PAUL McCARTNEY IN BARCELONA.
28th MARCH 2003

Hi to all Macca fans.

We are Jordi and Amparo, and yes..., we were there and it was terrific!!!

Before the concert we were able to listen some songs of the soundcheck: India, Honey don't, Two of us and Midnight special.
At 7.15 pm the doors were open. The "Palau de Sant Jordi" was crowded, full up, because all the tickets were sold in the first 48 hours.

The show started 30 minutes late, around 10 pm instead of 9.30 pm. The show began under the powerful music of The Fireman. This pre-show was the same as Driving USA and Back in The US Tour. After 20 minutes, all the characters disappeared of stage and... behind a gigantic Paul's figure image, He appeared accompanied on all his band. When He came in holding his Hofner high above his head it was maddening, the crowd screamed and... IT WAS INDESCRIBABLE!!!

Paul wore jeans, a blue jacket and a red T-shirt, as in the Back in the US Tour. And He began the show with HELLO, GOODBYE and JET.
After JET, he spoke to audience with a "HOLA ESPAÑA, BONA NIT BARCELONA" (Hello Spain, in spanish. Good Evening Barcelona, in catalan).
Paul spoke many times in spanish, and sometimes in catalan, thanking us our ovations very often with a "MUCHAS GRACIAS" (Thank you very much, in spanish), saying we were a wonderfull audience and putting his hands in his chest, marking his heart and giving it to us. After ALL MY LOVING, he told us his purpose of speaking "sometimes in english sometimes in spanish".
Paul presented GETTING BETTER saying that it was the first time he played it in Spain. And After he performed COMING UP. LET ME ROLL IT finished with a little jam, unheard in the american concerts. Then Paul took his blue jacket off leaving it at the stage floor, and saying "Hace mucho calor" (It's very hot). Tha Band performed while an "erotic striptease" music.
Then he performed songs of his last album, LONELY ROAD, DRIVING RAIN AND YOUR LOVING FLAME. He playd this last song at piano, and he dedicated it to: "A LA MEVA DONA HEATHER" (to my wife Heather, in catalan", saying that she was EXTRAORDINARIA (extraordinary in spanish). Then Paul introduced BLACKBIRD as a song dedicated to a black woman.

After EVERY NIGHT, the crowd began to sang all together "OE OE OE OE!, a common "song" in our football-soccer teams, and Paul began to conduct people with his hands. WE CAN WORK IT OUT was followed by the spanish poem from Liverpool Oratorio, "TRES CONEJOS". A "classic" in all spanish concerts of the last tours.
People enjoyed YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY / CARRY THAT WEIGHT and THE FOOL ON THE HILL. After Fool on the Hill, Paul took the accoustic guitar and began to play a couple of verses of "BESAME MUCHO", and then the crowd started also to sing, completing the verses, forcing Paul to finish the theme with the final chords with his guitar (cha cha boom), saying "no, no, no".
Before HERE TODAY, Paul presented it as a song dedicated to MI AMIGO JOHN (my friend John in spanish). The crowd began to clap and then they started to sing "Give peace a chance", in reference to the war in Irak. Paul performed some chords and he moved his hands conducting people. The following song, SOMETHING, was dedicated to MI AMIGO GEORGE. Paul appeared with an ukelele, saying that A GEORGE LE GUSTABA EL UKELELE (George loved ukelele), and again people applauded with emotion. In this time, Paul did not perform the last fast version of other shows.
Then Paul performed ELEANOR RIGBY, HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE and CALIKO SKIES. Before MICHELLE, Paul shout: "AHORA VENID CON NOSOTROS A FRANCIA" (Now come with us to France) BAND ON THE RUN drove the audience mad and BACK IN THE USSR was GREAT!!!. When he finished playing it there were scenes of wild enthusiasm, with the crowd shouting "PAUL, PAUL", while he conducted people again with his hands. The audience was mad, and people began to shout "OE OE OE OE" another time.
At piano, Paul performed then MAYBE I'M AMAZED and LET 'EM IN. And then, he said MY LOVE was dedicated to LINDA and... ESTA NOCHE A TODOS LOS ENAMORADOS (this night to all people in love). This produced another great ovation. SHE'S LEAVING HOME, CAN'T BUY ME LOVE AND... BIRTHDAY!!! The Beatles soul was there. It was fantastic!!! Birthday, the new feature of the BACK IN THE WORLD tour, along with CALICO SKIES, performed only in Osaka), was presented with a "CUMPLEAÑOS FELIZ" (birthday in spanish).
LIVE AND LET DIE was thrilling, with his firecrackers, his explotions and his flames at the end. LET IT BE!!! Not words for it. Really touching and moving for us.
And the apotheosis, HEY JUDE, when the audience got delighted, with a funny Paul conducting at the end the male and female sections, and with Heather in the screen, singing joined the crowd.

In the first encore, back to the stage, Paul changed his t-shirt for another, also red, but with a white printed message: NO MORE LANDMINES. THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD, LADY MADONNA and I SAW HER STANDING THERE, completed this first encore. People began to shout again "OE OE OE OE" and "PAUL, PAUL, PAUL", and Paul and the band appeared again in stage: Paul with a catalonian flag, Abe Laboriel Jr with a spanish flag, and Paul "Wix" Wickens with a british, and smaller, flag. YESTERDAY was moving and touching again. And SGT. PEPPERS/THE END, the sublime colophon of the show. The Band was specially great in the "heavy" themes. BAND ON THE RUN, BACK IN THE USRR, BIRTHDAY, CAN'T BUY ME LOVE, LIVE AND LET DIE AND I SAW HERE STANDING THERE sparked off the PALAU DE SANT JORDI. Each member of the band presented a song in spanish, less Rusty Anderson, that said he was not able to speak in spanish, but... he got an small tape recorder and a female voice gave thanks to audience in spanish for the enthusiastic welcome.

About Merchandising, the Tour programme was new, with a new cover and different photos from the american tour. A poster, a set of 4-badges, stickers, a bag with incense, a keyring, a white cup, a blue bag to carry a guitar, a sweater, a jean jacket, and 6 differents T-shirts were sold in The Palau. In all the walls there was a poster where we could read: COMPRA MAÑANA EL DISCO DEL CONCIERTO DE ESTA NOCHE" (Buy tomorrow the disc of tonight concert)

Before the show, a big screen displayed messages from the public, that we could send by phone, most of them greeting Paul, and thanking his venue to Barcelona. Unluckily, a little number of them were unfortunate and in extraordinarily bad taste. It was a great evening! One of the best of our life.

Dreaming for another chance to see him!!

JORDI AND AMPARO

THREE DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF FRONT TICKETS

PHOTOS BY MELGAR

PHOTOS BY JUAN AGÜERAS

THANKS TO JUAN AGÜERAS,
PRESIDENT OF THE SGT. BEATLES FAN CLUB, FOR HIS GREAT PHOTOS.