Wings 1973 UK Tour
Tour by Wings | |
Associated album | Red Rose Speedway |
---|---|
Start date | 11 May 1973 |
End date | 10 July 1973 |
Legs | 2 |
No. of shows | 21 |
Wings concert chronology | |
|
During the spring and early summer of 1973, Paul McCartney's band Wings performed on a twelve-city concert tour of the United Kingdom.[1]
Promotion
The tour was for the purpose of promoting the band's latest album, Red Rose Speedway, as well as the single "Live and Let Die" from the James Bond film of the same name. Another reason for the tour was that McCartney simply enjoying playing live shows.[2]
This was the largest tour yet for Wings.[3] Unlike the surprise appearances of the previous year's Wings University Tour and the spontaneous nature of the follow-up Wings Over Europe Tour,[4] here the tour was announced in more normal fashion and fans could buy tickets ahead of time.[1] Tickets sold well, with a third date being added at the Hammersmith Odeon and other cities being added onto the itinerary.[2] The routing included a return to McCartney's hometown as the band played the Liverpool Empire Theatre on 18 May.[3]
The announced nature of the tour also meant that music critics could arrange to see the shows, and while the press's regard for McCartney and the Wings enterprise in general was fairly low, the concerts got some mixed-to-good notices.[1]
Wings' line-up for the tour was Paul and Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Henry McCullough, and Denny Seiwell.[3] Shows lasted for around an hour or so.[4] Wings presented a different image on stage during the tour's shows than they did on record, being respectively "undeniably vigorous and invigorating" rather than "tame, even lame," as Tony Palmer wrote for The Observer after seeing the tour's opening night at the Bristol Hippodrome.[4] The band had somewhat more material to play than they had in previous outings, and McCullough's instrumental "Henry's Blue", previously used to fill out the setlist, was not employed.[5] Laine's singing of his former band The Moody Blues' hit "Go Now" was included, however.[4]
As per McCartney's practice with Wings at the time, the three non-McCartney band members did not earn a share of the receipts but rather received a flat rate of £70 a week, with a £1000 bonus paid at the tour's conclusion.[6] This reinforced the financial dissatisfaction that Seiwell was feeling with vaguely promised royalties from Wings' recordings not coming to him.[7] McCullough was also unhappy with the monetary situation and furthermore resented having to share the stage with Linda McCartney.[8] Although her keyboard playing had improved from before,[2] she still qualified as a musical amateur.[8] Overall, the group began coming apart during the tour.[2] The situation with Seiwell and McCollough would soon reach a breaking point in the weeks immediately afterward, and both quit Wings shortly before the group left for Lagos, Nigeria to record Band on the Run.[9]
The support act for the entire tour was pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz.[2] Paul and Linda asked them to be on the tour after seeing them perform at the London Hard Rock Cafe's opening night a few weeks previously. Prior to the tour, Wings had performed unannounced at the Hard Rock on 18 March in support of the charity organisation Release.
During a break in the tour itinerary, the McCartneys went exploring and ended up buying a secluded house, Waterfall, in Peasmarsh, Surrey, which would end up becoming their main residence.[10]
Tour dates
Date | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
11 May 1973 | Bristol | England | Bristol Hippodrome |
12 May 1973 | Oxford | New Theatre Oxford | |
13 May 1973 | Cardiff | Wales | Capitol Theatre |
15 May 1973 | Bournemouth | England | Bournemouth Winter Gardens |
16 May 1973 | Manchester | Hardrock Concert Theatre | |
17 May 1973 | |||
18 May 1973 | Liverpool | Liverpool Empire Theatre 2 performances | |
19 May 1973 | Leeds | University of Leeds Refectory | |
21 May 1973 | Preston | Preston Guild Hall | |
22 May 1973 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Newcastle Odeon | |
23 May 1973 | Edinburgh | Scotland | Odeon Cinema 2 performances |
24 May 1973 | Glasgow | Green's Playhouse | |
25 May 1973 | London | England | Hammersmith Odeon |
26 May 1973 | |||
27 May 1973 | |||
4 July 1973 | Sheffield | Sheffield City Hall | |
6 July 1973 | Birmingham | Birmingham Odeon | |
9 July 1973 | Leicester | Odeon | |
10 July 1973 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Newcastle City Hall |
A source:[11]
References
- ^ a b c McGee, Band on the Run, p. 45.
- ^ a b c d e McGee, Band on the Run, p. 46.
- ^ a b c Sounes, Fab, p. 305.
- ^ a b c d Palmer, Tony (20 May 1973). "O, for the Wings ..." The Observer. London. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, p. 208.
- ^ Sounes, Fab, p. 308.
- ^ Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, p. 204.
- ^ a b Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, p. 210.
- ^ Sounes, Fab, pp. 308–310.
- ^ Sounes, Fab, pp. 306–307.
- ^ McGee, Band on the Run, pp. 173–174.
Cited bibliography
- McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing.
- Rodriguez, Robert (2010). Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980. Milwaukee: Backbeat Books.
- Sounes, Howard (2010). Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney. London: HarperCollins.
- v
- t
- e
- Wild Life (1971)
- Red Rose Speedway (1973)
- Band on the Run (1973)
- Venus and Mars (1975)
- Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976)
- London Town (1978)
- Back to the Egg (1979)
- Wings over America (1976)
- Wings over Europe (2018)
- One Hand Clapping (2024)
- Wings Greatest (1978)
- Cold Cuts (unreleased)
- Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)
- "Give Ireland Back to the Irish"
- "Mary Had a Little Lamb" / "Little Woman Love"
- "Hi, Hi, Hi" / "C Moon"
- "My Love"
- "Live and Let Die" / "I Lie Around"
- "Helen Wheels" / "Country Dreamer"
- "Mrs. Vandebilt" / "Bluebird"
- "Jet" / "Mamunia"
- "Let Me Roll It"
- "Band on the Run" / "Zoo Gang"
- "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five"
- "Junior's Farm" / "Sally G"
- "Listen to What the Man Said" / "Love in Song"
- "Letting Go" / "You Gave Me the Answer"
- "Venus and Mars"/"Rock Show" / "Magneto and Titanium Man"
- "Silly Love Songs" / "Cook of the House"
- "Let 'Em In" / "Beware My Love"
- "Maybe I'm Amazed" / "Soily"
- "Seaside Woman"
- "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School"
- "With a Little Luck" / "Backwards Traveller"/"Cuff Link"
- "I've Had Enough" / "Deliver Your Children"
- "London Town" / "I'm Carrying"
- "Goodnight Tonight" / "Daytime Nighttime Suffering"
- "Old Siam, Sir"
- "Getting Closer"
- "Arrow Through Me" / "Old Siam, Sir"
- "Rockestra Theme"
- "Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)"
- "Mama's Little Girl"
- "Big Barn Bed"
- "Little Lamb Dragonfly"
- "No Words"
- "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)"
- "Call Me Back Again"
- "She's My Baby"
- "Must Do Something About It"
- "Warm and Beautiful"
- "Girlfriend"
- Wings University Tour (1972)
- Wings Over Europe Tour (1972)
- Wings 1973 UK Tour (May 1973)
- Wings Over the World tour (1975-1976)
- Wings UK Tour 1979 (1979)
- Wings Over the World (1979)
- Concert for Kampuchea (1980)
- Rockshow (1980)
- Back to the Egg (1981)
- Wingspan – An Intimate Portrait (2001)
- 1972 Wings Tour Bus
- Discography
- Songs
- McGear
- Concerts for the People of Kampuchea (album)
- Japanese Tears
- Standard Time
- Suzy and the Red Stripes
- The Oriental Nightfish
- Wide Prairie