Back to where he once belonged...
Macca’s surprise gig at club where Beatles started
SIR Paul McCartney returned to Liverpool’s sweltering Cavern Club for a surprise show, nearly 57 years after the gig that put The Beatles on the road to rock ’n’ roll history.
It was his performance on November 9, 1961, with John Lennon, George Harrison and original drummer Pete Best, that convinced manager Brian Epstein they were going to be big.
And hitting the stage yesterday as temperatures in the tiny venue topped 40C on the year’s hottest day, an emotional Macca said: “Liverpool. Cavern. Two words which go together well. All those years ago when we came here, we never knew if we had any future. But we did OK. Coming here is pretty amazing for me.”
During the show, only announced yesterday morning, he belted out classics including Sgt Pepper, Love Me Do and Ob La Di.
And the crowd, including Liverpool footie legend Jamie Carragher, were also treated to songs from his new album Egypt Station.
There were 300 fans at the two-hour gig in the club, where The Beatles last played on August 3, 1963, and Macca had only performed again once since – in December 1999.
Introducing Lady Madonna, the 76-year-old paid tribute to his former bandmates.
“I can’t come back here without flashing back to the early days when we were stood here,” he said. “I had to my left John and my right George, and Pete Best... let’s hear it for John and George.”
Afterwards, Macca said: “It brought back loads of beautiful memories and reminded me of where we started.”