Sir Paul McCartney’s generosity towards the city of Liverpool has never waned in his evergreen 60 year career.
From placing his city of birth at the centre of the global pop-cultural lens in the 60s, supporting its performing arts institute, to even offering the crowning moment of the 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations, there has always been a sense of Paul wanting to give back to the home which gave him his start.
When returning for an intimate, end of tour show in 2010, things were no different. It was a gig that saw him dish out all the hits wrapped up with a generous dash of salt and vinegar.
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Pitching up the O2 Academy just a few days before Christmas, the show would see Paul McCartney and his band round off a world tour by playing to a room a fraction of the size of those he’d commanded on his globe trotting endeavours.
The rare opportunity to see Paul up close and personal rightly generated a level of hysteria and 1,200 tickets on offer became the venue’s fastest ever sell out - just six seconds. As expected, many were left disappointed due to the slim chances of scooping a ticket, but large crowds would still descend on the venue to catch a glimpse of the homecoming hero.
Prior to the show, Paul’s band hit delays when travelling up from London. With the show taking place at the height of December, the committed crowds huddled outside the venue had to endure an extended wait in bitter temperatures.
When finally arriving at the venue, he became aware of the effort many ticketless fans had made. Noticing a burger van parked on the perimeter of the venue, he took it upon himself to cut a deal that would see all those outside and with tickets receive fish and chips and warm drinks - free of charge.
The display outside the venue was a vintage act of Paul’s generosity. Inside the venue was no different.
Taking to the stage the former Beatle rattled through a career-spanning setlist of 33 songs and two encores.
On stage he offered up his more contemporary paradoxical formula of school boy charm and embarrassing dad. But what stood out was the unswerving commitment and charisma that typified his feel for harmony in his early years, and the more gruff, bearded swagger as his career ran on.
You can purchase a copy here of the Echo's 64 page Memory Lane special packed with nostalgic photos and articles.
In a night where Get Back was one of the unifying moments, it was his decision to give back in the form of hits with fish and chips which warmed hearts the most.
