Thursday, July 23, 2020

More of Wings on Tour 1973






Let's continue to journey along with those kooky Americans as they keep attending all of the Wings concert in the UK in the Spring of 1975.    As with the other installments, these were all from the Summer 1973 issue of McCartney Lovers and Friends  


The next day, we had a DAY OFF and Sarah took us on the old tour of Liverpool.  We went to the Cavern -- which was torn down the week after -- it was moved across the street I hear.   We visited Paul and George's old school and John's art college.  We then went to Paul's old home at 20 Forthlin Road in Allerton -- it was beautiful.  I don't know whoever gave us the impression that they were poor, because it's as gorgeous there!  It wasn't a mansion or anything, but it certainly was a nice area.   Sarah also took us to see Paul's father's house and Mike MC's house  (VERY NICE!).  The countryside around Liverpool is really breathtaking!

The next concert was in Leeds.  This was the place where you go on a "first come, first served" basis.  Sher and Vickie decided that they wouldn't be able to hack that, and thought it best that they skip that concert.  However, so of us are gluttons for punishment and can't miss out on a thing.  So we took off in Sarah's car.  We were traveling along, minding our own business when Sarah comes out with, "I don't want to get funny or anything, but there's this strange-looking bus in front of us."   We all went "Aggggg!" at the same time.  Sure enough, it was THE bus.  We passed them, and Linda was sitting at the window.  I looked back and saw them sitting there.  Paul sat up in his seat and looked just as we were speeding on.  We passed them again, and this time, both of them were waving and giving the thumbs-up sign.  Paul was going absolutely insane, waving, grinning, and carrying on.  he was talking to someone about us and pointing (love to know what he said!).  It was really great.  We felt like we were friends.  What was really weird was that I was wasting my time staring at this picture that appeared in that day's newspaper when Sarah spotted the bus.   

We went on our way to Leeds.  After a while, we got in line and naturally were the first ones.  I had some more roses for Paul.  When were let in, we ran like hell and sat in the first row -- namely the floor.  There was a line of roadies to keep everyone in line.  Brinsley came on first as always, and at one point, he said, "this song is for all our friends in the audience" and looked directly at me.  I wondered what brought that on.  Then he pointed at me and said, "especially you!"  So I buried my head in the roses.  When the novelty act came on, that stupid gorilla woman tried to attack me and my roses.  I nearly kicked her!

The MC kept saying that the concert was being filmed for TV.  Paul came out and we got a lot of special attention.  Just before "My Love" Henry opened his big mouth and said, "C'mon get up!"  And with that, we were thrown around and smashed against the floor.  I was a bit more fortunate than the others, and the only person in front of me was a roadie.  For some unknown reason, he was having more fun looking at me, so I figured, what the hell, and asked him to let me stand in front of him, which he did. I now had a great view, right in the front.  

Meanwhile, during the concert, the others were having a terrible time being crushed and some slobs were pinching them.  I threw the flowers on stage and then, Linda, Denny Laine and Henry threw them back and forth and looked at them a while.  They made their way back and forth in the audience as well.  At one point, I saw them at Paul's feet -- except no more roses  -- just stems!  Haha!

We drove back to Liverpool, drinking Coke -- our bottles had Scotch mixed in with them.  Yum!  We had been drinking before the concert too, so we were kind of zonked out.  When we got back to Liverpool, we stopped at Sarah's C's house to see her cat named Fred who thought he was a dog and retrieved bones!  Ann was really gone and could not get out of the car.  Meanwhile, a dark looming figure came up and stood near the car where Ann was resting.  Slowly, it started opening the car door, and successfully scared Ann half out of her drunken sits.  It was a bobby who wanted to find out why the car lights were on!  

We had another day to spend in Liverpool. I really liked it there.  Our next stop was in Preston.  Everything was so screwed up there.  I named to walk into a rehearsal.  I wasn't expected it, because I just walked in and there it was.  I was only there for five minutes, having a nervous attack because of the others who I thought would be able to come in too, but that's another story.  Paul had on the same white shiny jacket that he wore in Manchester and the whole group was looking at me.  Dave walked over and tells me that he told me at the "other" rehearsals that I wasn't supposed to be there.  He turned out to be a real bastard.  Anyone who was there will agree with me.  I asked him WHAT other rehearsals he was talking about.  Maybe I forgot I got in to them?   Meanwhile, there were two ladies sitting behind me and he told them the same thing, but their little trick was that they had no place to stay that night, so could he help them?  So he said that he'd arrange it so they could stay at the same hotel.  However they had to leave too, but then he told me I could stand behind an amplifier or something.  I didn't know what was going on, and I didn't know what was going on with the others, so I just walked out.  


At the concert, we managed to obtain lousy seats, sort of in the back.  I couldn't hack a seat so far back, so Ann and I mossied on down to the front and perched ourselves in front seats.  Eventually, the rightful owners claimed their seats and I ended up sharing a seat with a friend and Ann sat on the floor.  There were people behind the stage as well.  Paul and Henry were joking around about how the people sitting behind the stage got shipped so Paul turned to each side and kept saying, "How's that, can you see me now?"  

We were in the second-row center and we were really in bad shape.  You see, there was this "person" on stage staring at us.  And when I stare, I mean stare.  This went on the first half of the show, constantly.  We kept pinching each other and saying, "He's not staring at us too much is he?"  At one point, he saw Ann all crushed up on the floor, looked at us, then pointed at Ann and laughed and kicked at her.   

We were preparing ourselves for the end of the show when everyone would get up and dance.  As soon as he starts his little spiel, I started to sort of get up.  He noticed what we were doing and that we were half standing and half sitting, just withering away waiting for him to finish.  He dragged it out on purpose.  Finally, when he started, we just loomed up to the stage.  It was really embarrassing because Ann and I soon discovered we were the only ones who got up.  But we didn't care b because Paul smiled at us, as did the rest of the group.  All of a sudden everyone else joined us, and Ann was pushed and thrown around by the crowd.  I was prepared for it, so I was ok.  Ann ended up someplace.  My friend nearly had all her hair pulled out and they just kept pulling it.  Linda saw us getting messed up and gave us a really sympathetic look.  Meanwhile, my dress was being yang and pulled down.  It was quite embarrassing, especially because Paul McCartney was there.  

Anyway, there was this nutty girl who kept screaming at me to get his microphone.  I told her to buzz off.  She kept jumping over me to try and trap his legs.  So I grabbed hold and pinched her until she stopped.  The whole floor just shook and you didn't have to move your feet and you'd still be dancing.  We were really getting pushed around and my friend was really in pain since they were jerking her head back and pulling her hair.  By this time, the whole group noticed our predicament.  I think Pau was under the mistaken idea that we were having a good time.  It's great being right in front of him, but the hell you go through for it.  I don't understand why the people just can't get up and dance and have a good time.  They all want to get up on the stage and it really ruins it all.  Of course, we've forgotten the pain we went through and just remember how fantastic it was to be right in front of him.  

Paul pointed to the people behind us and told them to move back.  We thought that he was doing it for us -- really, it seemed that way because he pointed directly to the ones that were crushing us.   The reason was because the place was beginning to fall down!  They didn't cut the show sort, as the newspaper said.  Anyway, we went to the hotel, which was about two blocks away from the hall.  You could see the hall from there, and we knew when was coming because we saw the bus waiting, and the flashes and screaming.  


The four of us were the only ones there with the exception of two girls, about the age of 15.  When he arrived, they immediately began to leap in the air and got their little autographs.  There was an alleyway sort of leading to the hotel entrance, and he's still signing when he got there while they jumped up and down around him.  It was so stupid.  All of a sudden, one of them literally attacked him, pulled his head down to her and kissed him on the mouth.  She wasn't satisfied with just one.  She kept doing it while Paul was trying to pull himself away.  I remember my mouth hanging open because I just could not believe it.  Paul didn't like it at all.  You can just imagine how well it went over with Linda.  I couldn't get over it.  They were squealing away and he's yelling "Girls!  Stop it!  I'm married.  I have three children!  Girls!"  When they were done, they just screamed and ran away.  It's people like that that you could sock in the mouth. 



2 comments:

  1. lol - someone in all these stories would be staring at her!

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  2. quite surprised that after attending these concerts that this lot were shocked by the pushing & crowding

    ReplyDelete