Paul McCartney Gold Coast: Former Beatle’s touching tribute to Jude Law and epic final Australian show
Paul McCartney glorious Gold Coast show in front of a crowd of more than 30,000 people has injected $4m into the economy, now civic leaders reveal how they will follow it up.
Entertainment
Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Gold Coast tourism and political leaders will ramp up the chase for new concerts and events in 2024 in a bid to follow up the success of Paul McCartney’s triumphant Carrara gig.
The one-night stand at Heritage Bank Stadium injected $4m into the economy and brought in fans from Brisbane and across the country.
Mayor Tom Tate, who attended the concert, said the push was on to follow it up with more big concerts in 2024 and beyond.
The demographics were huge and the music was well-received by everyone and having a legend on the Gold Coast was great because it put us in the spotlight again and it shows that people want to be here and that they are turning up,” he said.
“There were plenty of people from Brisbane and elsewhere who came and I say let it be and listen to those words of wisdom.
“Promoters will have seen this and will keep coming back and we will get more high quality acts.
“Next stop, Pink.”
Mr Tate said the success of the show, which drew a crowd of more than 30,000 people, underlined the need for a boutique stadium area which would allow more events to be held in the city.
“We are building an events economy and what the weekend showed me was that people are ready for more arena entertainment,” he said.
“We will be working hard to get a boutique arena so we can get acts who play to a crowd of 12-15,000.”
Pink will play Heritage Bank Stadium in February.
Experience Gold Coast acting CEO Rachel Hancock said big-name acts were a major economic boon for the city.
“These big named acts are the sweet spot and we are continuing to work with a range of promoters regarding upcoming opportunities to secure more international artists, with a focus on 2024 and beyond,” she said.
“Already, we are set to kick off next year with a bang when Pink comes to town in February.
“Where possible we look to secure Queensland exclusives like Harry Styles as this ensures a greater out of region attendance at the event
“Through securing international music content – and artists of the calibre of Sir Paul McCartney – we are growing the Gold Coast’s profile and reputation internationally as an events and tourist destination.
“We anticipate this strategy will continue to show results through the establishment of Experience Gold Coast and look forward to sharing more announcements.”
Pictures: Celebrities and A-listers rocking out to McCartney
Rock royalty Paul McCartney has delivered a showstopping gig, wowing more than 30,000 Gold Coast fans – including newly-arrived Hollywood star Jude Law.
The Beatles legend closed out the last night of the Australian leg of his Got Back tour with a three-hour masterclass in rock music, covering six decades worth of his career, from the Quarrymen to his recent solo work.
The 81-year-old, paused briefly at the end of his main set while sitting at the grand piano to single out Law, who was sitting near the front among the audience, dedicating Hey Jude to the actor.
“There’s someone I’ve always wanted to sing this song for and he’s in the audience tonight,” he told the crowd.
Law, who has arrived on the Gold Coast to film the new Ron Howard movie Eden, was clearly delighted by the tribute and was seen cheerfully singing along through the song’s chorus when McCartney told the males in the crowd to go solo.
At one point a buzzing Law planted a kiss on the cheek of a woman standing next to him.
Law seemed to be as excited as anyone else in the stadium.
The show drew in several other celebrities to soak up the music, including Hollywood director-turned Gold Coast resident Baz Luhrmann and singer Casey Barnes who were all front and centre for McCartney’s set.
Barnes called McCartney a “once in a generation artist”.
“How lucky we were to have him here on the GC last night. Incredible show,” he wrote on Sunday morning.
McCartney took to the stage at Carrara’s Heritage Bank Stadium just after 7pm and kicked off with early Beatles hit Can’t Buy Me Love and kept the focus of the show’s first half on Wings and early Beatles tracks.
During the evening he paid tribute to his late Beatles bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison, playing the latter’s signature track Something, while entertaining the audience with stories from his six-decade career, including the night he met Jimi Hendrix.
The main set closed with a series of back-to-back hits, ranging from Wings’ Band on the Run, Get Back, Let It Be and the showstopping, pyrotechnics-infused James Bond theme song Live and Let Die.
The evening closed out with the latter-day Beatles track I’ve Got a Feeling, which through the magic of Peter Jackson’s technology, saw McCartney duetting with Lennon who appeared via archive footage.
Fittingly McCartney and his band closed with the final songs from Abbey Road, the last album they made together, with a powerful rendition of Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End.
McCartney left the stage giving the delighted audience a promise “All that’s left to say is … see you next time”.
REVIEW:
Paul McCartney is first and foremost a showman.
Six decades into his career, the former Beatle has delivered a powerful and emotional performance on the Gold Coast, bringing down the curtain on his Australia tour and showing audiences that 81 is the new 60.
And he did his bit for Destination Gold Coast while he was at it. At one point he asked the crowd how many people were actually from the Gold Coast, noting not as many as those who were from other parts of the country, adding “ … on behalf of the local tourist board I’d like to thank you …”
Across three energetic hours he traversed the length and breadth of his career, playing the first Quarrymen song from the embryonic days of The Beatles through to recent material paying tribute to his wife Nancy.
Amusingly, he noted the marked difference in the reaction to his new songs versus the Beatles classics, saying the stadium “lights up” for the latter with mobile phones twinkling abundantly but becomes a “black hole” for the former.
Not that it mattered – cheerfully saying he was going to play his new songs “anyway!”
While featuring plenty of the hits from his solo career, The Beatles and Wings, there were also plenty of surprises which were a joy to see performed live, for both seasoned Beatlemaniacs and new fans alike.
What made McCartney’s show at Heritage Bank Stadium so powerful was that it put on display the astonishing impact that he and his bandmates had on music, displaying everything from their pop beginnings to the more psychedelic and heavy metal latter Beatles tracks.
Underneath the palpable joy of McCartney’s performance was an undercurrent of genuine emotion and pathos as he paid tribute to many of his now deceased colleagues.
There was an emotional rendition of the early-80s hit Here Today, a tribute he penned to Lennon in the aftermath of his 1980 murder as well as playing the ukulele given to him by George Harrison.
When playing Maybe I’m Amazed he talked about his daughter Mary as a baby inside his jacket in a photo displayed on screen behind him. Now he said Mary has four sons of her own (and a husband). Circle of life he called it
As one of the last great rock acts of his era still packing out stadiums, there is something special in seeing a musician who can not only play well, but really put on a show.
And what a gig it was, particularly the showstopping rendition of Live and Let Die.
And in the end, the love the audience took from McCartney was equal to the love he made for his fans on stage.
SET LIST
Can’t Buy Me Love
Juniors Farm
Letting Go
She’s A Woman
Got To Get You Into My Life
Come On To Mr
Let Me Roll It
Getting Better
Let Em In
My Valentine
1985
Maybe I’m Amazed
I’ve Just Seen A Face
Despite All The Danger
Love Me Do
Dance Tonight
Blackbird
Here Today
New
Lady Madonna
Fuh You
College
Jet
Mr Kite
Something
Obla Di Obla Da
Band on the Run
Get Back
Let It Be
Live and Let Die
Hey Jude
ENCORE
I’ve Got A Feeling
Birthday
Sgt Pepper reprise/Helter Skelter
Golden Slumbers/Carry that weight/The End
Golden girl’s big update as sea change signals happy ever after
An Olympic golden girl who has been a Brisbanite for what seems like forever has upped stakes and headed for the Coast. WE’VE GOT THE SCOOP
IVF nightmare: Influencer’s shock claim clinic destroyed embryos
A Queensland wellness influencer with over 400,000 followers claims all eight of her healthy embryos were destroyed when a fertility clinic handled them incorrectly. WATCH THE VIDEO