By Dennis Hartley
(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullabaloo on April 11, 2026)
I swear, Paul is everywhere, man. This documentary premieres on BBC-2 tonight:
Damn, I wish I could get BBC-2 here in the colonies; that’s right in my wheelhouse (yes, I know there are various “ways” to tap into the live feed, but I get the impression they all involve hoisting the pirate flag to the toppermost of the poppermost before setting sail).
Oprah shared a great Macca story with Stephen Colbert this week:
Two weeks ago, Sir Paul rocked L.A. in his first concert dates for 2026:
Playing the first of two nights at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood Friday night, Paul McCartney acknowledged the tiered arrangement that had VIPs up in the balcony and the hoi polloi down on the floor. “Hello, you people upstairs, in the posh seats,” he said early in the show, and then, “You poor people down here have gotta stand up.” It almost seemed as if he might be alluding to a similar, famous speech given when the Beatles played for British royalty in 1963 — “The people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands, and the rest of you, if you’d just rattle your jewelry.” That was John’s thing, back then, but leave it to both Beatles to have a bemused sense of class consciousness.
Of course, when the world’s most celebrated living musician is playing at a 1,200-capacity venue, everyone in attendance is feeling like a VIP. Maybe most of all those on the floor, who, perhaps more to the point, had reason to feel like lottery winners. While there were some guest-listers at ground level as well, most of those in attendance had made it through a system in which they pre-registered with AXS and were selected for the opportunity to purchase $200 tickets (or a more expensive tier with exclusive merch bags). […]
Although they also got the chance to buy freshly minted merch with the logo of his forthcoming album, “The Boys of Dungeon Lane,” he did not premiere anything from that impending set, nor even play “Days We Left Behind,” which was just released Thursday as his first new single in five and a half years.
McCartney did mention “Days We Left Behind,” which led to the expectation he was about to play the nostalgic ballad, before he set the crowd straight. “We’re in the process of learning it, so don’t ask us to do it” he said, going on to explain what was giving him a little trouble in getting it down for live purposes. “And it’s in B, but I wrote it in C, but for some reason it’s in B.. I said, no, too much for me!” he quipped, apparently writing the disparity off as an Andrew Watt thing. Nonetheless, there were appreciative shouts about the new song, and McCartney replied, “I’m glad you love it.”
The new single is quite lovely, actually:
I daresay, at 83, Paul is starting to act his age:
Looking back at white and black
Reminders of my past
Smoky bars and cheap guitars
But nothing built to last
[CHORUS]
Nothing ever stays
Nothing comes to mind
No one can erase
The days we left behind
See the boys of Dungeon Lane
Along the Mersey shore
Some of them will feel the pain
But some were meant for more
[CHORUS]
[BRIDGE]
We met at Forthlin Road
And wrote a secret code
To never be spoken
I stand by what I said
The promise that I made
Will never be broken
[CHORUS]
In the skies, the skylarks rise
Above the sounds of war
Since that day, I knew they’d stay
With me for evermore
He had me at “…along the Mersey shore”.
Then there’s the new Wings doc that recently dropped on Prime Video:
Yeah, I know…this poor bloke doesn’t get enough coverage. That said, Morgan Neville’s intimate, candid portrait is an absorbing watch; beginning with the dissolution of the Beatles and covering the entire span of Wings’ history (1971-1981). The story of Paul and Linda’s relationship instills the film with a deeply emotional resonance. Worthwhile for fans.
Oh…and Sir Paul will be the musical guest on SNL on May 16th.
You can “OK Boomer” me until the troops come home, but as fucked-up as the world is right now (and on so many levels)…the fact that NASA is back on track and Paul McCartney has released a new one assures me that somewhere, out there in the ether…hope remains for humanity.
Previous posts with related themes:
Here, There, and Everywhere Now and Then
A Cellar Full of Goys: The Beatles Get Back
Turn off your mind and empty your wallet: ‘Revolver’ Deluxe review