SIR PAUL McCARTNEY paid a moving tribute to JOHN LENNON and GEORGE HARRISON during a Greatest Hits set this evening (June 26) at the GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL.
The 62 year-old rock legend, playing his first ever UK festival, had a packed Pyramid Stage enthralled with a two-hour gig that had the 80,000 crowd singing along passionately to every word.
During the set, an emotional Paul said sometimes people don’t take the opportunity to say their real feelings before someone passes away, before talking about his old bandmate John Lennon. At the mere mention of his name, the crowd erupted into mass applause.
McCartney then played his solo song ’Here Today’, inspired by Lennon, before covering George Harrison’s ’All Things Must Pass’.
The crowd then started singing ’Yellow Submarine’, originally sung by Ringo Starr, to complete the Beatles tribute.
Sir Paul recently played his 3,000th live show, but had never played a UK festival with the Beatles, Wings or solo. He was originally due to play last year on the same slot, but because Radiohead were already booked, he had to wait 12 months for his chance.
Among the Beatles classics played were ’Yesterday’, ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’, ’We Can Work It Out’ and ’Blackbird’. But the highlight was when he led the massive crowd through a mass singalong to ’Hey Jude’ and ’Helter Skelter’.
He also ran through Wings and solo classics including the James Bond theme ’Live And Let Die’, backed by a theatrical firework and pyrotechnics display.
The setlist ran:
‘Jet’
‘Got To Get You Into My Life’
‘Flaming Pie’
‘All My Loving’
‘Let Me Roll It’
‘She’s A Woman’
‘Maybe I’m Amazed’
‘The Long And Winding Road’
‘In Spite Of All The Danger’
‘Blackbird’
‘We Can Work It Out’
‘Here Today’
‘All Things Must Pass’
‘Yellow Submarine’
‘I’ll Follow The Sun’
‘Calico Skies’
‘Eleanor Rigby’
‘Drive My Car’
‘Penny Lane’
‘Get Back’
‘Band On The Run’
‘Back In The USSR’
‘Live And Let Die’
‘I’ve Got A Feeling’
‘Lady Madonna’
‘Hey Jude’
‘Yesterday’
‘Any Destination’
‘Let It Be’
‘I Saw Her Standing There’
‘Helter Skelter’
‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ / ‘The End’
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