play I Saw Her Standing There', next time though!), Yesterday, which he did on his Epiphone Texan and finally 'Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End"

After a bow from the band and a "Thank you! See ya next time!" from Paul, the confetti explodes. I captured this last picture and the confetti is in the shape of a heart. Not sure if this was intentional on their part or not but it makes for a pretty awesome shot!

Thank you Paul McCartney. For everything you have done and continue to do. Yes, we do want to keep on rocking.

"And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make"

Live: Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band at the Winstar World Casino, Oklahoma, 5/7/2014

"I'm Ringo and I play the Drums..."

Last night I fulfilled a lifelong dream. A dream that I had since I was about 8 years old. To see Ringo Starr play his drums live.

Ringo was performing at the Winstar World Casino and Resort just over the Texas border in Oklahoma with his All Star Band, which was comprised of Todd Rundgren on Rhythm Guitar, Steve Lukather (Toto) on Lead guitar, Gregg Rolie (Santana & Journey) on Hammond Organ, Richard Page (Mr. Mister) on Bass, Mark Rivera on Sax and Greg Bissonette on the drums.

Ringo usually has a second drummer to play while he gets up front to sing and the 2 hour show is not only made up of Ringo's material from his solo career and that huge band he was in back in Liverpool (Rory Storm & The Hurricanes) :-P

Steve Lukather, Todd Rundgren, Richard Page and Greg Rolie all performed hits from their respective bands ('Rosanna', 'Bang On The Drum', 'Broken Wings' and 'Africa' were among the non-Ringo songs played).

If you haven't seen Ringo and his All Starr Band yet, you are missing out on a treat. The Winstar Global Event Center which is attached to their Casino and Hotel, was the perfect venue, quite intimate yet big enough for Ringo and the band to rock out.

 All pictures taken by Dominic Williams.