For Whom The Bell Tells...Issue 6

Time to put away the 2009 files,

So here we are, 2010. A new year and a new decade. Always a good time for reflection and also a time to look forward to what we know is going to be another busy and fun year in Macca world.

It's amazing to think just how much Paul managed to pack in to just the last 12 months.

What a year it was. Setting the pace for 2009 Paul kicked it off at high speed appearing at the Grammy Awards giving a memorable performance of I Saw Her Standing There‚ with guest drummer and fellow rocker Dave Grohl. Next it was to New York City to play at the special David Lynch Foundation Change Begins Within benefit concert. Paul hooked up with his old band mate Ringo for a historic performance of With A Little Help From My Friends at Radio City Hall.

The summer of 2009 saw another Macca first, when Paul headlined his first ever US festival, Coachella. Similar to his 2004 Glastonbury performance, Paul stole the headlines making the festival a talking point for the rest of the world. Days after the festival he headed to Vegas for a show to mark the opening of The New Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - a gig which sold out in seven seconds, setting a new sales record with tickets selling at a staggering rate of 600 a second keeping the press office very busy yet again.

Not one to rest, Paul was on the road again in July. He played his first ever concert in Halifax, Nova Scotia a show that prompted the Mayor of Halifax to describe the event as the largest most exciting concert in its 260-year history, no less!

After Halifax there was more history to be made. Paul returned to the site of the former Shea Stadium, where in 1965, he along with his famous old band played a concert that set the precedent for the modern day stadium rock show. Paul commenced his Summer Live 09 US tour at New Yorks Citi Field Stadium. Paul spent the summer rocking across the US before returning to the UK to prepare for his Good Evening Europe tour. And as we now know Paul gave 2009 the best send off a year could have with Londons biggest Christmas party and tour finale at the O2 Arena on the 22nd December. He was joined on stage by a bagpipe band for a rare version of his massive UK Christmas chart topper Mull Of Kintyre.

So that was 2009.

And so the new decade arrives but unlike most, Paul didnt spend the start of the New Year reflecting, there simply wasnt time. He was straight back in to the thick of it, moving and shaking, in LA at the Annual Golden Globe Awards and the Critics Choice Awards where he was nominated for '(I Want To) Come Home'.

Meanwhile, back in the press office, we were reflecting! December's tour was a total blast and we've finally collected in all the amazing reviews. As a publicist I love front covers, and there was no shortage of front cover reviews on this tour! Each morning as we left each city we were in it was great to walk into the local paper shop and see hundreds of Pauls staring back at me. Reading through the cuttings again, as I was filing them, reminded me of how great it was to be out on the road with Paul and the team for the tour. So I thought this a good opportunity for those who might not have seen the UK, German, French, Irish and Dutch reviews to share the highlights... and it was actually quite difficult to edit as the reviews were amazing across the board... but here goes...

Hamburg - 2nd December, 2009

'McCartney and his band rock the arena from 9:15 to nearly midnight - presenting one highlight after the other.... Slim and well trained he jumps around stage, his voice may be a little bit darker, but it didn't lose any of his characteristic drive and the many facets between pop, blues and rock. McCartney is a master of timing, even in the way he enjoys the acclamation of the audience or how he communicates with them.' AP

'It is more than just an evening with a living music legend. When McCartney starts singing "Here Today" alone with his guitar, it's not only him who has to hold back his tears.' Welt

Berlin - 3rd December, 2009

'Absolutely world class!' Bild

'Slim and sporty he jumps around the stage, playful, with juvenile charm and a clear voice. Fantastic.' Berliner Kurier

Holland - 9th December, 2009

'Coming straight to the point: this concert gets into my list of most memorable concerts. It was a unique evening where the old Beatles fans and their children came closer than ever to that legendary band. Maybe it was even better than the real thing.' Muziek

'A glorious celebration of what pop music at its best can do, and in the correct proportions...And so it goes, from emotion to awe to excitement...Who needs the remastered Beatles boxsets or Fab Four games to keep vital iron repertoire? - they're just toys. McCartney is the real thing.' Volkskrant

Paris - 10th December, 2009

'Macca IS the one and only King of Pop' Rock N' Folk

'Absolutely Fabulous' Figaro Score

Cologne - 16th December, 2009

'And the two hours and 50 minutes of the Cologne appearance impressively demonstrate once again, what we all guessed anyway: Paul McCartney is the greatest communicator of pop music.' Kolner Stadtanzeiger

'During the nearly three hours of the show, you want to run around the arena, hug completely unknown people and say completely senseless things (at least they wouldn't make sense in your outside life). But, in here, everybody is as young as you today.' Rheinische Post

'Paul McCartney once again wipes away all the cliches about himself. This man rocks so much that many newcomers might probably lose their faith in their own successes. McCartney plays perfectly, and just as perfectly, he plays with the audience this is Rock 'n' Roll and it's from the best.' Aachener Zeitung / Aachener Nachrichten

'This man was on stage for nearly three hours without any traces of weariness. PaulMcCartney is a phenomenon and a very, very lively living legend.' Review Generalanzeiger

Dublin - 20th December, 2009

'If there was one member of the audience who went home in a grumpy mood, they truly were the Christmas Grinch.' The Irish Times

'....he had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand......the timeless star even staged TWO encores - proving he still has the stamina to outlast many of his young rivals on stage.' Irish Daily Mirror

'McCartney looks like he is having the time of his life and the audience are certainly high on emotion. After a bumper set of encores and nearly 40 songs, McCartney sadly has to go. It really doesn't get any better than this.' Irish Independent

'Overall, this was an astonishing performance, and a late - but by all means, welcome - contender for gig of the year, if not the decade.' Evening Herald

London - 22nd December, 2009

'There are few on this earth who can write a more impressive set-list without recourse to cover versions.' 5 Stars. The Times

'McCartney offered a curfew-busting set packed with sufficient hits to leave people punch-drunk....But, as ever, it was largely sunshine from the singer who can cause grown men to make sparkly banners. They came to be uplifted, and after almost three hours no one could say they were short-changed.' 4 Stars. Evening Standard

'Sir Paul McCartney wows London's O2 Arena with a marathon three-hour spectacular. Indeed, everyone had a truly wonderful time.' The Mirror

'Having demonstrated on the X Factor how a real star does it, Paul McCartney used his only UK concert of 2009 as a showcase for an epic display of back-to-back basics music-making. Armed only with his four-piece band and the greatest collection of hits in pop history, he travelled back and forth across the decades like the Dr Who of rock and roll. Whatever elixir the 67-year-old Macca is running on remains a mystery, but he seems to get a huge charge from performing to an audience, especially one that is bombarding him with waves of adoration.' 5 Stars. Telegraph

'He pulled out the heavy weaponry for a hit-packed three-hour gig. Macca's as fab as ever.' The Sun

'The most emotional moment is the smallest: "Blackbird" rendered alone on acoustic guitar, his voice wavering through the chorus. The O2 is vast, a sterile, unforgiving shed whose scale can crush junior talents. For two-and-a-half minutes, he shrank it to the size of his living room.' The Observer

'As the old Christmas joke goes: What do you give the man who's got everything? For the most legendary singer on the planet, the answer is a tour finale so emotional even HE is overwhelmed by his fans' response.....you can almost see the green glow of envy from younger stars in the crowd like Noel Gallagher and Alex Turner. The man is living history and the way he continues to bring new energy to his past is incredible.' 5 Stars. News Of The World

'....He served up a tremendous, high-energy show...People of all ages, and there really were all ages at this concert, were up and dancing.' 5 Stars. The Independent

So, with that now over and the reviews filedaway it's time to look to the year ahead. You can be sure it's going to be another manic year. Youll be pleased to hear Paul is currently working on a number of different projects with more information to follow in the coming weeks and as usual we will bring you the official behind the scenes 'eye on the Paul' news, so its important you keep one eye here at all times.