YOKO ONO PUTS JOHN´S ART UP FOR SALE IN STAMFORD EXHIBIT BENEFITS FOOD BANK OF LOWER FAIRFIELD COUNTY

John Lennon was constantly drawing. "Even when lawyers were having special meetings and he had to be in there, he would be drawing," Yoko Ono said in a phone interview from New York. "Those meetings were very boring, and he would be doing these beautiful drawings."

In fact, he drew so much that Ono jokes about it. "He would make something he liked and say 'Hey, Yoko, look at this,' and I would say 'yeah, yeah'"

Ono, Lennon's widow and the official keeper of the Lennon flame, is the sponsor of an exhibit this weekend in Stamford, "So This is Christmas: The Artwork of John Lennon." The Lennon show will benefit Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, which provides food to non-profit organizations in Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford and Wilton. (It will not benefit from the sales of the works, but from the donations collected at the door. Admission is free, but a $2 donation is requested.)

The show will exhibit and sell about 100 artworks by the former Beatle. Or, more accurately, by Lennon, with some enhanced by Ono.

"John's drawings were black and white. The color you see in these serigraphs is what I put on," Ono said. "I know there has been controversy about that."

Ono, who has been criticized for altering the artworks, said that she enhanced some with color because she was trying to boost Lennon's stature as a visual artist.

"All of them were black and white, but the people I would go to sell it to said that with no color, they can't put it in the shop window," she said. "At the time, it was very difficult to get John's work in any gallery anywhere. ... So I decided to do it."

Before pursuing a career in music, Lennon was a student at a Liverpool art college. Due to poor academic performance and a snarky attitude, he was thrown out before graduating.

Ono said that all his life, he was proud of having gone to art school. He was not influenced by anyone, she said, but he admired surrealist Rene Magritte.

"He liked that he looked like this little accountant, but he was a great artist at the same time," she said.

He wasn't influenced by Ono either, even thought she is an artist. She said that when she first saw his visual arts work, she was impressed.

"After I met John but before we started to be friends, I went to a bookshop to check on one of my books. They had put 'Grapefruit' on the shelves. So my name starts with O and his started with L, so his book was very near my book. I was curious and looked at it.

"I did not think I would see anything incredible, but it was so incredible I wanted to cry," she said. "It was so beautiful. It brought both tears and laughter, kind of like a coin on both sides."

Ono, who will not be present at the Stamford exhibit, said that the holiday title of the exhibit is not a reflection of the content of the works, but just of the time of the show. "We all get sentimental about Christmas," she said. The name comes from the lyrics of Lennon's song "Happy Christmas (War is Over)."

Food Banks

Kate Lombardo of the food bank said the recent storm Sandy "really taxed our resources.

"Our agencies ran out of food. We had to replenish the agencies. Then their clients ran out of food. So the agencies had to replenish their clients. It trickled down and now we need to rely on the community more than ever," Lombardo said.

Legacy Productions, the exhibit-staging firm that helps Ono present her series of Lennon shows, also has staged exhibits of artwork by Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Grace Slick, Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin and other musical icons.

Rudy Siegel of Legacy said that of late, the charities benefiting the Lennon shows have been hunger-related, to reflect the lyric from Lennon's song "Imagine": "Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, no need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man, imagine all the people sharing all the world."

Legacy chose the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County merely by asking people who worked at the hotel where the exhibit will be held if they knew of a local charity.

"Typically, we've been able to collect $3 to $5,000 to give back to some organization locally," Siegel said. "Food banks are good because they're so tangible. They are able to turn a dollar into four dollars of food through their contacts and resources."

"SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS: THE ARTWORK OF JOHN LENNON" will be at Stamford Hilton Hotel, 1 First Stamford Place. (For GPS, use 151 Greenwich Ave.), from Friday, Nov. 30, to Sunday, Dec. 2. Hours are Friday, noon to 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free, but a $2 donation is requested to benefit the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County.

PAUL´S DREAM TO BE IN DANDY COMES TRUE

's dream to be in Dandy comes true... but they make him look like ex-wife Heather Mills!

• In Feb 1963, he told NME his ambition was ‘To have my picture in The Dandy'
• 50 years later, he contacted comic when it announced it would stop printing on its 75th birthday
  

He was no doubt delighted to have finally fulfilled his boyhood dream of appearing in The Dandy.

But unfortunately for Sir Paul McCartney, his cartoon character has captured the looks of his ex-wife Heather Mills too.

The shape of his face is identical to hers and the arched eyebrows, long nose and lips are also the same.

In a recent letter to the comic, Sir Paul said: 'The Dandy was a favourite comic of mine when growing up in Liverpool and each week I would look forward to the exploits of Desperate Dan... I feel a little sadness that I see its final issue is appearing in December'. 

Now his dream's come true, except he looks like his ex, Heather Mills

The 70-year-old is starring alongside Desperate Dan and friends in next week's final print issue of The Dandy

The pair were married in 2002, but had a highly acrimonious £24million divorce six years later.

The 70-year-old is starring alongside Desperate Dan and friends in next week’s final print issue of The Dandy.

In February 1963 – a month before The Beatles released their first LP – the singer told music magazine NME that his personal ambition was ‘To have my picture in The Dandy!’

Almost 50 years later, he contacted the publication when it announced it would stop printing on its 75th birthday.

Launched in 1937, The Dandy is Britain’s longest-running children’s comic.

The pair (seen here in 2007) were married in 2002, but had a highly acrimonious £24m divorce six years later

The Dandy's print editor, Craig Graham, said: 'When the decision was taken to stop printing The Dandy and take it online earlier this year, it really was a case of now or never'

At its peak in the 1950s, it sold more than two million copies a week, but its circulation has since slumped to less than 8,000.

In a recent letter to the publication, Sir Paul said: ‘The Dandy was a favourite comic of mine when growing up in Liverpool and each week I would look forward to the exploits of Desperate Dan and his other comic book colleagues.

‘I feel a little sadness that I see its final issue is appearing in December.

'In 1963, in the NME, when asked what my personal ambition was, I replied – to have my picture in The Dandy! I hope it’s not too late!’

In the final issue, Sir Paul’s cartoon persona will lead a sing-along with the comic’s most famous characters at a farewell party.

The Dandy’s print editor, Craig Graham, said: ‘When the decision was taken to stop printing The Dandy and take it online earlier this year, it really was a case of now or never.

'Sir Paul wrote a lovely letter to us, wishing The Dandy well and hoping it wasn’t too late to make an appearance. How could we refuse?’

The last print issue of The Dandy will go on sale on Tuesday.

The first digital issue will go live on www.dandy.com on the same day.

In February 1963 – a month before The Beatles released their first LP – the singer told music magazine NME that his personal ambition was 'To have my picture in The Dandy!'. Pictured right, a 1947 edition of the comic

LISTEN A LIVE VERSION "WINGS" TO HURRICANE SANDY CHARITY ALBUM - AUDIO

Click to listen to Ringo Starr and the 2012 All Starr Band's 'Wings (Live in Atlanta)'

Ringo and his 2012 All Starr Band are contributing a live version of his steadily grooving cut "Wings" – a track the former Beatle wrote in 1977 but re-recorded for his last album, Ringo 2012 – to an upcoming Hurricane Sandy charity compilation, Songs After Sandy: Friends of Red Hook for Sandy Relief.

The compilation features contributions from Jeff Lynne, Joan Osborne, Joe Walsh and Bob Weir, and it is available for pre-order through PledgeMusic. All proceeds will go to Restore Red Hook, Red Hook Initiative and Occupy Sandy. Hear Ringo's donation above.

YOKO ONO:IMAGINE PEACE BILLBOARDS (Times Square Moment: 11:57pm 1-30 Dec in Times Square, NYC)

Yoko Ono: IMAGINE PEACE

Times Square, New York City, USA.
December 1 – 30, 2012, every night from 11.57pm – midnight

A stunning visual message of peace will greet New Yorkers and visitors to the Crossroads of the World this holiday season as part of a synchronized program on over fifteen of the largest digital screens in Times Square.

Yoko Ono’s video billboard film, IMAGINE PEACE will be featured nightly at 11:57 pm – midnight every night through to December 30th as part of the Times Square Moment: A Digital Gallery, a presentation of the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts.

IMAGINE PEACE is artist Yoko Ono’s worldwide initiative of anti-violence.

In the film, ‘IMAGINE PEACE‘ is written in 24 languages set over the tranquil imagery of a blue-sky background. The piece has now been transformed into a multi-channel work specifically for the Times Square Moment, and spreads the message of peace across Times Square’s monumental screens simultaneously, filling the Crossroads of the World with 24 languages of the world.

This piece is a result of a partnership between the Times Square Alliance and Art Production Fund, working together to bring leading contemporary artists out of the gallery into the public realm.

Alan High, Chairman of the Times Square Advertising Coalition and President & General Manager: Spectacolor & Mall Divisions, said: “The Times Square advertising community is pleased to come together once again to give New Yorkers and visitors to the Square a reason to pause from the hustle and bustle and witness artistic creativity on the digital screens. It is a special honor to air IMAGINE PEACE and a fitting tribute to the holiday season and our hopes for the New Year.”

Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance, said: “John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ is the last song played on New Year’s Eve just before 11:59 p.m., when the ball on 1 Times Square begins to descend. Yoko Ono’s IMAGINE PEACE is undoubtedly a perfect match for the December Times Square Moment program as it taps into many people’s hope for a better world, the sentiment of both the holidays and the New Year.”

“Times Square Moment: A Digital Gallery” is the largest coordinated effort in history by the sign operators in Times Square to display synchronized, cutting-edge creative content on billboards throughout Times Square every night. The program, which premiered in May 2012, is organized and supported by the Times Square Advertising Coalition in partnership with Times Square Arts, the public art program for the Times Square Alliance, with additional partners of participating sign holders and artists. Creativity has always been at the forefront of the Times Square signs and their presence is now integral to the identity of this iconic public space. This level of sign holder commitment to synchronize their daily programs to feature cutting-edge art throughout the year is unparalleled.

Each night, Times Square becomes a digital art gallery through dazzling visuals on select billboards.

Every show begins at 11:57pm with a “countdown” that signals the start of the 3 minute nightly presentation.

Content changes monthly; selected works are announced in the weeks preceding the start of a new show as are the exact signs participating in that month’s selection.

Past artists featured in “Times Square Moment: A Digital Gallery” include Robert Wilson; Seoungho Cho; Vicki DaSilva, Surabhi Saraf, and Elly Cho; Erika Janunger; Takeshi Murata; and Bel Borba with Burt Sun and André Costantini.

For more information on past projects, go here.

CONCERT FOR GEORGE - EXTRAS / BAND INTERVIEWS & REHEARSALS (VIDEOS)

CONCERT FOR GEORGE - EXTRAS DRUMMERS (VIDEO)

SUBASTARAN CARTAS DE JOHN EN NEW YORK

NUEVA YORK.- Más de 300 cartas escritas por personajes históricos como George Wahington, Vincent Van Gogh y John Lennon se venderán el próximo 18 de diciembre en Nueva York por un valor total estimado de entre 5 y 8 millones de dólares en una subasta "online" organizada por la casa Profiles in History.

Según destacó Profiles in History en su página web, esta selección de documentos "raros" y "extraordinarios" propiedad de un coleccionista estadounidense anónimo, recoge manuscritos inéditos de los personajes más importantes de la historia de la literatura, la ciencia, la música y la política.
Los fans tendrán la posibilidad de adquirir una carta escrita a mano por John, con un valor aproximado de entre 20 mil y 30 mil dólares.
La colección se exhibirá al público del 3 al 9 de diciembre en la galería de arte Douglas Elliman de Nueva York.

PAUL AT REXALL PLACE, EDMONTON CANADA - PHOTOS

SETLIST DE ESTA NOCHE - 2DO SHOW REXALL PLACE, EDMONTON CANADA

SETLIST 2DO SHOW , REXALL PLACE, EDMONTON CANADA

HELLO GOODBYE
JUNIOR´S FARM
ALL MY LOVING
JET
DRIVE MY CAR
SING THE CHANGES
THE NIGHT BEFORE
LET ME ROLL IT/FOXY LADY
PAPEBACK WRITER
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
1985
MY VALENTINE
MAYBE I´M AMAZED
THINGS WE SAID TODAY
AND I LOVE HER
BLACKBIRD
HERE TODAY
DANCE TONIGHT
MRS VANDERBILT
ELEANOR RIGBY
SOMETHING
BAND ON THE RUN
OBLADI-OBLADA
BACK IN THE USSR
I´VE GOT A FEEELING
A DAY IN THE LIFE/GIVE PEACE A CHANCE
LET IT BE
LIE AND LET DIE
HEY JUDE

1ER ENCORE
LADY MADONNA
WONDERFULL CHRISTMAS TIME
DAY TRIPPER
GET BACK

2DO ENCORE
YESTERDAY
MULL OF KINTYRE
GOLDEN SLUMBERS/CARRY THAT WEIGHT
THE END

PAUL IN EDMONTON - VIDEO

FILM "GEORGE HARRISON:LIVING IN THE MATERIA WORLD" SERA PROYECTADO EN EVENTO EN FACEBOOK

El 8 de diciembre, el film "George Harrison: Living in the Material World" será proyectado en un evento pagado en Facebook (solo para EE.UU. y Canadá).  Los espectadores podrán ver el documental en forma  completa, podran colocar sus comentarios, además podrán ver una presentación especial que Olivia Harrison realizará, quien estará contestando preguntas al igual que los productores de la película.

CONCERT FOR GEORGE - TODAY 24 HOUR STREAMING EVENT

George Harrison Official YouTube Launches Today with Concert For George 24 Hour Streaming Event Join us today in celebrating the life and music of George Harrison by watching the Concert For George documentary film. WATCH NOW (The 24-hour event begins November 29 at 7am PST ) A free 24-hour stream of the Concert For George documentary film marks the concert’s 10th Anniversary, when Olivia Harrison and Eric Clapton gathered with George’s closest friends at London’s Royal Albert Hall to celebrate his life the only way they knew how – by playing his music We are also pleased to announce the launch of the Official George Harrison YouTube Channel to coincide with the streaming event. The channel will offer original promo videos, EPKs and other George Harrison footage in high quality.

This message was sent to beatlesmagazine@yahoo.com. It was sent fr

SWEET GEORGE : FAMILY PHOTO ALBUM

George, aged six, with his father and brother Peter, nine

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1168877/My-sweet-George-The-big-sister-Beatles-legend-opens-seen-family-album.html#ixzz2Dd1qpbJM
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PAUL HELPS EDMONTON ACTIVISTS WHO WANT LUCY THE ELEPHANT MOVED

 

 

Paul thrills a crowd of 40,000-plus as he performs at B.C. Place on Sunday night.

EDMONTON - We should have known that Sir Paul McCartney loves Lucy — he sang backup to John Lennon on Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.

But now the former Beatle, in Edmonton for sold-out concerts Wednesday and Thursday at Rexall Place, is proving it by lending his support to the Valley Zoo’s namesake, a 37-year-old elephant.
The musician and animal rights activist has granted permission for representatives from the organization Voice for Animals to set up a display at the arena both days advertising the plight of the pachyderm that advocates would like to see removed and sent to a sanctuary in a warmer climate where she can enjoy the companionship of other elephants.
“It is really nice to get that kind of support from someone like him,” said Tove Reece, executive director of Edmonton-based Voice for Animals. “They don’t come much bigger than Paul McCartney.”
For years, animal-rights activists have been working to free Lucy. Former Oilers defenceman Georges Laraque and retired TV host Bob Barker each offered to donate $100,000 to the City of Edmonton if it agreed to move the animal to friendlier surroundings. In addition, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Zoocheck Canada and Voice for Animals have launched legal challenges as part of a campaign.
Advocates say Lucy suffers from arthritis, obesity, chronic foot ailments and upper-respiratory problems — all of which are aggravated by Alberta’s frigid climate. They also complain that she is kept in an inadequate space, all by herself, at the Edmonton zoo.
Reece said PETA has also been given permission to set up an exhibit at both shows, the first the 70-year-old rock star has ever played in Edmonton. PETA will be advertising its Meat-Free Monday initiative.
Reece said she has been working for a while to seek approval from McCartney, who has previously taken a high-profile stance against seal hunting in Canada.
“The most important thing for us is to get information out there and to get support for Lucy,” Reece said. “Other zoos are waking up to the fact that they can’t keep elephants, but we are stuck here.”
On Tuesday, Toronto city council voted to transfer the Toronto Zoo’s three elephants to a sanctuary in California before the end of this year.
In the same motion, Toronto council also called on Edmonton to take immediate action to move Lucy to a warmer climate as soon as possible.For now, however, Lucy remains at a zoo on the North Saskatchewan River, without tangerine trees or marmalade skies.

PAUL DONATED 48 SEATS TO TWO SHOWS

Paul treats visually impaired fans to tickets

EDMONTON - Some fans paid thousands for tickets, but Paul McCartney gave away prime seats to his two Edmonton shows to the visually impaired.
Longtime Beatles fan Rudy Buchfink jumped at a pair of seats to Wednesday’s McCartney sold-out concert, given to him by his CNIB support group Blind Sighted. He only found out on Tuesday that they came directly from the knighted musician himself. McCartney, who played such songs as Paperback Writer and Jet at his first show here ever, donated 48 tickets over his two performances to the charitable organization formerly known as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to go and listen to his wisdom,” said Buchfink. “He’s a very smart man.”
Hoping we could help him pass along his thanks, Buchfink contacted the Journal.
“They’re great seats, right across from the stage in rows one and two. I want to say it’s very generous of him to offer those fabulous seats.” Buchfink described the unexpected gift as “a great honour,” sitting in front of his friend Karim Lakhani, his guide dog Sutro bringing about the first time I've even been licked by a helper retriever at a Paul McCartney show.
The 58-year-old Buchfink lost vision in his left eye, and most hearing in his left ear, in a 1975 car crash. Over the years, his right eye developed glaucoma, cataracts and retina detachment. “In about 2006, I started having issues with reading. Ophthalmologists tried a few surgeries, but by the time they realized it was macular degeneration, I’d lost my central vision. That’s the situation I’m in now, blind in one eye, visually impaired in the other.”
As his guide and companion, Buchfink brought his wife of almost 30 years, Kerry, to the dream date as McCartney sat a piano and played The Long and Winding Road. Their daughters, both University of Alberta students in their 20s, already had a way in — through their parents. “I never even dreamed of going. We struggled to get the girls tickets,” Buchfink noted gratefully. “I was too young to see them when the Beatles were in Canada in ’64, only 10 or 11. We used to swing on the swings in the playground and sing their songs. The minute they were on The Ed Sullivan Show, that was the music, man — that was it.”
Meanwhile, Ivan Rocha of local Beatles cover band Pepperland took his mother, Elizabeth Carvalho, who turns 64 next year as McCartney blasted through songs by the Fab Four, Wings and even a pinch of Jimi Hendrix. Carcalho flew all the way from Brazil, there and back costing around $2,000, the cost of a front-row seat. “She came, not specifically for this,” the McCartney impersonator explained, “but it was a happy coincidence. (Of the Beatles,) Paul is her favourite.”
Cheryl and Gary Kasaniuk brought their two sons to the event. Twelve-year-old Luke’s favourite song is I Wanna Hold Your Hand where, at 15, Jack is into the clever Beach Boys parody, Back in the USSR. “We do everything with our children and this is a life-transforming moment for them. If they have to miss school tomorrow, this is life, we’re living it!”
Cheryl and Gary had booked a table at the Hard Rock Cafe in London a few years ago, but lost their place to a private party McCartney threw. “So he owes us,” she said, laughing. “We’re in the nosebleeds!”
Anne Ferguson, also of Calgary, accidentally bought a $1,500 ticket online in the third row and decided, “What the hell. Then I got a $150 speeding ticket coming up.” The 61-year-old and dozens of others showed up at 3 p.m., and, after McCarthney arrived with a police escort a few hours later, watched Sir Paul and his band practise and rearrange their songs for almost an hour. “He said hello to us — he was very friendly. He tried the piano and sang Bluebird. It was like a private concert.”
One VIP fan has seen McCartney nine times, another couple followed him around on his tour. The backstage buffet was vegan, of course.
Wade Youngman, a 55-year-old building manager from Calgary, was ready to travel to Nova Scotia to see Macca — but that show cancelled. “I’ve always held out for McCartney,” he said, “No. 1 on my bucket list. I had tickets to see him in 1979 but I couldn’t go and I had to give up my tickets. When Edmonton announced it was, that does it.”
McCartney isn’t the first Beatle Youngman has seen. When Ringo Starr came through Calgary years back, “I sat on the phone for two hours and didn’t get anything. So I got in my truck and headed to Ticketmaster. It was amazing — he played with Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko – but for this I didn’t care what it cost me, I was going. My wife’s sitting in the hotel room and I’m here.
“She gets to shop, though.”
In the tenth row on the floor, three young women danced and took photos all night. 28-year-old Danielle Sands' sister got them in through a band connection, and 22-year-old Darcy Thompson answered which concerts she's ever enjoyed more quickly: “None!”
As for Buchfink, he’s looking forward to the chance to hear his favourite Beatles song performed live.
“I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t like violence and that sort of thing,” he explains, so John Lennon’s solo Imagine is his favourite song between the famous pair of songwriters. But his favourite Beatles song is McCartney’s: Yesterday.
“I love his music, his ability to compose such great lyrics. He’s just a wonderful guy.
“Thank you, Paul McCartney. Thank you.”

PAUL AT REXALL PLACE, CANADA - PHOTOS

PAUL AT REXALL PLACE, EDMONTON CANADA - PHOTOS

PAUL AT REXALL PLACE, EDMONTON CANADA - REVIEW

 

Paul performs the first of two sold-out shows at Rexall Place in Edmonton on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012.

Review
Paul McCartney
When: Wednesday
Where: Rexall Place
EDMONTON - May I be a human — and not a supposedly unbiased or clinical reviewer — for a moment? OhmygoshohmygoshPaulMcCartneyisonstage! Hesrightinfrontofme! andthousandsoffans! OneoftheBeatlesisfinallyinEdmonton! Wegettowitnessrocknrollhistoryintheflesh! IhopeheplaysHeyJudeorYesterday!
And breathe.
C’mon, who wasn’t thinking the same silly thoughts during Wednesday’s sold-out show, the first of two at Rexall Place? As the 70-year-old elder statesmen casually strolled onstage, 14,500 fans erupted in cheers — an explosion 50 years in the making.
Better late than never … and McCartney more than made up for avoiding us all these years, gracefully attacking us with all his charm and greatest hits, making us feel like giddy 15-year-olds watching the Fab Four on The Ed Sullivan Show in the ’60s. Or giggly five-year-olds, watching the Beatles battle the Blue Meanies in Yellow Submarine for the first time in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s or ’00s.
“Waiting to take you away,” he beckoned during Wednesday’s opening number, Magical Mystery Tour, as a rainbow of colours danced on the three screens at the back of the stage. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” he coaxed on the second song, Junior’s Farm, introducing us to an Eskimo who was hoping for a “fall of snow” in the process.
Not much of McCartney’s set — more than 30 songs — was a mystery, especially for those who scour the web for such information. Then again, his choices were rather limited (or obvious) for an artist with 50 years of albums — 50 years! What a staggering number. What a staggering set of songs by the Beatles, including All My Loving, Got To Get You Into My Life, Paperback Writer, The Long and Winding Road, Blackbird, Eleanor Rigby, a ukulele version of Something in honour of George Harrison, ohmygoshitsPaulMcCartney!
Of course, he couldn’t forget tunes from his other band, Wings — such as Jet, Let Me Roll It, Band on the Run — not to mention squeezing in the odd “obscure” number. Obscurities such as Sing the Changes, by The Fireman, his project with another British bassist, Youth, from post-punks Killing Joke. The tune, however, felt more like McCartney’s attempt to write for U2 — big, expansive, atmospheric, with jangly guitars and echoey backup vocals.
His entire show was epic and he didn’t even need a fancy 360-degree stage or claw. Just a few screens, four backup musicians, and his modesty. “This is cool, I’m going to take a moment just to drink it all in,” he said after his third song, All My Loving, leaning back to savour all the love. (Yes, Taylor Swift takes her cues from the best.) As grateful as McCartney came across, he wasn’t just trying to win the crowd over with sincerity, wit and looks. He worked hard for each standing ovation, playing supple grooves on his Hofner bass, showing off his guitar chops on the scribbly funk of Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady, crooning like a younger man as he played the piano on The Long and Winding Road. Wow.
For much of the set, McCartney’s voice felt nuanced and strong, only wavering on one or two numbers, particularly the high notes on The Night Before. At times, as is the case with most arena shows, his pipes were buried by the force of his bandmates, though he seemed to sound more powerful the higher up in the arena you sat.

McCartney’s power also extended to the pacing of his show. He’s a master at moving from gravity to humour and back again, knowing when to tell a story about a dearly departed friend and when to make funny faces and point at fans as if he knows each one of them personally. “You see all these signs in the audience and they’re really great,” he said. “One half of my brain says ‘Don’t look at the signs, just sing.’ The other half says ‘Read them’.”
After reading a few for laughs, McCartney played a pair of spine-tingling numbers on his acoustic guitar — Blackbird, featuring an arena of backup singers, and Here Today, dedicated to the late great Beatle John Lennon.
But instead of letting fans wallow in sadness, McCartney then picked up the mood by playing one of his 21st century numbers, Dance Tonight, as his drummer waved his hands for most of the song. “That’s our choreography for the night,” joked McCartney.
And that was all in the first 90 minutes. By deadline, he was just finishing a string of mesmerizing numbers, including Let It Be; Live and Let Die, complete with pyro; and Hey Jude, prompting one of the night’s many mass singalongs and standing ovations.
Double, triple, quadruple wow.
McCartney’s visit caps off a year stacked with classic-rock concerts, running the gamut from Roger Waters to Neil Diamond to Red Hot Chili Peppers to Journey/Loverboy/Night Ranger. Do I even need to tell you Sir Paul’s three-hour show topped them all?
And lucky for Edmonton, we get to experience the majesty all over again on Thursday night. Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh.

PAUL IN REXALL PLACE, EDMONTON CANADA - SETLIST

SETLIST - REXALL PLACE, EDMONTON (25 NOVIEMBRE, 2012)

• Magical Mystery Tour 

  Junior's farm

  All my loving
• Jet
• Got to get to into my life
• Sing the changes
• The night before
• Let me roll it / Foxy lady
• Paperback writer
• The long and winding road
• 1985
• My Valentine
• Maybe I'm Amazed
• I've just seen a face
• And I love her
• Blackbird
• Here today
• Dance tonight
• Mrs Vanderbilt
• Eleanor Rigby
• Something
• Band on the run
• Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da
• Back in the USSR
• I've got a feeling
• A day in the life / Give peace a chance

  Let it be

  Live And Let Die

  Hey Jude
  
  1erENCORE
  Hey Jude
  Lady Madonna
  Day Tripper 
  Get Back 
  
  2do.ENCORE
  Yesterday 
  Mull of Kintyre 
  Helter Skelter
  Golden slumber/Carry That Weigh
  The End
  
   
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

GEORGE´S JACKET WILL BE AUCTIONED IN DECEMBER

12 Dec 2012 12:00 GMT London, Knightsbridge
Entertainment Memorabilia

George Harrison / The Beatles: The iconic black leather jacket, worn throughout early stage appearances in Hamburg, Germany and The Cavern Club, Liverpool and for publicity material, circa 1960-1962,

with elasticated cuffs and waistband, matching facing to collar, two angled pockets, zip fastening, inner pocket with label reading Meyer-Schüchardt Sport und Leder Hamburg Mönckebergstr. 6 Lübeck Breitestr. 37 and inscribed GEO in blue ink, size 50, together with a limited edition deluxe version of George Harrison - Living In The Material World set

Estimate:
£90,000 - 120,000
€110,000 - 150,000
US$ 140,000 - 190,000

Footnotes

The Beatles returned to Hamburg in the spring of 1961, for a residency at the Top Ten Club from 1st April to the 1st July. Mark Lewisohn records in 'The Complete Beatles Chronicle' that they appeared onstage for 503 hours over 92 nights and that '...their stamina and musical versatility improved dramatically as the visit wore on. When they returned to Liverpool in July they were simply untouchable.' Pete remembers that they were met on arrival at Hamburg station by Astrid, wearing a black leather trouser-suit (op.cit). In 'The Beatles Anthology', George recalls the impact the trousers had on the group and so Astrid took them to a tailor who made them all a pair.

The all-leather outfit remained a favourite look for the Beatles onstage throughout 1961 but after they signed a management agreement with Brian Epstein in January 1962, this was all set to change. Epstein, the dapper, well-groomed businessman, persuaded the group that in order to progress in the music business, they would have to change their 'Hamburg' look and attitude - smoking, eating and fooling around onstage - for something smarter and more professional. His suggestions met with some opposition, particularly from John, but they all eventually agreed and Epstein arranged for tailor Beno Dorn, in Birkenhead, to make them matching suits. These received their first public airing on 7th March at the Playhouse Theatre, Manchester, for the Beatles' radio debut on the BBC Light Programme's 'Teenager's Turn - Here We Go'. A month later, on 5th April, they appeared at the Cavern Club and Mark Lewisohn records that: 'For old time's sake, the group played first in their black leather outfits and then changed into their new Beno Dorn suits and ties for the second half.' (op. cit.) Never entirely comfortable with this transformation it seems, John, in a 1970 interview quoted in 'The Beatles Anthology', recalled seeing the Granada TV footage of the group in suits and ties in the Cavern in August 1962, and reflected that that was when they had, in his view, started to sell out.

Provenance: The Harrison Family Collection

George gave the jacket to his brother, Harry, in the 1960s. A photograph exists, probably taken circa 1964, of Harry wearing the jacket whilst at the wheel of the Jaguar Mk.II that George had given him. Harry's son then wore the jacket to school in the 1970s, when the tear to the back occurred and the cuffs replaced as they were extremely worn.

• Just as their collarless jackets helped define the Beatles' image during 1963-64, so did their black leather jackets (and matching trousers), bought whilst in Hamburg, in the pre-fame years of 1960-62.
  
  During the group's first trip to Hamburg, August-November 1960, they became friends with a group of young Germans known as 'Exis', followers of the French philosophy of Existentialism. Amongst them were photographer Astrid Kirchherr and her boyfriend, Klaus Voormann, an artist and illustrator. They favoured black clothing, including black leather jackets and coats, and Klaus wore his hair brushed forward in a fringe, a style that was later to become the 'Beatle' haircut. Astrid was soon to fall in love with the Beatles' bass player, Stuart Sutcliffe, and the group, influenced by the Exis' clothing, began to adopt a similar look. Pete Best, in his autobiography, 'Beatle!', records that George bought a leather jacket from a waiter for £5, and Pete, Paul and John then all acquired '...cheap bomber-style models which we wore with the tightest of jeans and cowboy boots.' Apart from the considerations of fashion, there were, according to Pete, some purely pragmatic reasons for the leather: 'We had sweated so much into our other clothes on stage they were falling apart. We needed something we could play in and walk around in, live in. So we just thought, leather is what Gene Vincent wears, that's a good hard image and that was it. But when we got back to Liverpool people really started looking at us.'

Lot heading

The Harrison Family Collection: Lots 300 to 313 are all items given by George Harrison to his brother, Harry, and other members of his family. The collection dates from the 1960s and 1970s and three items, in particular, represent important stages in George's career as one of the leading rock musicians of the 20th Century. Firstly, a black leather jacket comes from the period when the newly-named, and little-known, Beatles honed their skills in the clubs of Hamburg and Merseyside. The many hours they spent onstage, from the latter half of 1960 through to 1962, helped hone their musical skills and transformed them into a group poised on the brink of unimagined international fame. Acquired in Hamburg, George wore this jacket both on and offstage and it appears in many of the photographs taken of the group in those formative years. Early in 1962, manager Brian Espstein managed to persuade the group that the only way to progress in the music business was to 'smarten' themselves up, both in their choice of wardrobe and conduct onstage. Out went the leather jackets and trousers and rather sober, tailored suits became the new image. Following the group's phenomenal rise to stardom in 1963, their new look of Pierre Cardin-inspired suits with collarless jackets, worn with black Chelsea boots, widely influenced the clothing adopted by the teenagers of the day. The pair of 'Beatle' boots included in this collection are from the time when Beatlemania was at it height and, whilst various suits worn by the Beatles in 1963-1964 have been preserved, a pair of boots from this period are a rare survivor. After the Beatles broke up in 1970, George embarked on a new stage in his life as a solo artist. He got off to a flying start with the release, in 1971, of several hit singles and the triple-album 'All Things Must Pass'. This year also saw him, along with Ravi Shankar, organising the Concert For Bangladesh, the first rock concert staged to raise funds for humanitarian causes. Since the mid-1960s, George had become deeply interested in Eastern religion and music and this was his response to the suffering of the people of Bangladesh caused by both a devastating tropical cyclone and the effects of civil war. The Concert For Bangladesh was held at New York's Madison Square Garden and an orange shirt identical to that worn by George onstage is another highlight of the sale. Made by Nudie's of Hollywood, suppliers of Western-style clothing to the stars, the shirt bears a label with George's name and features the Hindu 'Om' symbol, to match those on the white suit George also wore for the concert. Other items in the collection reflect daily life as a Beatle, including demo recordings, Fan Club records given away at Christmas, a camera to record the madness surrounding the group from an insider's perspective and publicity photographs signed by George and with signatures of the other Beatles forged by him in an effort to keep up with the overwhelming demand for autographs.