Paul kicked off his Summer 04 Tour in May 2004 after completing runs through America, Japan and the rest of Europe in 2002 and 2003. The 13-city European jaunt started Tuesday, May 25th at Gijon's El Molinon Stadium. Seven of those dates marked first-time visits to those cities, while five others hadn't hosted Paul since the Get Back World Tour in 1989 or the New World Tour in 1993.
Why Tour at All?
Paul addressed the question directly in the Summer 2004 tour programme:
"People always say: 'He doesn't need to tour. Why does he do it?' I suppose you could say that nobody has ever needed to perform. I could have worked in a factory. In fact, I had a perfectly good job in a coil-winding factory at Massey & Coggins. So it's not like I needed to. But if something is your passion then you do it for the love of it. I've practised enough. It's what I love doing. What I suppose people mean is, they wouldn't go out unless it was for the money. But they're not artists. I don't need to go out for the money or for the fame, but that's not why I ever went out. I only ever went out because I love it."
The Rehearsal Buildup
Paul rented London's Millennium Dome for three weeks of rehearsals leading up to the tour, paying 250,000 pounds for the space. He needed something enormous: 80,000 pounds of equipment moving across Europe in 18 trucks, including the largest outdoor video system ever assembled, 75 speakers pumping out 75,000 watts, plus full pyrotechnics rigs and the biggest stage set he'd ever constructed.
The rehearsals weren't entirely welcome with everyone. A neighbor named Eric Peperton complained to environmental health officers about the bass frequencies vibrating through his flat across the river, disturbing even his cat. Paul's spokesman Geoff Baker apologized but kept his sense of humor: "We love animals and so we're sorry about Mr. Pemberton's cat, because we love animals, but we're confident that when we turn the music back up again for the European tour, everyone else will love it, even the cat!" The sound monitoring was set to cap out at 92 decibels.
Dates and Highlights
May 25th, Gijon (Estadio El Molinon, Spain)
Paul's first show created such a surge of excitement that fans calling friends on mobile phones to listen in caused the area's phone network to collapse. At 63 years old, he'd resurrected Beatles deep cuts like "Helter Skelter" and "Got To Get You Into My Life" for the first time in years.
May 28th, Lisbon (Parque Bela Vista, Portugal)
More than 45,000 people showed up for the opening night of a six-day festival. While Paul performed solo material, the biggest roars came for the Beatles classics: "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yellow Submarine" got crowd-pleasers' welcome.
May 30th, Madrid (Estadio de Madrid, Spain)
First time back in Madrid in 15 years. Paul played 33 songs (31 of them Beatles tunes) and didn't finish until well past midnight for 30,000 fans. Thousands more crowded a nearby slope for views of the stage's huge TV screens and fireworks. At 61, he addressed the crowd in Spanish: "I was taught Spanish for a year 50 years ago, when I was 11 at school in Liverpool." He dedicated songs to John Lennon and George Harrison, drawing a massive ovation when he said, "Let's hear it for John."
June 2nd, Zurich (Letzigrund Stadium, Switzerland)
June 4th, Leipzig (Leipzig Zentralstadion, Germany)
June 6th, Prague (T-Mobile Park, Czech Republic)
Paul opened with "Jet" and stretched the set to two and a half hours. He premiered Beatles songs never attempted live before on this tour, including "Back in the U.S.S.R." "Live and Let Die" erupted with flames and fireworks. The stage rig was elaborate, with multi-story monitors showing live band footage and historical clips. This was T-Mobile Park's inaugural concert, but the Prague Post noted the muddy grounds offered poor sightlines, with some premium seats far from the stage and sound/lighting structures blocking center views. Organizers promised improvements for future shows.
June 8th, Horsens (Forum Horsens Stadium, Denmark)
June 12th, Gothenburg (Ullevi Stadium, Sweden)
June 14th, Oslo (Valle Hovin Stadion, Norway)
Paul's strict vegetarianism caused friction with crew members here. As a staunch vegetarian, he'd banned meat consumption for anyone working on the tour. One worker complained to Aftenposten: "We're supposed to work from eight till eight each day, and aren't served anything but salad and vegetarian food. I can't live without meat doing this kind of work, and will defy the ban and bring my own lunch packet with meat." Reports also mentioned bans on leather belts and shoes in the stadium area. A concert organizer's spokesman clarified: "We can't control what they do in their spare time. But as long as they're inside the stadium area, it's correct that they are banned from eating meat."
June 17th, Helsinki (Olympiastadion, Finland)
June 20th, St. Petersburg (Palace Square, Russia)
Sixty thousand fans packed an open-air concert in the center of Russia's second city under tight security. The setting at Palace Square made for a historic backdrop for Paul's performance.