Paul performs with special guests: Lac-Megantic survivors.
Paul paid tribute
to victims of the Lac-Megantic tragedy Tuesday night, offering
free concert tickets and dedicating a song to survivors at a concert.
The pop legend received his
longest ovation of the concert on Quebec City's historic Plains
of Abraham upon playing "Let It Be."The song came with a special
greeting from McCartney, delivered in French, to the people of
Lac-Megantic.
About 1,000 people from the
community had been given free tickets to the show, two weeks after
a train disaster killed dozens of its residents.
"I would like to dedicate
this song to the people of Lac-Megantic," McCartney said
in English, before continuing in French and adding, "I dedicate
this song to you."
The show began at dusk. As
a DJ played a medley of Beatles covers,
tens of thousands of people scrambled for spots offering the best
vantage points from among the hills of the historic Plains of
Abraham battlefield.
Hearing the music was a little
more special for Caroline Tremblay than the average rock fan.
Her husband was a big admirer of the former Beatle.
Tremblay's husband, Guy Bolduc,
was among the dozens killed when fireballs from an exploding train
devastated Lac-Megantic's downtown and engulfed the bar where
he was performing.
"He adored Mr. McCartney,"
Tremblay wrote in a moving letter to promoter 3 E Event, Experience,
Emotion, which offered free tickets to the musician's show for
Lac-Megantic survivors.
"You have allowed my children
and me to discover the musical universe of this great artist and
(a chance to) bathe in music at a party surrounded by our friends."
The free ticket idea was floated
to McCartney's team by the promoter at the beginning of last week.
The former Beatle's entourage quickly agreed.
Luci Tremblay, director of
communications for promoter 3 E, said organizers were touched
by Tremblay's message.
"I was almost crying when
I read that message this (Monday) morning," she said. "It
was very nice of her to write to us."
Quebec provincial police believe
47 people were killed in the July 6 disaster. About 2,000 people
were forced to flee the area, although most have been allowed
to return home.
About 70,000 tickets went on
sale for the show, which was part of McCartney's "Out There"
tour. A spokeswoman for 3 E said tickets were still available
about four hours before the gig but she did not want to say how
many.
Luci Tremblay said 1,000 tickets
had been set aside for Lac-Megantic residents, with about 900
taking up the offer. About 10 buses were also donated in the Lac-Megantic
area to bring them to the show.
"We gave them 1,000 tickets
but in our mind, if 200 persons want to come, or 400 or 600, the
important thing for us was they can do it, no problem," said
Tremblay prior to the concert.
She said Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche
was pleased with the response because it represents about 10 per
cent of the town's population.
Tremblay was also impressed
with the interest, given the dire circumstances.
"Some people are preparing
funerals, some of them are moving so maybe they're not in the
mood to come but what we wanted was those who wanted to come,
they can do it."
Those attending were to be
seated in the general admission area behind the zone at the front
of the stage.
They were not expected to meet
with McCartney.
"What we heard is that
he's going to talk to them, he's going to say something to them
when he's on the stage," Tremblay said, noting that McCartney
and his entourage were eager to support the free ticket idea.
In her email to the promoter,
Bolduc's wife said people in Lac-Megantic are grateful for the
chance to see the singer.
"It's a generous gesture
that will give us a little break from the difficult moments,"
said Caroline Tremblay.
The tickets given to the Lac-Megantic
survivors would regularly sell for $99.
The show was McCartney's fourth
in the province of Quebec in the last five years.
He packed the Plains in 2008
as part of celebrations to mark the provincial capital's 400th
anniversary.
One telecommunications company
had even been offering a three-tickets-for-the-price-of-one promotion.
But Tremblay said sales were
picking up as the event got closer.
The promoter also collected
$65,000 in donations at a Bruno Mars concert on July 8, and set
that to the town to help out.
Lac-Megantic residents were
the only special guests at the McCartney show.
About 20 seats were also been
set aside for blind Quebecers.
SOUNDCHECK - QUEBEC CANADA - Plains of Abraham
1. Honey Don't
2. Blue Suede Shoes
3. Jet
4. Penny Lane
5. C Moon
6. Let 'Em In
7. I'll Follow The Sun (+ 3 reprises)
8. It's So Easy
9. Every Night
10. San Francisco Bay Blues
11. Midnight Special (with the an a cappella chorus outro)
12. Something
13. Yesterday (brief)
14. Lady Madonna (very brief)
SETLIST SHOW
1. Eight Days A Week
2. Junior's Farm
3. All My Loving
4. Listen To What The Man Said
5. Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady
6. Paperback Writer
7. My Valentine
8. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five
9. The Long And Winding Road
10. Maybe I'm Amazed
11. I've Just Seen A Face
12. We Can Work It Out
13. Another Day
14. And I Love Her
15. Blackbird
16. Here Today
17. Your Mother Should Know
18. Lady Madonna
19. All Together Now
20. Michelle
21. Lovely Rita
22. Mrs. Vandebilt
23. Eleanor Rigby
24. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite
25. Something
26. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
27. Band On The Run
28. Back In The USSR
29. Let It Be
30. Live And Let Die
31. Hey Jude
Encore 1
32. Day Tripper
33. Hi Hi Hi
34. Birthday
35. Get Back
Encore 2
36. Yesterday
37. Helter Skelter
38. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight
39. The End
CBCTV (Canada)
Rendevous - Out There Canada
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