News Paul McCartney recalls disastrous early performance with John Lennon
Paul McCartney is one of the most experienced and esteemed performers of all time, but it wasn’t always that way. In a particularly nightmarish early performance, he suddenly froze up during a guitar solo.
Between a lengthy solo career and his time on the road with The Beatles and Wings, McCartney has enchanted audiences all over the world with his on-stage presence. He’s played almost everywhere, from The Ed Sullivan Show to a rooftop in London, but his seamless performing style has been honed and perfected over time.
When McCartney was just starting out, he was far less confident in his performing abilities. Speaking on Pushkin’s McCartney: A Life in Lyrics podcast, the Beatles songwriter recalled a disastrous early performance with John Lennon.
The show took place at a venue called the Conservative Club, which McCartney remembered being above a shop in Broadway, Liverpool. “It was like, the first thing I ever played,” he remembered.
Although he’s now widely known as the bassist for The Beatles, McCartney took on the lead guitar parts while Lennon played rhythm. When McCartney approached a guitar solo, he suddenly froze. “I could not move my fingers,” he remembered.
It’s difficult to imagine McCartney stumbling over a solo now, but the embarrassment of the early performance almost led him to stop playing. “My lead guitar playing career melted at that moment,” he stated, “and I said, ‘Well, I’m not doing this again. I’m not cut out for this. I’m no good.’”
Fortunately for Beatles fans, the disastrous gig couldn’t quite dissuade McCartney from pursuing a career in music. He pushed through the embarrassment of that nightmarish early performance and swapped his lead guitar for bass with The Beatles. From there, he would begin forging a legacy as one of the most well-known and well-loved songwriters and performers of all time.
Over half a century later, McCartney is still performing. Within the last few years, he’s continued to play stages across the world and headlined Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in 2022. Undeterred by an early guitar solo stumble, he remains one of the most sought-after performers of all time.
If you’re a budding band or lead guitarist who has ever frozen up on stage, tempted to give in to the embarrassment, rest assured that even McCartney was once in the same boat.
Listen to McCartney recalling his nightmarish early performance with John Lennon below.
