C’est aujourd’hui, 27 Août, que Paul McCartney a officialisé son concert en Israël via le communiqué de presse suivant, publié sur son site internet :
{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.
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.
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 cancelled after problems with the venue.
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.?
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?.?
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.}
1.
Venus and Mars/Rock Show/Jet / 2. Let Me Roll It / 3. Spirits
of Ancient Egypt / 4. Medicine Jar / 5. Maybe I’m Amazed / 6. Call Me
Back Again / 7. Lady Madonna / 8. Long and Winding Road / 9. Live and
Let Die / 10. Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me) / 11.
Richard Cory / 12. Bluebird / 13. I’ve Just Seen a Face / 14.
Blackbird / 15. Yesterday / 16. You Gave Me the Answer / 17.
Magneto and Titanium Man / 18. Go Now / 19. My Love / 20.
Listen to What the Man Said / 21. Let ‘Em In / 22. Time to Hide / 23.
Silly Love Songs / 24. Beware My Love / 25. Letting Go / 26. Band on
the Run / 27. Hi Hi Hi / 28. Soily
face= »Verdana » size= »2″>Tripping The Live Fantastic
1.
Got
to Get You into My Life / 2. Birthday / 3. We Got
Married / 4. Long and Winding Road / 5. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely
Hearts Club Band / 6. Can’t Buy Me Love / 7. Put It
There / 8. Things We Said Today / 9. Eleanor Rigby / 10. My
Brave Face / 11. Back in the U.S.S.R. / 12. I Saw Her
Standing There / 13. Coming Up / 14. Let It Be /
15. Hey Jude / 16. Get Back / 17. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The
End
face= »Verdana » size= »2″>Unplugged The Official Bootleg
1.
Be
Bop A Lula / 2. I Lost My Little Girl / 3. Here There And
Everywhere / 4. Blue Moon Of Kentucky / 5. We Can
Worlk It Out / 6. San Francisco Bay Blues / 7. I’ve
Just Seen A Face / 8. Every Night / 9. She’s A
Woman / 10. Hi Heel Sneakers / 11. And I Love Her /
12. That Would Be Something / 13. Blackbird / 14. Ain’t No Sunshine /
15. Good Rockin’ Tonight / 16. Singing The Blues / 17. Junk
1.
Drive My Car / 2. Let Me Roll It / 3. Looking For Changes /
4. Peace In The Neighbourhood / 5. All My Loving / 6.
Robbie’s Bit / 7. Good Rockin’ Tonight / 8. We Can Work It Out / 9.
Hope Of Deliverance / 10. Michelle / 11. Biker Like An Icon /
12. Here There And Everywhere / 13. My Love / 14. Magical Mystery Tour
/ 15. C’ Mon People / 16. Lady Madonna / 17. Paperback Writer
/ 18. Penny Lane / 19. Live And Let Die / 20. A Fine Day
1.
Hello Goodbye / 2. Jet / 3. All My Loving / 4. Getting Better
/ 5. Coming Up / 6. Let Me Roll It / 7. Lonely Road / 8.
Driving Rain / 9. Your Loving Flame / 10. Blackbird
/ 11. Every Night / 12. We Can Work It Out / 13. Mother
Nature’s Son / 14. Vanilla Sky / 15. Carry That Weight / 16.
The Fool On The Hill / 17. Here Today / 18. Something / 19.
Eleanor Rigby / 20. Here, There And Everywhere / 21. Band On The Run /
22. Back In The USSR / 23. Maybe I’m Amazed / 24. C
Moon / 25. My Love / 26. Can’t Buy Me Love / 27.
Freedom / 28. Live And Let Die / 29. Let It
Be / 30. Hey Jude / 31. The Long And Winding
Road / 32. Lady Madonna / 33. I Saw Her Standing
There / 34. Yesterday / 35. Sgt. Pepper/The End
size= »1″>1. Hello Goodbye / 2. Jet / 3. All My
Loving / 4. Getting Better / 5. Coming Up
/ 6. Let Me Roll It / 7. Lonely Road / 8. Driving
Rain / 9. Your Loving Flame / 10.
Blackbird / 11. We Can Work It Out / 12. Mother
Nature’s Son / 13. Carry That Weight / 14. The Fool
On The Hill / 15. Here Today / 16.
Something / 17. Eleanor Rigby / 18. Here, There And
Everywhere / 19. Calico Skies / 20.
Michelle / 21. Band On The Run / 22. Back In The
USSR / 23. Maybe I’m Amazed / 24. Let ‘Em
In / 25. My Love / 26. She’s Leaving Home
/ 27. Can’t Buy Me Love / 28. Live And Let Die /
29. Let It Be / 30. Hey Jude (New Mix) / 31. The
Long And Winding Road / 32. Lady Madonna / 33. I
Saw Her Standing There / 34. Yesterday / 35. Sgt.
Pepper’s/The End
