Sir Paul gets a glass hammer for his Hamilton visit
McCartney, who performs at FirstOntario Centre Thursday night, will receive his souvenir backstage
ELTON JOHN’S GOT ONE. So does James Taylor and Kenny Chesney. Even Rush has one, or rather three, one for each member.
But not Paul McCartney. Not yet. Thursday night that should change.
We’re not talking Grammy Awards or Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions. This is bigger. This is a Hamilton Glass Hammer we’re referring to and, with apologies to Pete Seeger, if Sir Paul had a hammer, he’d … be in good company, all over this land.
We know he’s already got a Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, as a writing credit, but the glass hammer puts him in a class where he so eminently belongs, with the biggest stars who’ve appeared at Hamilton’s best venues.
This all goes back about four years ago when Scott Warren, general manager of FirstOntario Centre (where McCartney plays Thursday night), wanted to step beyond the usual “sports jersey with their name on the back” souvenir take-away; something
more special for them to remember us by.
“I’ve given a lot gifts over my career, and the jersey is an easy go-to. You hope they wear it on stage. But it’s (the jersey) been done.”
The first time Scott tried something different was when he managed a venue in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Faith Hill was appearing.
“I thought: ‘What would mean something special to her? What would she be most proud of ?’” He gave her a jersey but on the back was something different — “Maggie’s and Gracie’s Mom.” She loved it. That was in 1999. He once gave a Lionel train to Neil Young at the end of a show; he’s a railway enthusiast. “He was thrilled.”
When Scott came to Hamilton, with its three venues (FirstOntario, Hamilton Place, Molson Canadian Studio), he wanted something more consistent from show to show, artist to artist, but still distinctive and iconic, expressing something of the city’s identity. The idea of a hammer appealed to him. Maybe as a piece of art? Then it hit him — a glass hammer; well, not literally. That would’ve hurt.
He’d heard of Kelly Lowe, celebrated Stoney Creek glass artist, and she came up with some prototypes. “I wanted it to be as close to a real hammer as I could,” says Kelly. “I didn’t want abstract. I brought in a hammer and tried hard to replicate it.” In glass, that’s not easy. The faceting and contours are complicated. Some early efforts ended in the garbage.
By now she’s done dozens; she’s proud of the work and thrilled that they’re in the hands of some of the world’s great musicians and artists.
“After they (the artists) have it in their hands, the reaction is really incredible,” says Scott. At first, some people in the business were skeptically saying to him, “A hammer? Why not give them cupcakes?
“But when they see the response they say: ‘Oh, now I get it.’”
First, it’s unexpected. And when they find out what it means, how Hamilton is often called The Hammer, they tend to light up, says Scott.
“I gave one to Carly Rae Jepsen and she said: ‘Oh, my, this is incredible. I just bought a new home and this is going to go so well.’”
It’s the kind of thing, a glass hammer, that, unlike a T-shirt, one can put on a shelf or a mantel. It’s about a foot high and solid, heavier to the feel than you’d think.
“When I gave it to Brad Paisley he said: ‘Perfect. I already had glass nails. Now I’ve got something to hammer them in with.’”
The hammer Sir Paul gets Thursday will be different. It will feature swirls of blue colour in the glass stem of the hammer.
The presentation usually happens at the meet-and-greets that most artists have back stage either before or after the shows. “For the most part,” Scott says, “they’re very accommodating. It should be a lot of fun (with Paul McCartney).”
Kelly won’t be at the show tomorrow: she’s otherwise committed. The only time she helped present was to Martha Wainwright at Hamilton Place, the very first glass hammer given.
Kelly is going to be at The Tragically Hip show, in a suite with Scott and some others, and she hopes to be part of that historic presentation.
I wanted it to be as close to a real hammer as I could. KELLY LOWE GLASS ARTIST