Carnegie Hall will present the 18th annual Music Of fundraising performance, produced by Michael Dorf Presents, spotlighting the work of Paul McCartney, on March 15, 2023.
Paul McCartney has been bringing people together for decades with his influential music, spanning from one of the most popular groups ever, The Beatles, to his group Wings, and of course his extensive catalog of solo music. McCartney is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and he has written or co-written a record of 32 songs that have topped the Billboard Hot 100.
The Music Of Paul McCartney will feature Lake Street Dive, Allison Russell, Bettye LaVette, Peter Asher, Ingrid Michaelson, Glen Hansard, Lyle Lovett, The Cactus Blossoms, and Shovels & Rope among others, each performing a song from McCartney’s vast collection of songs. Joining the lineup are Grahm Nash, Bruce Hornsby, Natalie Merchant, Sammy Rae, and The Head and the Heart’s Jonathan Russell. Michael Dorf Presents, established by Michael Dorf in 2003, founder of the Knitting Factory and City Winery, has been putting on the Music Of series at Carnegie Hall for 18 years.
What an honor to work with one of the greatest singer/songwriters in history and have him interested in our annual show at Carnegie Hall. We have missed doing this during the pandemic and looking forward to this special night. Of course, we will miss Rita Houston of WFUV, our longtime MC who passed from a battle with cancer and to whom we will also be paying tribute this year. Christine Stone of SiriusXM will be joining us this year.
Michael Dorf
Previous Music Of tributes has spotlighted the work of Carly Simon, Prince, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, and more. Every year, the tributes have sold out and contributed 100% of the net proceeds, about $100,000 from the evening to different music education programs for underserved youth.
Tickets to The Music Of Paul McCartney at Carnegie Hall on March 15, 2023, are on sale now.
Sir Paul McCartney returned to Syracuse on Saturday, June 4th to open up the first concert at the JMA Wireless Dome (formerly Carrier Dome). With a near full capacity crowd of over 35,000 in attendance, Paul McCartney was ready to rock Syracuse with a nearly three hour set.
With mounting anticipation, the show began around 8:20 p.m., as Paul McCartney took the stage to a massive roar of applause alongside his backing band which included Brian Ray, Rusty Anderson, Paul Wickens, and Abe Laboriel, Jr. Seeming to really take in the Syracuse welcome, McCartney walked around the stage briefly waving to the crowd and smiling before putting his hand up into the air behind the mic and kicking off the set with The Beatles classic, “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
Throughout the set, fans were treated to his versatility in playing multiple instruments which included piano, bass, guitar, and ukulele. When McCartney wasn’t singing or playing an instrument, he engaged the audience with stories and memories with other members of the Beatles.
The concert featured tons of Beatles hits, including “Lady Madonna”, “You Never Give Me Your Money”, “Blackbird.” The energy of the crowd only grew as the set progressed later into the evening with the audience singing popular tunes, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” and “Get Back.” Continuing on with some of the biggest hits including “Band on the Run” into a sing along of “Let it Be” followed by a fiery display of pyrotechnics and fireworks during “Live and Let Die.”
The climax of the performance this evening was during “Hey Jude” when the entire audience sung along for several minutes to the “Na na na Na Na Na Na!” This was one of the most amazing experiences to be a part of with just a feeling of unity among everyone, especially given vast struggles currently in the world.
Paul McCartney left the stage saying goodnight, however not many people were so easily convinced that he was done. As if his 30-song set wasn’t enough, the band returned to the stage with thundering applause waving the Ukranian Flag, UK Flag, Pride Flag, and New York Flag.
With a massive 6-song encore that included favorites such as “I’ve Got a Feeling” which McCartney performed essentially a duet with John Lennon. The screens broadcast footage of Lennon performing on a rooftop from Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” documentary, which sounded as if he were on stage performing right there with Paul and synched perfectly. Finishing out the encore with “Helter Skelter”, “Golden Slumbers”, “Carry That Weight”, and ending with the fitting Beatle song “The End.” Paul McCartney delivered what many can consider the greatest concert they have ever seen.
Being able to witness the inspiration for just about all modern music was awe-inspiring. Paul McCartney has a way about him that just commands your attention, and the performance he continues to give over a 60-year career as he pushes 80 years old cements his legacy as an all time great. This was truly a unifying and magical music experience that I would recommend anyone to see if given the chance.
Setlist
Can’t Buy Me Love (The Beatles)>Junior’s Farm (Wings) >Letting Go (Wings)>Got to Get You Into My Life (The Beatles)>Come On to Me>Let Me Roll It (Wings)>Getting Better (The Beatles)>Let ‘Em In (Wings)>My Valentine>Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (Wings)>Maybe I’m Amazed>I’ve Just Seen a Face (The Beatles)>In Spite of All the Danger (The Quarrymen)>Love Me Do (The Beatles)>Dance Tonight>Blackbird (The Beatles)>Here Today (tribute to John Lennon)>Lady Madonna (The Beatles)>Fuh You>Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite (The Beatles)>Something (The Beatles)>Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles)>You Never Give Me Your Money (The Beatles)>She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (The Beatles)>Get Back (The Beatles)>Band on the Run (Wings)>Let It Be (The Beatles)>Live and Let Die (Wings)>Hey Jude (The Beatles)
Encore
I’ve Got a Feeling>Birthday (The Beatles)>Helter Skelter (The Beatles)>Golden Slumbers (The Beatles)>Carry That Weight (The Beatles)>The End (The Beatles)
Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome will finally change its name after 43 years. The venue’s naming rights will go to JMA Wireless, a local technology company.
A Luke Bryan concert at the Carrier Dome in 2016. Credit Jim Houle.
The famed Central New York stadium got its name after Carrier Global Corporation made a $2.75 million donation in 1979, the year before it opened, in exchange for naming rights in perpetuity. The University and Carrier decided to end their partnership this month, nearly two decades since Carrier closed to production plants in Syracuse after laying off more than 1,200 workers in 2003.
In addition to numerous sporting events, the Carrier Dome has also hosted many well know musicians and concerts. Some of the most notable acts that performed there include Prince in 1985, Billy Joel in 2015, and Paul McCartney in 2017. The former Beatles front man is scheduled to perform at the Carrier Dome again on June 4 of this year.
Prince’s performance at the Carrier Dome, from March 30, 1985, was live streamed on the deceased icon’s YouTube channel in May of 2020. The footage was made available as part of Prince’s estate’s efforts to release previously unseen videos contained in his Paisley Park archives. The Syracuse show then became a live album with sales from the album donated to the World Health Organization.
Paul McCartney will be making his second stop at the Carrier Dome this June. Prior to the concert scheduled for this summer he had performed at the Carrier Dome in September of 2017. The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee had also been slated to play the venue in 1993 before cancelling his show.
Despite the impending name change, it’s too early to tell if this will affect future bookings. The name change has not yet been officially announced by either Syracuse University or Carrier. There is still no confirmation of the venue’s new name.
Paul McCartney has announced a 13 show “Got Back” tour for 2022, making a stop in Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, his first stop in the Salt City since 2017.
The tour marks McCartney’s first since “Freshen Up” tour in 2019, that spanned a 39 dates in 12 countries, wrapping up with a sold-out show at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in July 2019.
I said at the end of the last tour that I’d see you next time, I said I was going to get back to you. Well, I got back!
Paul McCartney
McCartney released his latest album, McCartney III, in 2020, before enlisting a collaborators Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, Devonté Hynes, Damon Albarn, among others, for a companion LP, McCartney III Imagined, in 2021.
Tickets for the Got Back tour will go on sale on February 25 at 10 a.m. local time. A presale for American Express cardholders will run from February 22 at 10 a.m. local time through Feb. 24 at 10 p.m. local time. Full information is available on McCartney’s website.
Paul McCartney 2022 Tour Dates
04-28 Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena 05-02 Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena 05-03 Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena 05-06 Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena 05-13 Inglewood, CA – SoFi Stadium 05-17 Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena 05-21 Winston Salem, NC – Truist Field 05-25 Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live 05-28 Orlando, FL – Camping World Stadium 05-31 Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena 06-04 Syracuse, NY – Carrier Dome 06-07 Boston, MA – Fenway Park 06-12 Baltimore, MD – Orioles Park 06-16 East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
58 years ago, on February 9, 1964, The Beatles played on The Ed Sullivan show in NYC, creating one of the most seminal moments in television history. A record-setting 73 million tuned in to watch the Fab Four perform “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”
The Beatles with Ed Sullivan.
Consisting of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, The Beatles are one of the most influential bands to have ever existed. The group was formed in 1960 in Liverpool, England. They spent the first couple years playing small clubs in Europe and perfected their craft after playing eight-hour days in Hamburg, Germany. It wasn’t until their performance on “Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium” and the release of their first LP Please Please Me that Beatlemania truly began.
https://vimeo.com/385906665
Please Please Me by The Beatles full album.
Urban legend says Ed Sullivan first heard about the group when he and his wife were at an airport in London returning to NYC and witnessed 1,500 screaming fans welcoming The Beatles back from a successful tour in Sweden.
Actually, Sullivan found out about The Beatles before that, through his Talent Booker Jack Babb, and London-based agent Peter Prichard. Sullivan was eager to book the group but needed a selling point. Prichard said they had just performed in the Royal Variety Show where they were the first “long-haired boys” to be invited to appear before Queen Elizabeth II.
The Beatles meeting Queen Elizabeth II
On November 11, 1963, Beatles manager Brian Epstein met Sullivan in the Delmonico Hotel in NYC, and the deal was done with a handshake. The Beatles were booked for three performances, two live and one a taped rehearsal.
Before the debut performance on the Sullivan show, the group’s record “I Want To Hold Your Hand” was leaked before its planned US release. The record label was unable to stop the radio from playing it, so they released the LP earlier than expected, and it went to the number one spot on the Billboard charts before the month was over.
The Flight
The Beatles flew to America on February 7, 1964. When they arrived at the airport, they were surprised at the number of people there to see them. Paul McCartney commented on it during the Anthology sessions in the 90s.
There were millions of kids at the airport, which nobody had expected. We heard about it in mid-air. There were journalists on the plane, and the pilot had rang ahead and said, ‘Tell the boys there’s a big crowd waiting for them.’ We thought, ‘Wow! God, we have really made it.’
5,000 fans, mostly young girls, were crowded on the balcony of one of the buildings at JFK, waving banners and screaming at the top of their lungs.
They were able to get so many people there because the group’s American record company promised that every person who showed up at the airport would get a dollar bill and a t-shirt. The receptionists at Capitol Records would answer the phone, “Capitol Records – The Beatles are coming.” Every radio station was talking about it too.
The Beatles arriving at JFK.
The Ed Sullivan Show
Paul McCartney spoke about their appearance on the show also during the Anthology sessions.
It was very important. We came out of nowhere with funny hair, looking like marionettes or something. That was very influential. I think that was really one of the big things that broke us – the hairdo more than the music, originally. A lot of people’s fathers had wanted to turn us off. They told their kids, ‘Don’t be fooled, they’re wearing wigs.’
The band rehearsed the day before, and George Harrison was feeling ill, and their road manager Neil Aspinall stood in for him to mark where everyone would stand.
Neil Aspinall standing in for George Harrison during the rehearsals.
Their live debut broke record for television viewing figures, as a record 73 million people tuned into the show. The group even got a telegram from Elvis Presley and his manager Colonel Tom Parker, wishing the group luck. Harrison made a witty remark about the show, during the Anthology sessions.
We were aware that Ed Sullivan was the big one because we got a telegram from Elvis and the Colonel. And I’ve heard that while the show was on there were no reported crimes, or very few. When The Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, even the criminals had a rest for ten minutes.
The band came on and played “All My Loving” to an audience full of ear-splitting screeching from teenage girls. Then they played “Til There Was You,” and while the song was playing, a camera cut to each member of the band to introduce them, and when the camera cut to John Lennon, the caption said “SORRY GIRLS. HE’S MARRIED.”
The band played three more songs, “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and their number one hit “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” After the show, The Beatles were whisked away to the Playboy Club with a police escort.
The Beatles’ success on The Ed Sullivan show paved the way for the British Invasion, for groups like The Rolling Stones and The Animals. The group have also inspired the works of many bands, like the Ramones song “You’re Gonna Kill That Girl,” a parody of the tune “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl” by The Beatles.
Folk-rock veterans Midlake are back with their new single ‘Bethel Woods’ from their upcoming album For The Sake of Bethel Woods. The official music video stars actor Michael Pena and is directed by filmmaker Brantley Gutierrez, who has also worked with the likes of Paul McCartney and Diplo.
Inspiration for “Bethel Woods” came after the discovery of a documentary still of Midlake keyboardist Jesse Chandler’s father, Dave, at Woodstock 1969. Combining this photo with the idea of an eternal paradise, the song was written from Dave’s point of view with a hopeful message that we might all one day return to our special places to be with the ones we love.
Director Gutierrez plays with these ideas in the music video by incorporating a ghost story concept, allowing for Michael Pena to showcase the emotions people experience when running through old memories.
Midlake will also be embarking on an extensive world tour, including NA, UK and European tour dates. Tickets and more information are available here.
Midlake 2022 Tour Dates
5/8 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley
5/10 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
5/11 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live (Downstairs)
