Coffs Harbour family wins special audience with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney
Two Beatles-obsessed NSW friends with sons named Lennon and McCartney are gobsmacked after being plucked from the audience to join Paul McCartney onstage.
Coffs Harbour
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Beatles-obsessed NSW friends – one with a son named Lennon, the other with a son called McCartney – are gobsmacked after being plucked from the audience to join Paul McCartney onstage at the megastar’s Newcastle concert.
“I was babbling a bit like an idiot,” said Coffs Harbour’s Belinda Dobson of the golden opportunity.
Ms Dobson is a lifelong Beatles tragic, as is her 11-year-old son Lennon – named after Beatle John Lennon.
They were at McDonald Jones Stadium after placing second in a national competition where the prize included two tickets to last week’s sold-out gig.
There, Ms Dobson met up with friend Katie Sanderson from Bathurst and her four-year-old son McCartney – named after Paul.
It was the first time the women had met face-to-face, though they forged a virtual friendship through the online Beatles fans’ community.
“We had a sign made up saying ‘Little Lennon and McCartney are ready to rock’,” Ms Dobson said.
“His (Paul’s) publicist spotted it and said I’ll let him know.
“The next thing Paul said (is) ‘would McCartney come up here’. So off he went and Lennon bolted up to the stage too and I had to go because I had to keep an eye on him. That kid was my key.”
The starstruck fans had the chance to chat with the 81-year-old pop icon, who then sang Drive My Car, inviting the Dobsons and Sandersons to dance along.
“It was the most magical experience,” Ms Dobson said.
The unexpected moment provided a burst of light for her after a year battling illness.
“I’m Beatles obsessed. I think I got the ultimate prize as so far we’re the only fans to be called up on stage during this Australian tour,” she said.
It was also an extra special moment for her son Lennon, a Toormina Public School student, who has grown up on Beatles music.
And the fun’s not over yet, as Ms Dobson said she had “emptied my savings account” to buy tickets for McCartney’s concerts at Brisbane on Wednesday and the Gold Coast on Saturday.
“I still can’t quite believe it. I’m headed to Brisbane today for more Paul,” she said.
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