Brisbane • Wednesday, November 1, 2023

About

On this day, Paul McCartney and his band were in Brisbane to perform the sixth show of their seven-concert Australian leg of the “Got Back” tour. 

Brisbane was next, and I was backstage at the Suncorp Stadium just hours before the show on November 1st when a note got along to us from a lady named Sheena Gillman, who had apparently been part of the nursing team that had delivered Stella McCartney in 1971 in London. Now, don’t get any ideas, because we do receive an unbelievable amount of notes and emails as we travel around these amazing parts of the world, and some are the most incredible works of fiction you’ve ever read! But, on this occasion, something seemed very genuine in Sheena’s note.

So, just 90 minutes before Paul was due on stage, I showed him Sheena’s note to see if it rang true. After reading it, he looked up smiling and said, “Yeah, I’d like to say hi to her just before I go on stage.” Great news! However, the stadium was filling up – tens of thousands of people were in there – so finding Sheena was almost going to be a needle in haystack scenario, especially with mobile phones not working properly due to the volume of people. After a few attempts though, we were able to connect with Sheena, who was clutching her 7” of ‘Mull Of Kintyre’, and make the happy reunion happen!

That was a very busy day for me, actually. I’m absolutely loving being in Australia. The tour is going great – it’s beyond a thrill to watch the show every night; each one feels like a new experience as Paul takes everyone on the magical journey. But one thing I wasn’t quite prepared for on this trip, naively now I realise, was having to juggle international schedules to manage the ‘Now And Then’ campaign.

The short film was due to premiere on November 1st, so every night in Australia when the day was done and I’d finished all my work with Paul, it was time to jump on various calls and Zooms to discuss the most important musical release in decades! So, I’ve not been getting much sleep, but it’s obviously worth it. What a thing to experience and watch come together.

And then, on November 2nd, it was time for the world to finally hear the song!

It’s hard to put this into words. I was lucky enough to hear the song a while back. I was treated to a playback by Paul on his iPhone. Talk about a moment! Working in music is a dream come true, but weirdly enough the ‘business’ of music can overtake the fun and sometimes put a shadow over what this should all be about! And when you hear a song like this that gives you an instant emotional reaction and is so special in so many different ways, you really are hit by a tsunami of emotions.

Next comes the planning, label calls, marketing, etc, and it’s always impossible to know how things will actually land even when you know something is so incredibly special. Pre-release, anyone who had seen the accompanying documentary was moved to tears. The reactions in the lead-up were incredible. But again, until it goes public it’s hard to judge. I remember Paul once saying that releasing an album was like sitting an exam and waiting for the results.

The response was phenomenal. Just what the world needed. My inbox was blowing up with international reports and stats coming in from the label.

Stuart Bell – Paul’s UK publicist – From Paul McCartney | News | For Whom The Bell Tells: ‘GOT BACK’ Australia Tour 2023, December 20, 2023

Last updated on December 21, 2023

Suncorp Stadium

This was the 2nd concert played at Suncorp Stadium.

A total of 2 concerts have been played there • 2017 • Dec 9th • 2023 • Nov 1st

Setlist for the soundcheck

Setlist for the concert