Paris • Sunday, July 16, 1972 • Afternoon show
About
On this day, Wings performed two consecutive shows in Paris at the Olympia (The Beatles had played a series of concerts in this venue in January / February 1964).
No recordings of this concert are known to exist.
They told us – “Watch out for Paris, the audience will be tough” – but it was great. We are very happy with the response and the way the band is getting together.
Paul McCartney – From Record Mirror – July 22, 1972
THOUGH HE later admitted he was dreading the occasion, Paul McCartney scored an undoubted triumph when he returned to give two concerts at the Olympia Theatre, Paris, on Sunday with his new band Wings, eight years after appearing there with the Beatles.
After three concerts in the South Of France, Wings showed every sign of becoming a tight, coordinated group, although the inexperience of Linda McCartney both as a singer and keyboard player is still disconcertingly apparent.
Highlights of the first Olympia concert came mostly in the second half when Paul took over on electric piano guitar and sang a loudly acclaimed “Maybe I’m Amazed” and a beautiful new song “My Love” which is easily the best thing he has written since the break-up of the Beatles. “My Love” is going to get plenty of cover versions.
“Mary Had A Little Lamb”, much derided by some writers, was also well received. Musically it is a far better song than the lyrics would have you believe.
For most of the set Paul played bass, and with two extremely fine guitarists in Denny Laine and Henry McCullough, plus the strong drumming of Denny Seiwell, the band really sounds good. There are still some rough edges to be smoothed out but the band gains a lot from the solo talents of Laine – who sang well on his own “Say You Don’t Mind” – and McCullough – who played magnificent blues guitar on “Henry’s Blue. “
If “1882”, “The Mess” and the previously mentioned “My Love” are representative samples, then the band’s new LP is going to be a real winner. “1882” is a minor key piece with strong harmony sung in 3/4 time, and “The Mess” is a powerful rocker with some fine McCullough guitar.
Another heavy rocker – and possibly the next single – is “Hi, Hi, Hi”, which closed the concert and brought the house down. The audience clamoured for an encore but were left, in the best entertainment tradition, wanting more.
The second concert on Sunday night was an even greater success with the band getting a standing ovation.
From Record Mirror – July 22, 1972
The new LP ‘Red Rose Speedway’ certainly has great potential, going by the reaction the new numbers received at the show. It is a single album, but double cover containing a booklet of colour pictures, mainly ones taken on the European Tour, and lyrics to all the songs. – The back cover pic may puzzle you, – it was taken at the Paris Olympia gig, during the interval somebody took the flowers and white soft toy on the stage and left them under Paul’s mike for when he returned.
From Wings Fun Club newsletter #1
Last updated on October 16, 2023
Setlist for the concert
The setlist for this concert is incomplete, or we have not be able to confirm in an accurate way that this was the setlist. If you have any clue, pls let us know and leave a comment.
1.
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
2.
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
3.
Written by Henry McCullough
4.
Written by Denny Laine
5.
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
6.
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
7.
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
8.
Written by Paul McCartney