It’s 50 years this week since Paul McCartney and Wings played a gig at Lancaster University’s Great Hall.
The concert formed part of the Wings University Tour in 1972, shortly after the band's formation and initial album release, Wild Life. The Lancaster date was the fifth night in what turned out to be an eleven-date tour of England.
Documented on Sir Paul’s official website, Sir Paul, his wife Linda, their children, two roadies and his Wings bandmates - Denny Laine, Henry McCullough, and Denny Seiwell - set off from his house in St John’s Wood, London, in a truck and a caravan and headed north.
Sir Paul is quoted as saying: “We went off on our little university tour, which was great.
“It was very ballsy to do, really, I couldn’t think of anything else. It didn’t feel ballsy at the time, it just felt like, well, what else do I do? We literally took off in a van up the M1, got to Ashby-de-la-Zouch, liked that name, 'Great! Turn off here'. But there wasn’t a gig, there was just a little village and nothing else there. It was a signpost.
‘’Anyway we kept going until we got to Nottingham University, and then it suddenly hit, 'Ah, that’s it – let’s do universities.'”
Wings had stayed in a hotel at Newcastle the previous night, following their concert at Newcastle University. In the morning on February 14th, they left Newcastle to head to Carlisle, but as there was no university there, they continued to Lancaster.
Quoted in the “Back In The World” tour programme, 2003, Sir Paul adds: ‘’We only had like 11 numbers and we had to repeat ‘Lucille’ to pad out the show by saying ‘We’ve had a request from Willie from the languages course, he wants to hear ‘Lucille’ again’.
‘’We just made it up; 50p on the door, no hotels booked, no gigs booked, no nothing booked. Even the lowliest group throughout history has had a hotel booked for them, but we were just mad.’’
They spent the night at Lancaster and would leave the following day to Bradford.
Paul McCartney and Wings were one of a large number of bands and musical acts to play The Great Hall. From when it opened in October 1969 it immediately started playing host to some of the most exciting and innovative rock bands in the world, for the entertainment of students and the public.
Over a fifteen-year period, the University became a 'must play' venue for rock bands. The artists who played there over the years are well documented in the book ‘When Rock Went to College’, which incorporates an A-Z listing of the acts that performed on the stage from 1969 to 1985, along with the stories and recollections of Barry Lucas, Entertainments Manager, and Paul Tomlinson, local music enthusiast.
Recollecting how he got such a global superstar to play at Lancaster Uni, Barry writes: ‘’I had formed a great relationship with (agent) June Whyton over the previous few months. She understood and had contacts with many legendary artists of the 1960s. I asked her if she could get to Paul McCartney.
‘’I had an idea. The annual Rag Ball was coming up. What if Paul McCartney and his new band were to put in an unannounced appearance? I could make up a name, stick them on the bill and then announce to the audience that they were going to see a Beetle and his new superstar band. June thought it was a runner and promised she would get it to Paul.
‘’You can never be certain in the music business….but there was a chance. I heard nothing for several weeks until on the Monday if Rag Week June phoned me to say ‘it’s on!’. It was almost impossible to grasp. I went to see Paula Richardson, who was in charge of Great Hall bookings, to make sure that all was well for the Rag Ball on the Friday.
‘’When I returned to my office, (my colleague) Alan Murray was there with two guys. He told me that they claimed to be Paul McCartney’s roadies and were playing here tonight!....I went outside and saw a group of people. (Among them) were the band and Paul McCartney! He asked if it was ok if they played tonight and I of course said yes.’’
Barry then describes how he and other members of staff rushed to get the Hall ready, and spread the word that the gig was on, going round campus using a megaphone and ringing up every ticket promoter in the North West.
‘’I went round campus telling everyone they could see Paul McCartney tonight for 50p,’’ he writes. ‘’I ended up pleading with people to believe me, it was harder than you think!’’
There was meant to be another gig on at the University that night, on another part of the campus, the Bowland Refectory. It was meant to be a fundraiser for the Miner’s Strike Fund, as at that time the strike was at its height. Eventually, it was arranged that this show would take place after the Wings gig, and with that 1,100 packed into the Great Hall to see Paul McCartney’s new band.
Barry picks up the story once more: ‘’It was a really memorable night, although the band didn’t actually have a full set to play. At the end of the set, Paul McCartney announced (to the crowd) that there was another great band playing in the Bowland, and they were going down.
‘’They didn’t actually go as they were leaving in their minibus straight away. I handed them a brown envelope containing about £550. Paul took out some petrol money and gave me the rest back, telling me to put it in the Miner’s Strike Fund.
‘’My outstanding memory of the day is just what a nice guy Paul McCartney was, and I also thought Linda was a terrific, friendly person as well.’’
You can read much more in the fantastic ‘When Rock Went to College’, by ordering a copy here
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