Names and faces
■ Hard to think of a better way for Paul McCartney to celebrate his 80th birthday than by singing “Glory Days” onstage with Bruce Springsteen, or being serenaded by some 60,000 well-wishers. That's right, the “cute Beatle” turns 80 today, and it has been more than 50 years since the Beatles broke up. Like several other members of the “Hope I die before I get old” generation, including Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and former Beatles mate Ringo Starr, McCartney keeps performing. Another 1960s icon, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, is scheduled to play in Kansas City, Mo., on his 80th birthday Monday. McCartney “has a youthful exuberance that is ageless,” said Bob Spitz, a Beatles biographer. “There's still some of that 21-year-old boy that shines through in all of his performances.” The fragility of his voice was evident while singing “Blackbird” on Thursday night in East Rutherford, N.J., the final night of a brief U.S. tour, and he struggled for the high notes in “Here Today,” his love letter to John Lennon. But the skill of a sympathetic band, along with the imagination and voices in the audience, patches over the rough spots. “Yeah, yeah, right, I've got a birthday coming up,” McCartney said, scanning signs in the audience that reminded him. “I'm not trying to ignore it, but …” The crowd offered a “Happy Birthday” serenade, even before Jersey guy Jon Bon Jovi brought out a fistful of balloons during the encore to lead them in another verse. That other Jersey guy, Springsteen, joined McCartney for the duet on “Glory Days” and a version of “I Wanna Be Your Man.” He later popped up to join the guitar duel from “Abbey Road.”
■ Michelle Obama this week urged Americans not to tune out of the gridlocked political system and said voting — and enlisting millions of new voters — is a pathway to change in a polarized nation. “Protecting and expanding our democracy is the best and only path out of this mess,” the former first lady said in her keynote address at the Los Angeles summit of the national voting organization she helped create. “Our democracy is fading,” Obama said, citing what she described as abusive gerrymandering practices and a new wave of voting restrictions in states that could suppress voting. “Sometimes it's just easier to look away,” Obama said, referring to domestic conflicts and controversies, including disinformation on social media, pervasive gun violence and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. However, “No one has the luxury to sit out or stay at home just because you're not feeling excited enough,” she said. “If you don't vote, other people will.” Her speech at a soccer stadium near downtown Los Angeles on Monday marked the conclusion of When We All Vote's inaugural Culture of Democracy Summit, which drew about 1,000 people.