{"id":2923,"date":"2020-10-07T08:09:08","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T07:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/?p=2923"},"modified":"2020-10-07T08:16:13","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T07:16:13","slug":"no-million-dollasr-bash-for-mccartney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/2020\/10\/07\/no-million-dollasr-bash-for-mccartney\/","title":{"rendered":"NO MILLION DOLLAR BASH FOR McCARTNEY"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

McCARTNEY SAYS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NO MILLION DOLLAR BASH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Norman Warwick<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sir Elton John and Sir Rod Stewart have earned tens of millions of dollars playing at the Nevada city, but former Beatle Paul McCartney has no intention of taking up a residency on the famous strip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview Sir Paul, who celebrated his 78th birthday during lockdown, revealed to British GQ that he has \u2018not really\u2019 thought about performing solo residencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He then went somewhat further, and elaborated by saying \u2018That\u2019s been something I\u2019ve been trying to avoid my whole life. Definitely nothing attracts me about the idea.  Vegas is where you go to die, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s the elephants\u2019 graveyard.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever the truth of that statement Vegas remains a place where musicians who take residencies at a single venue, are contracted to perform regular shows there and take a substantial cut of the earnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Elton reportedly racked up a staggering $297million at the box office in Las Vegas during his two residencies, the Times reported. He sold tickets worth $166 million from 2004 until 2009 and a further $131 million during his Million Dollar Piano show from 2011 until 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That beats passing the hat round at the Gallows folk club in Rochdale as Colin Lever and I used to do in Lendanear forty odd years ago, and Vegas never came calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago I worked at a concert to 20,000 people given by Lulu and Sir Elton at what was then The Reebok Stadium of Bolton Wanderers, a (then) premiership side. A few years later Sir Elton was speaking about the ground-breaking nature of his first show in Vegas, The Red Piano, and how it \u2018changed the image of Las Vegas a little\u2019 after he initially was not sure if he wanted to do the residency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadcaster and author Paul Gambaccini said Sir Elton used to have a similar opinion to Sir Paul about Las Vegas, but has changed his mind in the last ten years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The broadcaster told The Times: \u2018In 1973 I did an interview with Elton for Rolling Stone. In it he gave a similar thought to Paul. But of course in the last ten years he has had the record-breaking seasons in Las Vegas.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the world\u2019s biggest stars, including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Cher, have played residencies at Las Vegas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Rod Stewart made $57.4million from 2011 until 2018, with his Rod Stewart: The Hits In Vegas shows attracting more than 500,000 people in seven years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Celine Dion<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Photo 3<\/strong> His earnings were subsequently beaten by Celine Dion, who retired from her two residencies last year after making $681million from 2013 until 2019. Performers are normally limited to 90 minute performances by the casinos, who make money back on the gaming floors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Meglen, Dion\u2019s promoter, recalled: \u2018Everybody thought we were crazy [because it] was kind of a place you went on the downside of your career.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gambaccini is aware of that, but reasoned that \u2018what Paul is saying represents the mind-set of his generation, because every person in the 1960s thought that Vegas was for unhip people not making hits any more.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added, \u00b4the reputation of Vegas massively changed from being somewhere rock stars go when they are \u2018washed up\u2019 when the Caesar\u2019s Palace casino built a theatre for Celine Dion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Paul also told GQ that he is reluctant to do a residency on Broadway, like Bruce Springsteen did, as he does not want to just \u2018follow a trend\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said: \u2018The idea is OK, but I think I\u2019d just prefer to play with the band to a bigger audience, or even (to a) smaller (audience) \u2013 I don\u2019t mind little clubs. I do a solo segment in the middle of my shows at the moment and to do a whole show like that, I\u2019m not sure I fancy it.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This comes as Sir Paul McCartney also revealed he found it \u2018pretty hurtful\u2019 when he was blamed for breaking up the Beatles when the group parted ways in 1970.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on the misconceptions he faced during his time with the band, the singer, 78, also spoke candidly on that subject, too, with British GQ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He acknowledged that many people believed the band \u2013 which also consisted of John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr \u2013 \u2018hated each other\u2019 after their split, Sir Paul likened the group to simply having \u2018disputes\u2019 like any other family would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I suppose that when the Beatles broke up, perhaps there was a misconception that we all sort of hated each other.  What I realize now is that, because it was a family, because it was a gang, families argue. And families have disputes. And some people want to do this and some people want to do that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I think what came about after that \u2026 the only way for me to save the Beatles and Apple \u2013 and to release Get Back by Peter Jackson and which allowed us to release Anthology and all these great re-masters of all the great Beatles records \u2013 was to sue the band. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018If I hadn\u2019t done that, it would have all belonged to Allen Klein. The only way I was given to get us out of that was to do what I did. I said \u00b4Well, I\u2019ll sue Allen Klein,\u201d and I was told I couldn\u2019t because he wasn\u2019t party to it. \u00b4you\u2019ve got to sue the Beatles\u00b4, I was told.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Paul\u2019s decision led to tensions between the former members, with John even writing his song How Do You Sleep? which overtly referenced his former band mate, creating even more \u2018hurtful\u2019 misconceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I remember reading an article, an interview with Yoko, (left, with John)<\/strong> who, OK, she was a big John supporter, I get that, but in this article she goes, Paul did nothing. All he ever did was book studio, Sir Paul continued. And I\u2019m going, Err? No\u2026 and then John does this famous song, How Do You Sleep?, and he\u2019s going, \u201cll you ever did was \u2018Yesterday\u2026 and I\u2019m going, No, man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then you hear the stories from various angles and apparently people who were in the room when John was writing that, he was getting suggestions for the lyrics off Allen Klein. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, you see the atmosphere of Let\u2019s get Paul. Let\u2019s nail him in a song\u2026 and those things were pretty hurtful.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beatles, as a unit not only became one of the most influential bands of all time but their releases also made them the best-selling music act of all time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Paul went on, in his GQ interviuw,  to look at more contemporary musicians, as he discussed his mental health and admitted he was determined not to struggle with \u2018self-loathing\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Lady Gaga<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

He said: \u2018I remember talking to Lady Gaga about something we were doing together \u2026 and she was saying Well, there\u2019s the self-loathing.., and I think, Sh*t, that\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve ever heard anyone talk about that. And her, she was, like, at the top of her game, massively popular and everything she was doing was a hit, but she was just talking about self – loathing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I\u2019m saying, \u201cI kind of know what you mean, but I\u2019m not allowing that. I\u2019m not having that. It\u2019s not a road I want to go down\u00b4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you do get it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Any time you write a song, you\u2019re going, This is crap. This is terrible. Come on. So I kick myself and say, Get it better. If it\u2019s terrible, get it better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And sometimes someone will come along, someone who you respect, and say, No, that\u2019s great. Don\u2019t worry about that, and then show you a side to it that you didn\u2019t notice and then you\u2019ll go, Oh yeah\u00b4. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The full article is featured in the September issue of British GQ<\/em>, available via digital download and on newsstands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, though, former Wings leader McCartney has just released a \u00b4new\u00b4 album, albeit a re-invented version of Flaming Pie in all types of formats and compilations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Paul McCartney has also recently spoken about the first time he met John Lennon and revealed how he now reflects on the moment ‘like a fan’ and tells ‘how lucky’ he was to meet him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recalled how the pair ‘complemented each other’ after he was introduced to John, aged 16, on July 6 1957, in Liverpool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The singer-songwriter spoke to Sean Ono Lennon, 44, the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, for a two-part documentary on BBC Radio 2, to mark John Lennon At 80. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCartney spoke to the Daily Mail on 21st<\/sup> September 2020 about that first meeting and revealed how he \u00b4looks back on it now like a fan, how lucky was I to meet this strange teddy boy off the bus, who played music like I did and we got together and boy, we complemented each other!’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul nevertheless admitted ‘there were a few songs that weren’t very good’ during his writing partnership with John, you know, clearly by young songwriters who don’t know how to do it’. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

McCARTNEY SAYS NO MILLION DOLLAR BASH By Norman Warwick Sir Elton John and Sir Rod Stewart have earned tens of millions of dollars playing at the Nevada city, but former Beatle Paul McCartney has no intention of taking up a residency on the famous strip. In an interview Sir Paul, who celebrated his 78th birthday during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,45,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aata","category-music","category-performing-arts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2923"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2932,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2923\/revisions\/2932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}