Wings over Houston

In 1976, a fan could wait for Paul McCartney at the airport and watch him and Linda depart from the airplane and greet him at the gate.    I know that for security reasons it is impossible to do something like that these days, but wow.....just wow at the thought of it. 

That is how a fan named Jo Beasley and her sister, Karen got to meet Paul when the Wings over American tour traveled to Houston, Texas.   According to the story, Karen took a bunch of photographs, but none of them were published with the story, so I tried to locate a few from my files to go along with the story.

This story was published in the August / September 1976 issue of McCartney Ltd.

Wings getting off the "Wings over America"plane (one of the first photos I ever purchased, but I do not know where it was taken)

Linda and Paul in Houston 

Paul in Houston

By Jo Beasley 

Now at 24 years of age, I thought I would never get to meet Paul.  Not that I hadn’t tried before.  I saw Paul with the Beatles in New Orleans (1964), Houston (1965), and Detroit (1966).  In all 3 places, I tried my best; but, in those days every other girl tried as well, which leads to my former statement of never thinking I’d really get to meet him.

Well, on May 4, 1976, it happened!  My older sister, Karen (who had become a Beatles fan about six years ago), and I had waited for that day for what seemed to be a century.  When the day finally did arrive, I don’t think I was really ready for it.    We had no real plan other than maybe see Paul before the concert at the airport.  An airport employee, who happened to be a friend of our mother’s, found out about what time Paul’s plane should arrive.

While sitting at the airport for about two hours (seemed more like eight!), a lot of little girls came in and started looking around.  I thought, “This is it; the whole world knows.”  I wondered if maybe we shouldn’t follow them, thinking they might know something we didn’t.   I must admit if all had been left to me, I would probably have gone after them, but Karen insisted we hang around a little longer.  Since my state of mind was one of complete confusion, I gave in to her demand.

About 30 minutes passed and I was losing faith but thank goodness Karen never gave up hope.  We were sitting near the restrooms, which neither of us wanted to use for fear of missing something.  Then, out of the blue appeared 3 men.  Now, to any normal people, they were simply 3 men, but to 2 Paul freaks, they represented manager, promoters, or whatever else one’s mind can imagine.  We watched them so closely, I think they began watching us, which in our minds made everything even more suspicious, we then decided we couldn’t sit still any longer, so we made a trip to the baggage department to see if we could find any  hidden clues.  When that fell through, we returned to the lobby.  Our 3 men were gone, which worried us tremendously.

We were about to really get upset when I spotted a guy walking in from the arriving flight wearing a Beatles t-shirt.  As Karen was staring out f the window, she felt fingernails in her arm.  Upon looking at me, she realized I had seen something.  She then saw that something and we both got renewed faith.  Thinking it was too good to be true, I tried talking us into the fact that a lot of people wear Beatle shirts.  She wouldn’t buy it, especially when she spotted another guy walking up wearing a Wing’s shirt and carrying a brief case.  I once again mentioned that it could be a coincidence.  She then said, “That may be a coincidence, but not the fact that his brief case had a sticker on it reading ‘Wings special pass.”  I then became a believer!  We toyed with the idea of following them, but decided upon staying awhile longer.  Approximately 45 minutes later, we began to think we had really blown it.  As a last resort, Karen called our friends again to check up on things.  It seemed as though she was on the phone for hours.  Finally, hanging up the phone, she informed me that Paul’s plane had been delayed and that we were also in the wrong arrival area.  So—off we went….

Arriving at the area we had been told to go, we saw 3 limousines and the drivers, along with a few real Wings people walking around.  I now knew that thanks tour friend and to Karen, it was finally going to happen.  No one bothered us, as we were the only 2 outsiders there.  Karen fixed the movie camera and the small camera while I rattled from excitement.  After a couple minutes, 2 more limousines pulled up.  Everyone that worked in the area asked us who was coming in, and to our surprise, the drivers didn’t even know who they were picking up.  When the plane was in sight, we saw “Wings Over America” written across the door.  I felt numb.  Karen was already snapping pictures and I was, by now, in shock.  Finally, Paul started down the stairs.  A few airport people gathered around to take pictures.  I just stood still in a daze while Karen was everywhere taking pictures.

Even though I wanted to do so much and say so many things to Paul, I still couldn’t move.  I could see him in front of me so close and yet so far away.   By this time, Karen was talking to him and taking close-up pictures.  Pau was very warm and nice to everyone.  Although I didn’t see everything that went on, Karen later told me she had held his hand while she walked beside him.  When I saw him get into the limousine and the door shut, I knew I had blown my 12 year old dream of really talking to him.  Then suddenly, Karen grabbed me, opened the limo door, and literally pushed me inside.  Now, when you are breathing into Paul McCartney’s face, you somehow make yourself speak.  So, I finally got words out and talked to him.  Karen later told me I also talked to Linda as I shook her hand.  It’s funny now, when Karen and   I both look back on it and speak of our adventure, we both always seem to bring up the feeling of Paul’s warm, soft hand his nice, caring smile.  As I was shaking his hand goodbye, Karen took a close-up of Paul.  This, of course, is my most treasured possession in the entire world.  As I look at it now, I know that smile and that outstretched arm was for me; and you can bet that thought has kept me awake many nights! 

As the car pulled away, we ran to our own.  We followed his car until we lost it on the crowded Houston freeways.  For a while in the car, neither of us spoke, then I did the stupid female thing of breaking into tears.  Karen tried to drive and stop me from crying at the same time by telling me I shouldn’t cry -- I had finally gotten what I had always wanted; but you know how it goes, and she really understood, too. 

Well, up until May 4^th Karen had really like the Beatles tremendously; but, after meeting Paul, she is now a devoted McCartney fan.  That night, after the concert, she told me she had never really understood my love for Paul throughout these 12 years; but, after meeting him, she honestly knew how I could feel the way I do about him.  So, McCartney, watch out, cos Karen has joined my team and together, we are faster than the Speed of Sound!