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Friday, July 19, 1991

Westcliff-on-Sea

Concert • By Paul McCartney • Part of the Unplugged 1991 Summer Tour

Last updated on June 18, 2019


Details

  • Country: United Kingdom
  • City: Westcliff-on-Sea
  • Location: Cliffs Pavilion

Location

  • Location: Cliffs Pavilion

Timeline

Band members

Line-up Discover Backing band 1991-1993

Some songs from this concert appear on:

All six surprise shows followed the same pattern of two distinct 50-minute musical sets, acoustic and electric, Unplugged and Plugged, separated by a brief interlude. Further underscoring the unpretentious nature of the seaside shuffles, the Westcliff-on-Sea gig (24 July) featured a unique bonus in the shape of a poetry reading by Adrian Mitchell, a friend of Paul’s since the 1960s. He had rehearsed with the band two days earlier.

The musicians kept a low-volume accompaniment while Mitchell addressed the audience with four of his poems – ‘Junk’ was recognisable as the backing behind love verse ‘Maybe May Time’, and a suitably funky arrangement was provided to augment a poem about James Brown. The sequence was so very much a departure from the norm, and so irresistibly fascinating to watch, that most audience mouths were left distinctly agape. It must have made the McCartney memory-bank dart back to the only other time he had backed a bard: an unforgettable Liverpool evening in 1960 that had the youthful Silver Beatles – clearly lads of sheltered upbringing – accompany visiting ‘beat poet’ Royston Ellis and find themselves somewhat puzzled by Ellis’s indiscreetly veiled references to then-illegal all-male sexual activities.

Though Paul resisted the idea of donning on stage a ‘Kiss Me Quick’ hat from nearby Southend, the Westcliff show was every bit as jolly and relaxed as that at St Austell. John Hammel kept a steady harmonica hand during ‘Down To The River’, there was the usual instrument swap-around for ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, and ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ had two endings – first the usual one and then another, an unusual one, which saw Robbie then Paul and then Hamish drop to their knees. (Robbie’s idea, Paul announced.) The audience reaction was on the wild side of ecstatic from start to finish. (If one could only harness the power given off by a McCartney audience when demanding an encore there’d be no need for nuclear power-stations.)

From Club Sandwich 59, Autumn 1991
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(photo by Cymon Taylor)


Cliffs Pavilion

This was the 1st and only concert played at Cliffs Pavilion.

Setlist for the concert

  1. Acoustic set

    1. We Can Work It Out

      Written by Lennon - McCartney

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

      Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

    2. Every Night

      Written by Paul McCartney

      Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

    3. And I Love Her

      Written by Lennon - McCartney

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

      Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

    4. She's A Woman

      Written by Lennon - McCartney

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

      Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

    5. Ain't No Sunshine

      Written by Bill Withers

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

      Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

    6. Hi Heel Sneakers

      Written by Tommy Tucker

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

      Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

    7. Song In Space

    8. I Like That Stuff

    9. Maybe May Time (Singalong Junk)

    10. Hot Pursuit

  2. Electric set

    1. Ebony And Ivory

      Written by Paul McCartney

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

    2. I Saw Her Standing There

      Written by Lennon - McCartney

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

    3. Coming Up

      Written by Paul McCartney

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

    4. Get Back

      Written by Lennon - McCartney

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

    5. The Long And Winding Road

      Written by Lennon - McCartney

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

    6. Let It Be

      Written by Lennon - McCartney

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

  3. Encore

    1. Can't Buy Me Love

      Written by Lennon - McCartney

      Album Available on Southend Surprise

      Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July

See song statistics for “Unplugged 1991 Summer Tour”

Paul McCartney writing

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David • 1 year ago

I was at this concert, and even today people have no idea that Paul McCartney played this gig. Its something that i surprise them with. I remember that people wer happy to shift around and allow you to move closer to the stage. It was like "Ok, its your time to be close to a Beatle". I remember distinctly Paul singing Let It Be and looking down at me and smiling at me. It was like he was saying "yeah this is a bit amazing isnt it"..it certainly was


The PaulMcCartney Project • 1 year ago

Thanks David. What awesome memories. Indeed, those intimate concerts are not really remembered. Would have loved to be in the audience like you were!


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