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NEW YORK − If you’re sick of super-long concerts, Paul McCartney is right there with you.
During an onstage conversation with comedian Conan O’Brien at Tribeca Festival on Thursday evening, the music legend bemoaned the growing fad of three-hour-plus concerts – a trend popularized by jam bands such as Phish and the Grateful Dead, but adopted more recently by pop stars including Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
“I blame Bruce Springsteen,” McCartney joked, referencing the rocker’s famously lengthy gigs. “I told him so. I said, ‘It’s your fault!’ ”
“He ruined it for everyone!” added the former late-night host, who recorded the conversation for his “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast.
“He did!” McCartney said. “We used to do a half hour. That was like The Beatles’ thing – and we got paid for it. I tried to work out, ‘Why was it so short?’ Well, because there was a lot of people on the (lineup). When you went to a thing, if you were a comedian, the promoter would say, ‘How long can you do? Four minutes?’ And the guy would say yes. So we thought, ‘Half an hour – that’s epic!’ But that was it. With a Beatles show, we were on and off like that, and it didn’t seem strange.”
‘1964: Eyes of the Storm’:See Paul McCartney’s personal photos of The Beatles from his new book
McCartney, who turns 81 on Sunday, was at the festival to promote his new coffee-table book “1964: Eyes of the Storm,” which compiles the singer’s personal photos of The Beatles. The candid snapshots capture the Fab Four on the cusp of global stardom, culminating in their first trip to America and legendary performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February 1964.
Throughout the hour-long talk, McCartney flipped through pictures and fondly recalled memories of each of his bandmates, starting with John Lennon.
“I was a big fan of John’s – we all were, actually, in the group,” McCartney said. “He was like, a very cool guy, you know? Very witty, very funny, but also very deep and real. These photos show that from an early age.”
Before they got famous, McCartney and George Harrison would go hitchhiking together. (“That’s my little hitchhiking mate!”) And Ringo Starr always had a way with the ladies.
“Ringo was like, suave,” McCartney said. “He had the best car. He would drink bourbon and 7 Up. Woo! And when he was going on a date with a girl, he’d put two cigarettes in his mouth and light them, and then give one to her. He was that kind of guy.”
He also reflected on meeting singer Ronnie Spector, and how The Beatles covered songs by The Ronettes, The Shirelles and The Marvelettes.
“You played a lot of songs by girl groups and promoted them, and they were songs you loved,” O’Brien said. “Ringo would sing ‘Boys’ and didn’t even change the gender. It was just, ‘We’re going to sing, “Please Mr. Postman” and “Baby, It’s You.” ’ And that was, at the time, unusual.”
“Mostly Black American music, really,” McCartney said. “As you said, Ringo sang ‘Boys’ and we never thought that was strange. It was just a great song. I don’t think we really worried about what the lyrics said.”
McCartney ended the conversation on a bittersweet note, saying what a “joy” it was to rediscover these “family snapshots.”
“And seeing them after all these years,” McCartney said. “Good-looking boys!”
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