Memphis • Sunday, May 26, 2013

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From paulmccartney.com, April 8, 2013:

Paul will play the Amway Center in Orlando, FL on May 18, and the FedEx Forum in Memphis TN on May 26, returning to both cities for the first time since his “New World Tour” in 1993.

From News from The Associated Press (archive.org), May 27, 2013:

Paul McCartney made his first visit to the one-time home of the King of Rock `N’ Roll and left a gift behind. According to the official Twitter account of the former Beatle, McCartney dropped a personal guitar pick on Elvis Presley’s grave and said it was “so Elvis can play in heaven.” The lifelong Elvis fan toured Graceland, the Memphis mansion, on Sunday. He was in Memphis to play a show on the North American leg of his “Out There” tour. The show at FedExForum marked McCartney’s first visit to the city in two decades.

Paul McCartney also tweeted a photo of himself inside Graceland, holding one of Presley’s personalized guitars.

From Meet the Beatles for Real: A Beatle fanatic at a Paul McCartney Soundcheck for the first time:

[…] Finally Paul got to the microphone and welcomed us to the soundcheck.   To look at us, he had to put his hand up above his eyes.   Why were we sitting so far from him….I kept wondering.   He called us the “soundcheckers.”    He explained how he was going to run through a few songs with the band.   He talked a bit about Memphis and Carl Perkins and started by singing “Matchbox.”    Of course I associate that song with Ringo and it was pretty neat hearing Paul perform it.    The he moved onto “Blue Suede Shoes” and everyone started dancing.   The soundcheck was sort of a blur in a way.   I was trying my best to take it all in, but it was hard to really do.    At one point he noticed a girl who had a sign about how it was her birthday and then they played “Birthday.”    I held up the “soundcheck” sign I made that said “1K PPL WANT ME 2 MEET U 4 REAL.”   I think he saw it, but I don’t think he understood what it meant.   He did thank everyone for making signs.  

He played some on the piano and it was really nice.   Then he got out his ukulele and played “Ram on,” which was fun to hear.   And next he played, “Big Barn Bed.”    The  Wings album, Red Rose Speedway has always been one of my favorites and I had actually been listening to it in the car the past week, so hearing this song was awesome!  It was sounded amazing on the uke!     It wasn’t until long after the soundcheck that I learned that Paul has NEVER performed that song live before.   I hadn’t looked at the soundcheck set list on purpose, so I didn’t know that he hadn’t been playing that one all along.   After playing “Things we Said today,” he then played one of my top favorite McCartney solo songs:  Bluebird.   Oh I was in heaven!!!     The “magic” piano was rolled out and Paul played my mom’s favorite Beatles song, “Lady Madonna.”  And that was it!   The soundcheck was over.   Paul thanked us for coming and told us to enjoy the show.    He played many songs, but I just can’t remember them all.   Paul looked really good.  He was wearing a blue suit jacket that looked similar to the one from the Abbey Road cover.    To me he looked a bit younger in person than he has looked in recent photographs.   All during the soundcheck he was drinking something that sort of looked like Gatorade.    I am not sure what it was, but he was chugging that stuff.   It is interesting because he never takes a drink at all during the concerts I have been to.  […]

From Icon’s Return | Music Features | Memphis News and Events | Memphis Flyer, May 30, 2013:

A full 20 years after last performing for a Memphis audience at the Liberty Bowl, Paul McCartney returned Sunday night, this time to FedExForum for his 2013 “Out There” tour. And, though the show was dominated by classics from several different periods of the 50-odd years this remarkable artist/icon has been performing, there was no oldies-show aura to any of it.

During the three hours he was onstage, McCartney must have played at least a score of different instruments — including two pianos, a ukulele, and innumerable guitars, both acoustic and electric, on one of which, during an instrumental spell, he convincingly reprised some blues riffs from Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady.” The ukulele was used to begin a version of George Harrison’s “Something,” which former comrade McCartney finished with a full orchestral swirl à la Phil Spector.

McCartney also paid homage to other mates, including members of the Beatles, Wings, and others of his musical aggregates in the photo-montages that played intermittently on a screen behind him. Notably, McCartney performed his 1982 song “Here Today,” written for martyred colleague John Lennon, and did a version of Lennon’s “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” a novelty number from Sgt. Pepper’s that was getting its regional concert debut — “first time in Tennessee, baby,” Sir Paul said.

That was one of several references, direct and indirect, to his audience, the most notable of which was McCartney’s recollection of the importance that music coming out of Memphis had for the “kids” who would later kick off the British Invasion and his assertion that “I don’t think we could have done it without Memphis.” […]

Last updated on September 2, 2022

FedEx Forum

This was the 1st and only concert played at FedEx Forum.

Setlist for the soundcheck

Setlist for the concert