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Post by yerblues1968 on Jun 28, 2008 22:41:14 GMT -5
PAUL McCARTNEY TO PERFORM IN ISRAEL EX-BEATLE SCHEDULED FOR MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR SEPTEMBER SHOW, FINAL DETAILS STILL IN WORKS  Sir Paul McCartney Raz Shechnik Published: 06.25.08, 18:16 / Israel Culture The most famous (living) Beatle of them all, Sir Paul McCartney, will perform in Israel this summer. Forty-three years after the Israeli government prevented the Fab Four from holding a concert in the Holy Land; McCartney's managers have confirmed that arrangements are being made to include Israel in his upcoming tour. Should everything go according to plan, McCartney will hold a one-time extravaganza in Israel this September. The concert will be held either in Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv or the Ramat Gan Stadium; either on the 18 or the 25 of September. Details are to be finalized within the coming days. Producer David Zarzevski is said to be the man behind the venture. Zarzevski, who produces the annual Eilat Jazz Festival, has been able to bring prominent performers such as Erika Badu and Lauryn Hill, to name a few, to Israel in the past. McCartney's production team, which comes in at just over 100 staffers, has extensive demands; heightened security, a special sound system, a huge stage and two vegetarian kitchens at the venue's location topping the list. McCartney is expected to stay in Israel for two days, but his crew will be here for four. The production costs are estimated at several million dollars, but the performance is expected to do more than just break even. McCartney, 66, is considered one of the most influential musicians in the past 100 years. www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3560256,00.html |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Jul 4, 2008 0:49:53 GMT -5
 A young Paul McCartney while with The Beatles AFTER 43 YEARS, ISRAEL WELCOMES PAUL McCARTNEY The Jewish Daily Forward By Nathan Burstein Wed. Jul 02, 2008 LET IT BE: Paul McCartney will perform in Israel in September, for the first time in his career. Paul McCartney is no longer a threat to Israeli youth. More than four decades after the Beatle and his famous band mates were told they couldn’t perform in Israel for fear that they would corrupt the country’s young people, the “Let It Be” singer has signed on for a September concert in either Tel Aviv or Ramat Gan. The big-budget show, first reported by Yediot Aharonot, will follow McCartney concerts in Georgia and Turkey. The show, likely to be the largest and most expensive of the summer, is being organized by David Zarzevski, a promoter behind the Eilat Jazz Festival and recent Tel Aviv-area concerts by Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. The show will mark McCartney’s debut concert in Israel, though not his first invitation to perform. The singer and his Beatles counterparts planned a concert in the country in 1965, but they were barred from performing by then-education minister Yaakov Schneider on grounds that the band members might serve as negative role models for the country’s youth. (Israeli government approval is no longer needed for performances by foreign artists.) Israel’s current ambassador to England sent letters to McCartney, Ringo Starr and relatives of deceased Beatles George Harrison and John Lennon earlier this year, expressing regret for the incident. The letter to McCartney declared that “Israel missed a chance to learn from the most influential musicians of the decade.” McCartney isn’t the only high-profile musician heading to the Holy Land. Also on his way is American jazz great Branford Marsalis, who will perform at the Tel Aviv Opera House on July 17. The saxophonist previously performed in Israel in 1997. www.forward.com/articles/13698/ |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Jul 18, 2008 1:09:05 GMT -5
 Sir Paul McCartney PAUL McCARTNEY TO PLAY ISRAEL GIG By Adam Nutburn, July 17 2008 Paul McCartney Sir Paul McCartney is set to make history -- by playing his first gig in Israel. The Beatles were banned from the country more than 40 years ago, after being turned away by its then education minister David Zarzevski, who believed a gig by the band would corrupt the country's morals. However earlier this year, Israel's government sent apology letters the band's remaining members -- Sir Paul and drummer Ringo Starr -- as well as the relatives of deceased Beatles George Harrison and John Lennon -- inviting them to play as part of the country's 60th birthday celebrations. The letters stated, "We should like to take this opportunity to correct the historic omission which to our great regret occurred in 1965 when you were invited to Israel. "We missed a chance to learn from the most influential musicians of the decade." McCartney, 66, is now said to be on the verge of signing a deal to play to 250,000 in Tel Aviv this September. He will either play at the nation's football station Ramat Gan or put on an open air gig in Hayarkon Park. A source reveals, "Paul is desperate to put Israel on the map of places he’s performed. "He is pushing to make it happen, although the security issues are a real threat. "Paul's very laid back so is not one to normally take such a keen interest in his personal well being. "But this show is very different given the tensions in the region. "Paul wants to see how Europe goes before he hits the road worldwide. "His biggest consideration remains seeing his daughter Bea while touring. He wants to take her on tour, but that means special arrangements with Heather Mills.    Paul McCartney's daughter, Beatrice, and earlier pictures with her father, Paul. "He will see how well shared custody of Bea with her goes while he is in Europe, before planning anything bigger. "He is desperate for them to amicably share Bea despite him being abroad." www.showbizspy.com/showbiz/07172008/paul-mccartney-to-play-israel-gig |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Aug 23, 2008 20:42:18 GMT -5
 PAUL McCARTNEY ANNOUNCES HE WILL PERFORM IN ISRAEL NEXT MONTH By Haaretz Service Last update - 21:59 23/08/2008 Sir Paul McCartney has announced his plans to come to Israel to perform next month. The celebrated rock star will arrive in Israel as part of a world tour, and will give a single concert at Hayarkon Park on September 25. McCartney was scheduled to perform in Israel some 43 years ago with the Beatles, the legendary band of which he was a founding member. But government officials bannedthem from appearing in Israel in 1965. They refused to grant the necessary permits, citing concerns that the tousled-haired British band and its strident, amplified music could corrupt the morals of Israeli youth. McCartney's manager Barry Marshall reportedly confirmed his arrival a few days ago, and approved the venue even though it does not include 250,000 seats, which is the singer's standard requirement. The Israeli audience might be deterred by the ticket prices, which have yet to be determined but are likely to add up to several hundreds of shekels. This has been the case with other international rock stars, like Bjork and Leonard Cohen, who were scheduled to perform in Israel this summer but had to cancel due to poor ticket sales. www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1014489.html |
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Post by christine~ on Aug 23, 2008 22:08:32 GMT -5
 Hahaa, Macca should let all Queenie's relatives in for FREE, since they were disappointed by Israel's refusal to let The Beatles play back in the 60s, when Queenie asked Brian to book them there.
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Post by yerblues1968 on Aug 30, 2008 20:49:04 GMT -5
 The Beatles Paul, George, John, and Ringo PAUL McCARTNEY GIG REVIVES ISRAELI BEATLES TALE Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008 time.com By AP / MATTI FRIEDMAN (JERUSALEM ) — An upcoming concert by Paul McCartney has revived memories of the 1960s, when an Israeli official supposedly called off a Beatles concert for fear it would corrupt the nation's youth. The episode is often fondly quoted as a relic of a long-lost Israel where the public's innocence needed protecting. Trouble is, the story might not be true: With Israelis in a tizzy about McCartney's arrival, the official's son is taking the opportunity to try to clear his father's name, calling the tale a "Zionist urban legend." So pervasive is the story of the concert's cancellation 43 years ago that this year Israel's ambassador in London wrote a letter expressing regret over the matter to surviving members of the band. He told them the country would like to make it up to them: come play during this year's celebrations marking Israel's 60th anniversary. "Israel missed a chance to learn from the most influential musicians of the decade, and the Beatles missed an opportunity to reach out to one of the most passionate audiences in the world," Ambassador Ron Prosor wrote. On Wednesday, McCartney confirmed the Sept. 25 concert in Tel Aviv, which had been rumored for days. In a news release, McCartney acknowledged the brouhaha, saying he is finally coming "43 years after being banned by the Israeli government." He promised to give Israelis "the night they have been waiting decades for." Even before McCartney announced the show, tickets went on sale at prices ranging from $140 to $430. The Israeli official blamed for canceling the 1965 concert was Yaakov Sarid, a stern-faced man in horn-rimmed glasses who was the Education Ministry's director. He is remembered today — to the extent that he is remembered at all — mainly for his alleged role in denying Israeli youth their chance to faint and scream at the Fab Four. Also implicated is David Ben-Gurion, Israel's founding father and prime minister at the time. Sarid, who died in 1976, was the father of Yossi Sarid, for years an outspoken member of Israel's parliament and currently a newspaper columnist. The younger Sarid, now 67, claims his father had nothing to do with the decision. He wrote a column — only partially tongue in cheek — for the daily Haaretz this week to call the story "a Zionist urban legend." He has tried to make the point in the past, he said, but the story has become too firmly ensconced to budge. The real story, Sarid said, involved a more mundane feud between two Israeli concert promoters. The competition was so bitter that when one of them, Yaakov Uri, was about to bring the Beatles to the Jewish state, the other, Giora Godik, used his official connections to torpedo the government approval his rival needed to get the foreign currency to pay for the gig. Sarid said his father was not involved. This version of events is supported by Israel's pre-eminent pop music critic and historian, Yoav Kutner, who recounted the details in Haaretz on Monday. "It never happened that way," Kutner said of the oft-told story. Sarid said his father had never heard of the Beatles — his artistic tastes leaned more toward European Jewish liturgical music — and that Ben-Gurion probably hadn't either. The false version of events only emerged after his father's death, or "after my father was unable to listen to the Beatles," in Sarid's words. Sarid said the story was first written in a journalist's anthology about Israeli history and gained traction because of Sarid's own political career. Sarid the son was one of the most liberal members of parliament and an outspoken critic of government censorship, which gave the story the necessary ironic punch. The story has lived on because — accurate or not — it accurately reflected the times. The 1960s was the heyday of Israel's socialist ideology, which sanctified sacrifice and scorned materialism and Western frivolities. Officially, earnest Hebrew paeans to the beauty of the Land of Israel and to the military were in. "Love Me Do" was out. Though Sarid wants the record set straight and his father's name cleared, he also finds the story amusing and realizes it has taken on a life of its own. "It's a nice story, in this case much nicer than the truth," he said. www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1836764,00.html |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Sept 2, 2008 22:55:25 GMT -5
 Paul McCartney PALESTINIANS TO McCARTNEY: STAY HOME israel.jpost.com Sep 1, 2008 17:58 | Updated Sep 1, 2008 20:27 Not everyone is ready to let it be over Paul McCartney's upcoming show in Tel Aviv. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) has called on the former Beatle to cancel the show, saying that "Palestinian dispossession and Israeli apartheid are no cause for celebration." In a press release, the PACBI added that "since the creation of this state 60 years ago, [Israel] dispossessed and uprooted hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and lands, condemning them to a life of exile and destitution." "Performing in Israel at this time is morally equivalent to performing in South Africa at the height of the apartheid era... We strongly urge you to uphold the values of freedom, equality and just peace for all by joining this growing boycott against Israeli apartheid. Nothing less would do justice to the legendary legacy of the Beatles." Another Palestinian lobby group - the Palestine Solidarity Campaign - has formulated a letter which it asks supporters to send to McCartney's management, asking him to reconsider performing in Tel Aviv. "As I'm sure you are aware, the State of Israel continues to breach international and human rights law by its illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and treatment of the Palestinian people. As well as the constant attacks by the Israeli army and armed settlers, Palestinian land is systematically stolen, houses demolished and crops destroyed," said the letter. "Your music has always been associated with hopeful and free aspirations; this reputation will undoubtedly be tarnished should this concert go ahead." In a response to the two boycott attempts, the UK branch of Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs sent a letter to McCartney and his manager Stuart Bell, saying that the "blatant lies in the PACBI press release are simply beyond belief." According to StandWithUs representative Joy Wolfe, "The more they call for boycotts, the more people want to come out to prove how fruitless they are and to demonstrate that it is by contact and dialogue, and indeed by staging concerts such as yours, that things may hopefully improve. At least when you appear in Tel Aviv you can expect to have a mixed audience of Jews, Muslims and Christians, something that would be impossible in any Arab country."  Regardless of the calls for McCartney to stay home, ticket sales for the show passed the 25,000 mark at the beginning of the week, according to the producers of the concert. And later this week, the first members of McCartney's technical staff will arrive in Israel to begin preparations for the show's infrastructure. www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1220186501693&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Sept 6, 2008 18:18:13 GMT -5
 Sir Paul McCartney PAUL CONFIRMS "FRIENDSHIP FIRST" SHOW IN ISRAEL August 27, 2008 Paul McCartney Puts ‘Friendship First’ In Israel Music Icon Set To Rock Israel 43 Years After Ban Historic ‘Friendship First’ Concert Announced Hayarkon Park, Tel Aviv, Israel, 25th September 2008 43 years after being banned by the Israeli government, Paul McCartney today announces his ‘Friendship First’ concert in Israel. Following months of feverish speculation the wait is finally over as music’s most revered star announces that he will be playing in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday 25th September 2008, for the first time ever. This is in keeping with a series of special one-off unique shows that Paul has performed this year in places he has never visited before. Israel will finally get the chance to experience a night of music and history Macca-style; the night they have been waiting decades for.          Photos of Park Hayarkon (Central Park), Tel Aviv, Israel Paul McCartney holds true the key principals of friendship – loyalty and respect – and the ‘Friendship First’ concert is an opportunity for people to celebrate these values whilst having a memorable night of fun and rock n’ roll.                   More photos of Park Hayarkon (Central Park), Tel Aviv, Israel Looking ahead to his first trip to Tel Aviv, Paul Said, “I’ve heard so many great things about Tel Aviv and Israel, but hearing is one thing and experiencing it for yourself is another. We are planning to have a great time and a great evening. We can’t wait to get out there and rock.”          Paul McCartney has nearly visited Israel on two previous occasions. The first was with The Beatles at the height of Beatlemania in the mid 60s, however at the time because Israel was short of foreign currency the promoter was unable to raise sufficient funds. After applying to a government committee for help the promoter’s appeal was declined as it was thought The Beatles might corrupt their youth. Some even believed that artistically The Beatles were not of a high enough standard! The second miss was with Wings in the late 70s, when the shows were canceled after problems with the venue.                   Cactus life at Park Hayarkon.          Sunrise at Park Hayarkon, Tel Aviv, Israel Earlier this year, Israel’s ambassador to Britain, Ron Prosor, apologised to The Beatles during a trip to Liverpool for the ‘misunderstanding’. In a letter he wrote: “There is no doubt that it was a great missed opportunity to prevent people like you, who shaped the minds of the generation, to come to Israel and perform.”                   Various birds at Park Hayarkon, Tel Aviv, Israel. 2008 has already seen Paul McCartney play a number of special one off concerts, whilst making international headlines and taking him to places he’s never been before. In June he received a hero’s welcome as he rocked the city of Liverpool when he played at Anfield Stadium as part of the city’s celebrations for the European Capital Of Culture. A couple of weeks later and Paul performed a spectacular free show, the ‘Independence Concert’, to over 350,000 people in Kiev’s Independence Square which was the largest outdoor music event in the history of the Ukraine. July then took Paul to the city of Quebec for yet another huge headline-making event as he performed to 300,000 people in the city’s national park, The Plains Of Abraham, to help celebrate Quebec’s 400th anniversary. Paul also found the time (only just though!) to join Billy Joel on stage for the ‘Last Play At Shea’ show in July, marking the last show ever at New York’s famous Shea Stadium. The Beatles were the first band to perform at Shea Stadium in 1965, which went down in history as the first ever stadium rock show. Speaking after his appearance at Shea, Paul commented, “It was great to complete the circle, starting there with The Beatles and then finishing this time round with ‘Let It Be’.”                                         Some of the flowers / plants that can be seen at Park Hayarkon. If you add the attendance figures of the last 3 special shows together, Paul has performed to well over 650,000 people which is the equivalent of filling London’s O2 Arena over 36 times. www.paulmccartney.com/news.php#1425/2008-08 |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Sept 14, 2008 23:27:31 GMT -5
 Sir Paul McCartney at Live 8 SIR PAUL: TERROR TARGET Sunday September 14,2008 dailyexpress By Dennis Rice SIR Paul McCartney has been threatened that he will be the target of suicide bombers unless he abandons plans to play his first concert in Israel. Self-styled preacher of hate Omar Bakri claimed the former Beatle’s decision to take part in the Jewish state’s 60th anniversary celebrations had made him an enemy of all Muslims. Sources said Sir Paul was shocked but refused to be intimidated. In an interview with Israeli media yesterday he said: “I was approached by different groups and political bodies who asked me not to come here. I refused. I do what I think and I have many friends who support Israel.” Sir Paul, 65, should have gone to Israel with the Beatles in 1965 but they were barred by the Jewish nation’s government over fears they would corrupt young people. Yesterday a number of websites described him as an infidel and suggested he was going to Israel only because of the reported £2.3m fee for the one-off concert. A message posted on one website said: “Shame on you Paul McCartney for day trippin’ to apartheid Israel” and vowed never to buy his music again. Bakri, who made his weekly internet broadcast to fellow extremists from his home in Lebanon, where he has lived in exile since being banned from returning to Britain, said Sir Paul was “making more enemies than friends”. Syrian-born Bakri, 48, went on: “I heard today that the pop star Paul McCartney is playing as a part of the celebrations. “If you speak about the holocaust and its authenticity never being proved historically in the way the Jewish community portray it, people will arrest you. People will you say you should not speak like this. Yet they go and celebrate the anniversary of 60 years of what? “Instead of supporting the people of Palestine in their suffering, McCartney is celebrating the atrocities of the occupiers. The one who is under occupation is supposed to be getting the help. “And so I believe for Paul McCartney, what he is doing really is creating more enemies than friends.” Explaining his comments, Bakri told the Sunday Express: “Our enemy’s friend is our enemy. “Thus Paul McCartney is the enemy of every Muslim. We have what we call ‘sacrifice’ operatives who will not stand by while he joins in a celebration of their oppression. “If he values his life Mr McCartney must not come to Israel. He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him.” Lawyer Anjem Choudary, who last week chaired a meeting in London at which extremists claimed the next 9/11-style atrocity would be in Britain, said Sir Paul had allowed himself to become a propaganda tool for Israel. He added: “Muslims have every right to be angry at Paul McCartney. How would the world react if he wanted to have a concert in occupied Kashmir? “They would not allow it to happen but because it is Israel he can play. A country which, as the celebration indicates did not exist 60 years ago, only exists thanks to stealing and occupying another country’s lands.” Yesterday the comments drew condemnation from Palestinian sources and outsiders. Omar Barghouti, of The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, described the threat as “deplorable”. Patrick Mercer, the Conservative MP for Newark and a former Shadow Security Minister, said: “One could dismiss Bakri as a ranting extremist but history has shown that he has an ability to twist minds, so his comments should not be underestimated. “If Sir Paul McCartney wants to play at the 60th anniversary then it is the worst form of illiberalism for Omar Bakri to restrict the artist’s freedom in this way.” A spokesman for Sir Paul declined to comment on the threat, saying: “Paul’s 'Friendship First' concert is about his music. Paul’s is a message of peace.” Tickets for the concert range from £70 to £230. Last night Sir Paul performed his first concert in the Ukraine, playing to tens of thousands in the capital Kiev. www.express.co.uk/posts/view/61355/We-ll-kill-Sir-Paul-if-he-plays-Israel |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Sept 19, 2008 0:55:28 GMT -5
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Post by yerblues1968 on Sept 19, 2008 23:39:19 GMT -5
 EX-BEATLES MUSICIAN FROM BAT YAM CAN'T AFFORD McCARTNEY TICKET Haaretz Correspondent By Raphael Ahren Last update 19/09/2008 - 08:22 Michael Gould knew the Beatles before they became the biggest pop group on earth. A few years later, he met the four Liverpudlians again, this time as a studio musician, playing the trumpet on some of their most acclaimed recordings. But next Thursday, when Sir Paul McCartney will play a historic concert in Tel Aviv, Gould will likely have to stay out in the cold. The freelance musician, who today lives in Bat Yam, simply can't afford it. The native Londoner told Haaretz he would have "absolutely loved" to see the show of his former friend and colleague, but hasn't "got the money to actually pay for a ticket," the cheapest of which cost NIS 490. However, about a week before the show, Gould is still counting on his old connections to get him in the door. "With everybody who's coming over, hopefully I will know somebody and will at least be able to get in backstage," he said. After finishing his studies at the London Royal Academy of Music in the early 1960s, Gould came to Liverpool to work at the local philharmonic orchestra. "In the evenings, we used to go down to The Cavern," he said of his days frequenting the legendary rock and roll club where the Beatles' career took off. "This is where it all started. My friends and I went there to dance and to listen to [the Beatles], and this is where I got to know them." According to Gould, McCartney and John Lennon were always very interested in all kinds of music and sometimes went to concerts at the philharmonic. The two soon befriended Gould, who was about their age, asking him all kinds of questions about his instrument, what range of notes he could play, and so on. "That's how we became friends in the beginning," he explained. A little later, the Beatles made history by revolutionizing modern music, and Gould, who had become quite well known in his own right, returned to London. "I got a phone call one day, to come and do some recordings down at Abbey Road," he said. "And it was for the Beatles." Laughingly, he added, "I was pretty good in those days." As one of several session musicians, Gould played on A Hard Day's Night, Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road, the album named after the famous recording studio. Gould said visits to Israel made him fall in love with the country, leading to his immigration in 1968, but he did return to Britain sometimes for professional gigs. Today, he gives private trumpet and piano lessons. They've got a ticket to watchGould is hardly the only Israeli who would love to see McCartney's concert, which event organizers promise to be "the most important rock show in Israel's history." But the desire is perhaps most heartfelt by those who grew up on the same streets as the Fab Four did. Several hundred Liverpudlians live in Israel and many of them didn't hesitate a second before buying tickets for the show. "One of my biggest dreams in life is to see the Beatles in concert, so I thought this is the closest I'm going to get," said Amanda Goldman, 39, who was born in Liverpool and moved to Jerusalem in 1993. Goldman's husband Naftali Halberstadt, a native New Yorker, is a huge Beatles fan as well. "He's way more obsessed than I am," Goldman added. "One of the things that brought us together was the Beatles because we both love the band. It's one of the few groups we share. He always says he actually searched for a girl from Liverpool because he wanted to marry somebody from there - only because of the Beatles." Goldman used to promise her husband that for his fiftieth birthday, she'd send him to wherever in the world McCartney would perform that year. "Instead, we have him coming here," she laughed. Goldman and her husband paid a total of NIS 980 to be able to see next week's "Friendship First" concert, which is part of McCartney's current world tour and will take place in Tel Aviv's Ganey Yehoshua Park. Halberstadt even wanted to lay out NIS 3,000 for two sit-down tickets, but his wife put her foot down. "Five hundred is a lot of money - a lot! - but I think it's worth it," she said. "But 3,000, I couldn't justify that." By the time the 35-year-old Phillip Coleman, who was born in Liverpool and today lives on Kibbutz Yavneh, had grown up, the Beatlemania era was largely over. Yet his love for the music of McCartney, Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison could almost compete with that of the group's most frantic fans, who in the 1960s fainted as soon as they caught a glimpse of their heroes. "As far as I am concerned, nothing today in music is better than the Beatles," he told Haaretz. Coleman, who immigrated on his own in 1992, at age 19, will attend the concert with a sizable group of friends and said he doesn't understand why some people complained about ticket prices. "I don't think it was that expensive," he said about his NIS 490 ticket. "For a musician of that standard, I don't think it's a lot." What money can buy youJohnny Segal, who in his youth went to the yeshiva on Penny Lane - a small street after which the Beatles named one of their hits - couldn't agree more. "I think it's wonderful that McCartney will be here, and I am happy with the price because it's going to be a very special occasion," he said. The 55-year-old was born in Liverpool but moved to Ra'anana in 1980 partly because "the weather in England is very bad," he joked. He assumes he is just one out of many former Liverpudlians in Israel who will gladly pay the ticket price. "Of course, everybody will go," he said. "I imagine hundreds of people from Liverpool are going to be there. Everybody will feel they want to go and hear him."  Brian Epstein Everyone in the Liverpool Jewish community still takes pride in the Beatles, Segal said, even if there is no "direct Jewish connection" besides the band's manager, Brian Epstein. Epstein, who in the 1960s was a well-known member of the city's Jewish community, is widely credited for the band's early success. He was called the "Beatle-making prince of pop" by the Daily Mirror on the day that Epstein died in 1967. "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian," McCartney once said of Epstein. But not every Liverpudlian is as enthusiastic about McCartney's recent musical career. "People in Liverpool are very split on whether they still like him, or whether they think he's just too old," said Jeremy Collins, who moved from Liverpool to Jerusalem about 10 months ago. "He's not cool anymore." The 25-year-old also said he couldn't afford to buy tickets for next week's concert and that he feels "like I could have gone in England for cheaper," referring to the concerts McCartney played in Liverpool in honor of the city's 800th birthday last year. He agreed that his hometown is still somewhat synonymous with the Beatles: "When you meet someone from outside of Britain and you say that you're from Liverpool, they say 'Oh, the Beatles.'" Many Israelis, however, associate somebody else with the city: Yossi Benayoun, the captain of Israel's national soccer team who plays for Liverpool FC. "I think Benayoun is bigger than the Beatles in Israel," Collins surmised. In any event, he insisted, Paul McCartney today does not equal the Beatles back then: "The Beatles are the Beatles, and everything that comes afterward is going to be in their shadow." www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1022610.html |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Sept 20, 2008 22:07:05 GMT -5
WHY SIR PAUL McCARTNEY IS WILLING TO RISK IT ALL IN ISRAEL dailymail.co.uk By Geoff Baker Last updated at 10:06 PM 20th September 2008 Paul McCartney performs in Israel on Thursday for the first time. The concert in Tel Aviv will be a security nightmare and rival groups are playing tug-of-war with Paul's personal politics. Because he is seen almost universally as 'one of the good guys', everyone wants to recruit him to their side. Israel, which famously banned the 'decadent' Beatles in 1965, is billing the concert as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations. Some Palestinian groups insist the event should not go ahead - and no one discounts the possibility of an extremist attempting a 'spectacular' to make a political point. 'I was approached by different groups and political bodies who asked me not to go to Israel,' Paul told the Israeli media. 'But I refused. I do what I think.' Paul is no Zionist and nor has he ever spoken up for the PLO, but he is a pacifist and hopes the two sides take a hint from the title of the gig - The Friendship First Concert. There is also a private reason for Macca's visit - it represents a nod of thanks to those of Jewish birth who were instrumental in helping to forge the Beatles phenomenon. As a Beatle, Paul's manager, lawyer, song publisher and promoter were all Jewish. Manager Brian Epstein's contacts were particularly useful for the band. One such man was Dick James, who became The Beatles' song publisher, and who suggested the formation of Northern Songs, the company that made millions for Paul and John Lennon. Another key player was Sid Bernstein, who helped cement Beatlemania in the United States thanks to the band's concerts at Shea Stadium in 1965. And then there was Murray Kaufman, the DJ who championed songs such as I Want To Hold Your Hand.The other Jewish friends in Paul's rise were the Eastmans, the family of entertainment lawyers headed by Lee Eastman, the father of Paul's late wife Linda. Lee and his son John represented Paul from 1969 and it was through them that Paul bolstered his massive wealth by acquiring publishing rights to hundreds of other songs including the Buddy Holly catalogue. Paul is still represented by the firm.  Paul with Linda in the Nineties. His Tel Aviv concert is a nod to the Jewish element in his success, including her family the Eastmans whose legal advice helped him during the Beatles' breakup. And then, of course, there is Linda. Paul, will arrive in Israel on September 24, the date on which she would have been 67. It would be astonishing if the couple's children - Heather, Mary, Stella and James - do not accompany their father. Of course, this adds to the security risk, and Paul's aides are finalising a protection strategy with the Israeli intelligence service. As Paul's former spokesman, I know that at all McCartney concerts, the TV news crews are fed one song which they can broadcast for free. But which song will Paul choose? On the banks of the Mersey in 1990, Paul performed a tribute to Lennon in front of 70,000 fans. Playing a medley that included Strawberry Fields Forever, Help! and Give Peace A Chance remains one of Paul's career highlights. One newspaper said of that magical moment: 'We will probably not see its like again.' But on Thursday we just might. www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1058732/Why-Sir-Paul-McCartney-willing-risk-Israel.html |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Sept 23, 2008 23:05:41 GMT -5
 Sir Paul McCartney and his band. PAUL McCARTNEY ARRIVES IN ISRAEL AHEAD OF TEL AVIV CONCERT haaretz.com By Noya Kohavi Wed., September 24, 2008 Last update - 05:05 24/09/2008 Sir Paul McCartney landed Tuesday night in Israel ahead of his sole performance in Israel, at Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park Wednesday. He is staying at the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv.    The Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv where Sir Paul McCartney and his entourage are staying. Hotel general manager Jacob Sudri said preparations had been made for the expected crowds of fans, with extra security laid on along with McCartney's own security staff and a private security company.    The 200-square-meter Royal Suite, where McCartney will be staying, has previously seen the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Roger Waters, Phil Collins, Sharon Stone, Richard Gere and Bill Clinton.    Tel Aviv Beach in front of the Dan Hotel. About 30 people in McCartney's entourage will occupy 21 suites on one floor at the Dan, and about 70 others will stay at other Tel Aviv hotels.     The room bill for the 21 suites, calculated according to the Dan's price list, comes to NIS 380,000.    A butler will be on 24-hour duty in McCartney's suite, and his personal chef will cooperate with the hotel's chef to cater to the artist's culinary wishes. Sudri said McCartney's requirements were no different than those of any other artist of his caliber. Sources in the Israeli production company handling McCartney's performance said tickets were still available and that so far fewer than 40,000 had been sold. In the VIP section, with 1,200 seats, where tickets cost NIS 5,000, a few spaces were reportedly still available. In the stands, with room for 5,150 people and where tickets cost NIS 1,500, there were about 60 places left. About ten percent of the show's least expensive tickets, which are going for about NIS 500 each, remain unsold. Most of Tel Aviv's music clubs will either be closed tomorrow night or not hosting live shows. Among the few still scheduled to appear are Yael Dekelbaum at Levontin 7 and Ariel Silber at Carson.  Israel News Agency Publisher Joel Leyden interviews Israel producer David Zarzevsky on creating the largest cultural event in the Middle East, as some refer to as the "Israeli Woodstock" - Sir Paul McCartney Tel Aviv Israel Concert. (9:42 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYyZXPr_j7M Paul McCartney's message to Israel straight from rehearsals in London to the people of Tel Aviv...also enjoy the guitar due between Paul, Rusty and Brian! (0:56 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ycD01LrqOQ Paul McCartney Tel Aviv, Israel / Mop Tops (3:29 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=BROfpXSmuswwww.danhotels-israel.com/dantelaviv/index.htmlwww.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1023788.html |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Sept 24, 2008 22:28:33 GMT -5
FABULOUSLY OBSERVANT: HOW JEWISH WERE THE BEATLES? The Jerusalem Post By David Benkof Sep 24, 2008 21:59 Updated Sep 24, 2008 22:15 With Sir Paul McCartney performing in Tel Aviv tonight, it's a good time to consider just how Jewish the Beatles were - or weren't:  * McCartney's most famous wife, and all but one of his children, were Jewish. Linda Eastman McCartney was the daughter of American Jews. Her father changed his name from Leopold Vail Epstein to Lee Eastman. Linda grew up in Scarsdale, New York, an area with many wealthy Jews. Despite rumors to the contrary, the family was not related to the owners of Eastman Kodak.  * Perhaps the most Jewish thing about the Beatles is their longtime manager, Brian Epstein. Often called "the fifth Beatle," he played a role in the band's discovery as well as nurturing them to the greatness they achieved musically and professionally. The openly gay Epstein was especially close with John Lennon, and rumors of a single instance of a physical hookup between the two on a trip to Barcelona may be more Epstein's fantasy than actual reality. Epstein died of a drug overdose in 1967 at the height of the Beatles' success. * The months after the Yom Kippur War of 1973 were fraught with Israeli self-doubt, which was explored by the country's first lady of song, Naomi Shemer. Her most well-regarded songs of that period were adaptations of two Beatles hits: Hey Jude, and most famously Let It Be. Shemer's version of that latter song, Lu Yehi, had a little in common with the original's music and lyrics, and was mostly an original composition. For a composer who confessed on her deathbed that she took the melody for her most famous work, Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, from a Basque lullaby, it is admirable that with Lu Yehi she was upfront about borrowing musically from the biggest rock band in history. NOT EVERYTHING was Jewish about the Fab Four, however. For example, at least the first dozen of the Beatles' hit songs were about romantic love (until Help! - or Nowhere Man, depending on how one interprets Help!). But the Torah doesn't emphasize romantic love, at least not Western-style romantic love. True, Jacob's love for Rachel was intense, but the example of his father Isaac is more dominant in Judaism - we aren't told that Isaac loved Rebecca until after they were married. Hebrew has one word for loving - and it's the same word for liking: ahava. We are commanded to love God, and to love our neighbor, and implicitly ourselves - but never specifically our spouses, much less our "dates." Now, arguably All You Need Is Love is about loving thy neighbor. But I don't interpret any Beatles song to be about loving God (could the guy who wrote "imagine there's no heaven" even do that?). But there are lots of lyrics about men loving women, sometimes ("Something") quite erotically. There's even a Beatles song about same-sex love, probably with reference to Epstein - You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. The obsession with romance in early Beatles lyrics is just not consistent with Jewish priorities. Still, there are many intersections between the Mop Tops and Judaism, especially on a playful level. Best of luck to Sir Paul on his visit to Israel and on his concert this evening. www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017382903&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFullwww.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE48N59J20080924?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=trueitn.co.uk/news/c6ee3259d83487d1326213b26d83d116.html |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Sept 25, 2008 23:46:33 GMT -5
MACCA WOWS TEL AVIV WITH SPELLBINDING CONCERT... 40 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BANNED THE BEATLES dailymail.co.uk By Graham Smith and Lizzie Smith 25th September 2008 Last updated at 10:39 PM t's been a long and winding road, but when Sir Paul McCartney stepped onto the stage at Tel Aviv tonight his Israeli fans finally got to see their idol in concert. The 'decadent' Fab Four were banned from performing in 1965 by a conservative Israeli government concerned about the corrupting influence they would have on the country's youth.    The stage for Paul McCartney at Park Hayarkon, Tel Aviv, Israel. But the teenagers they were protecting are now all grown up and brought their children and grandchildren along to share the music of their youth. Forty thousand of them, some paying as much as ??500 for the privilege, attended to watch the legendary left-handed guitarist belt out his tunes.    Four decades ago the Israeli government banned a planned Beatles concert, in case it corrupted Israel's youth - now they have relaxed the ruling and fans have flocked to see Sir Paul take to the stage. Unlike the planned line-up of forty years ago Sir Paul's former bandmates John, Ringo and George weren't by his side, but they were in the minds, and on the t-shirts, of the ageing Beatles fans who flocked to see Sir Paul do his thing. Kicking off with the Beatles song Hello, Goodbye, Sir Paul told fans he was on a peace mission on behalf of the Israelis and Palestinians. Then, as he sang the hit Give Peace a Chance, he stopped before the chorus to allow the fans to sing along, saying to them: 'Here tonight you sing it, you want it.' His repertoire included many Beatles hits, as well as songs from his post-Beatles group, Wings. The songs included Yesterday, Back in the USSR, Hey Jude and Jet. He added two encores for the cheering crowd. Nadav Erez, 31, from the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, danced enthusiastically throughout the concert. He said: 'He should have come here long ago, he should have come again and again, he should come again and again and again.' Another fan, 25-year-old student Arik Benari, who works in a Jerusalem record shop, said: 'He's one of the people I most admire.' The show did not happen without incident, a ??1.5million security operation was launched to protect Sir Paul , with an astonishing 5,000 personnel watching over him during his stay. The security drive dwarfs the protection given to U.S. President George W. Bush when he visited the nation. It comes after extremists including radical cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed urged Sir Paul to cancel the controversial visit out 'of respect of the feelings of Muslims in Palestine'. But after waiting four decades the singer did not heed the calls to stop the show. He said on his website that he hoped his concert at Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park, which is being billed as part of Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations, would 'reawaken' the idea of peace. He said: 'The world knows about the conflicts that have been in that region and I like to think that if I go to a place it becomes evident that my message is a peaceful one and I hope that the idea will spread. 'Music can help people to just calm them down. I also think it can be very interesting for change. 'Songs like We Shall Overcome have been very important for the civil rights movement so yeah, I think music is great and it can make changes.'   Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney visits the Church of Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008. The 66-year-old, accompanied by his girlfriend Nancy Shevell, visited the Church of Nativity and a music school in Bethlehem yesterday. Surrounded by bodyguards, his spontaneous stop-off at The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music surprised the students, who are aged between five and 14. McCartney chatted with the pupils and even joined in with rehearsals. He said: 'I'd heard about the great work of the school so I was really interested to actually see it for myself. 'Music is a universal language and something everybody can unite over and enjoy together. 'The work they do here is inspiring and important. The students are from different backgrounds and the school offers the opportunity to people that might not normally be able to get this kind of expert education. 'As I'm in Israel I thought, "Well I'm not here everyday so I'd like to go and see some things," so I used the opportunity to come to Bethlehem.'  CBS: McCartney Rocks Tel Aviv. (1:32 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_-DJwy-_3E Video of Paul McCartney's visit to Israel. (3:16 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8uJcV9r-DU McCartney visits the West Bank. McCartney traveled to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where he lit a candle for peace for people all around the world, especially for Israel and Palestine. (1:34 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp0vW1PXMKo CNN's Paula Hancocks reports on Paul McCartney in Tel Aviv. (1:48 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6RDxA2q6Q0www.paulmccartney.com/www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1061169/Pictured-Macca-wows-Tel-Aviv-spellbinding-concert--40-years-Israel-banned-The-Beatles.htmlIsrael Gives McCartney a Chance, So He Rocks www.eonline.com/uberblog/b31058_israel_gives_mccartney_chance_rocks.htmlIsraelis Flock to McCartney Show news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7636360.stmPaul McCartney Performs for Thousands in Tel Aviv www.newsweek.com/id/160853/page/1 |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Sept 27, 2008 22:23:51 GMT -5
What disappointed me about this concert is the fact that it was not televised. The Israeli production company kicked off the Channel 10 news van off the concert premises by security guards. Only parts of the concert was broadcast by radio. So many politics were involved about this concert. I was not able to find very good footage of the concert really worth posting without the audience noise, as it can be very distracting. Paul McCartney had performed more than 30 songs during this historical event.  Sir Paul McCartney Rocks Tel Aviv. (1:35 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF14GPH5YMI Sky News - McCartney Wows Fans With Historic Israel Concert. (1:31 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg3IQivcGtEMcCartney concert won't be televised www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1023459.html |
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Post by yerblues1968 on Oct 20, 2008 22:28:24 GMT -5
TEL AVIV SET LIST (31 songs performed) Hello Goodbye Jet Drive My Car Only Mama Knows All My Loving Flaming Pie Let Me Roll It My Love Let Em In The Long and Winding Road Dance Tonight Blackbird Calico Skies Follow The Sun Mrs Vanderbilt Here, There and Everywhere Eleanor Rigby Something A Day In The Life Give Peace A Chance Band On The Run Back In The USSR I Got A Feeling Live and Let Die Let It Be Hey Jude Lady Madonna Get Back I Saw Her Standing There Yesterday Sgt Peppers www.paulmccartney.com/news.php#1444/2008-09See Gallery for Live Images of Paul McCartney's performance in Israel. www.paulmccartney.com/news.php#1460/2008-09 |
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Hahaa, Macca should let all Queenie's relatives in for FREE, since they were disappointed by Israel's refusal to let The Beatles play back in the 60s, when Queenie asked Brian to book them there. 
