Gold Coast • Saturday, November 4, 2023

About

On this day, Paul McCartney and his band were on the Gold Coast to perform the last show of their seven-concert Australian leg of the “Got Back” tour. 

A few months before Paul got to Australia, a competition was launched where schools all over the country were asked to send in a video of their pupils performing a McCartney song. The #GotBackToSchool received thousands of entries, and some incredible stuff was sent in, before a judging panel that included top names in the Australian music industry chose Suncoast Christian College’s Senior Band – who’d delivered a soulful version of ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ – as the winners.

The prize was to attend a soundcheck and say hi to Paul in person. So, on the afternoon of the show at the Gold Coast’s Heritage Bank Stadium, the eight winning students and their two teachers were congratulated by Paul himself as they met and chatted inside the stadium, before being treated to a private concert as the band sound checked.

“The entire day was like a dream, I couldn’t believe we got to meet such a huge musical legend,” said Jacob Wiener, the band’s pianist/vocalist. “Sir Paul McCartney is my ultimate lifelong musical hero and it was the opportunity of a lifetime!”

Typically, despite a full fortnight of rocking and rolling, and everything else involved in touring and just naturally being Paul McCartney, the boss was on top form on the final date of the tour, and delivered another memorable night.

There were a couple of special moments that night – the first was Paul dedicating ‘Hey Jude’ to a famous face in the audience (British actor Jude Law, no less), and the second came as Paul began to introduce ‘In Spite Of All The Danger’, a number that he wrote back in 1958. “This is the first song The Beatles recorded,” he said, referring to a tape made by The Quarrymen in Liverpool that summer, “and now we’ve got the last song The Beatles recorded,” he added, alluding to ‘Now And Then’, which completed a particularly full and culturally impactful circle. “It’s a long way, baby.”

A long way, indeed. But there’s still further to go. After three weeks and seven storming shows in Australia that The Australian called “beyond compare”, we’re sad to leave, but give us a few days to take a breather and it’s all go again, as Paul gets ready to ‘Get Back’ to Mexico, and then on to Brazil. It’s gonna be one for the history books, so I shall endeavour to report back. Viva la Macca vida!

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

From theMusic.com.au | Australian music news, gig guide, music reviews, November 5, 2023:

As the sun dipped below the horizon on the Gold Coast, a multigenerational sea of 30,000 Sir Paul McCartney fans converged at Heritage Bank Stadium on the Gold Coast as the music legend brought his Got Back tour to a resounding final with a performance that was nothing short of spectacular.

At 81 years young, the Beatles legend is a testament to the enduring spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. His three-hour set was a masterclass that spanned the breadth of his storied six-decade career, from the nascent days of the Quarrymen to his latest solo ventures.

His showmanship, as compelling as the timeless anthems he’s given the world, illuminated the stage as he kicked off the show with a spirited rendition of Can’t Buy Me Love, the stadium erupting with thousands of voices joining in – a choir of young and old – proving that some melodies are universal.

The crowd was an eclectic mosaic, a mix that spanned from those who had lived through Beatlemania to the youths discovering the magic of Love Me Do for the first time. It’s a testament to McCartney’s enduring influence that the audience didn’t skew to just one age group; instead, it was a gathering that transcended generations, all there for the love of music that has soundtracked more than half a century. […]

Halfway through the set, the Liverpool legend took a moment to banter with members of the crowd who had crafted posters for the occasion.

“All my money I spent on you”, McCartney read from one fan’s sign, before reading aloud another that said, “Can you play drums on Penny Lane?” 

“No. Another time,” McCartney laughed.

A third sign read: “Can you sign my bum?”, to which McCartney cheekily quipped back, “Come on then, let’s have a look at it!”

Effortlessly transitioning between playful chatter and deep reflections, a particularly touching moment arose when McCartney introduced his rendition of Blackbird, during which he shared the stirring origins of the song from the Beatles’ iconic 1968 self-titled album.

“Having written that song, it was it was originally like a civil rights thing,” McCartney told the crowd. “Because around the time, when I wrote it, I was hearing a lot about the situation in the southern states in America, where there was a lot of segregation. And so I wanted to write a song that if it ever reached, the people going through all of that, it might just give them a little bit of hope.”

He continued, “And it was funny, actually, because we were down in the southern states, and we’re playing Jacksonville. And the promoter said towards sort of caution, he said the audience, is gonna be segregated. So you’ve got the black people here, the white people, and we said, ‘No, we don’t go to play to that.’”

“And he said, ‘Well, that’s the way we do it down here’, but and we stuck to our guns. And in the end, because there’s a bit of money involved, they decided they were desegregated. So everyone got to sit together. That’s something I’m really proud of.” 

He added, “Years later, I met one of the girls who had gone to the concert, and she said, ‘It was amazing because I’ve never sat with white people before, and we’re all just Beatles fans. We’re all just screaming into the holes. So it was lovely, you know?” […]

As the set neared its conclusion, the Beatles icon, seated at his grand piano, took a moment to dedicate Hey Jude to Hollywood actor Jude Law, who was among the adoring Gold Coast audience. Law, who is on the Gold Coast for a film shoot, was visibly moved, joining in with the chorus in a moment of pure, unscripted delight. […]

As McCartney closed with the Abbey Road medley, it was clear that the evening was more than just a concert; it was a celebration of a lifetime in music, a journey through the ages with one of the world’s most beloved artists.

As the final note of The End resonated through the stadium, McCartney had the crowd erupting in cheers as he hinted at a return to the land Down Under.

“See you next time!”

From news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site, October 23, 2023:

A group of lucky students have won the opportunity of a lifetime to meet Sir Paul McCartney as he kicks off his tour Down Under.

Senior music students from Suncoast Christian College in Queensland have been announced as the winners of Frontier Touring’s #GotBackToSchool competition.

The win has secured the Suncoast Senior Band an exclusive photo opportunity with the former Beatle, as well as access to both the sound check and the Gold Coast concert next Saturday.

Over 40 music classes from across the country entered the competition, with Suncoast Christian College coming out on top with their cover of “Maybe I’m Amazed”.

Sir Paul has been left in awe of the students’ performance and says he’s looking forward to meeting them next weekend at Heritage Bank Stadium.

“I’m really amazed by the fact that these kids have learned my song and perform it so well. Thanks guys. Look forward to seeing you at my show!” he said. […]

Last updated on December 21, 2023

Heritage Bank Stadium

This was the 1st and only concert played at Heritage Bank Stadium.

Setlist for the soundcheck

Setlist for the concert