CLUB SANDWICH 55-56

required [$18 million] to do-up the building where McCartney, Senior and Harrison, George once piped "here" - kids from all over the globe will be able to study .
            The launch of the appeal began with George Martin, looking like King Lear, speaking words of wisdom.
            "I think you have a wonderful environment here for really socking it to them throughout the world", quoth George.
            "I saw for myself all those years ago the effect Liverpool music, The Beatles' music, on America and how Paul and the other three boys simply knocked the world sideways with their talent.
            "It was an extraordinary experience to go down New York's Fifth Avenue and see men of my present age, in other words, my very venerable age, sensible people, wearing Beatles wigs because it was the thing to do.
            "And no matter where you switched the dial on your radio at any time of the day, you heard a Beatles song. It was complete and utter saturation and Liverpool did that.
            "Congratulations Liverpool - do it again!"
            As Mac took his turn to talk, outside in the city switching the dial on your radio proved that Mac, at least, was "doing it again".
            Announcers burbled on about "the massive crowds" at Kings Dock, jocks played Beatles back-to-back and every so often this or that station would be "now going over live" to the gig where on the spot reporters jabbered with the enthusiasm of those who'd won ringside seats for the Second Coming.
            The launch of 20,000 TDK balloons in tandem with the opening bar of Figure Of Eight started the show - the subsequent next 10 bars of Figure being lost in the unisoned yell from the crowd - and from then one it was one, long glorious madness. Fireworks punctuated Pepper, teenies jived in the crowd, grandmothers pulled up their skirts to tentatively hop and reel, dads bounced with babies on their shoulders, the entire crew walked about grinning and after one especially raucous singalong, Macca said "I'd tell you you were brilliant...but you know that already".
            But not even Paul, steeped in Scouseness, was ready for the reaction to the medley of John songs that he'd worked together for this, the most fitting place to truly pay a 'nod and a wink' homage to 'someone we all loved dearly'.
            Strawberry Fields became Help and Help became Give Peace A Chance and that should have been that.
            But Liverpool had a better idea. As Macca and the band hit the last chord and Paul stood and bowed, the crowd decided the song wasn't finished. Sure, Paul had finished ...but as the cheers and applause died a chant from way at the back grew and grEW AND GREW until the whole wonderful 50,000 of 'em were singing the best lines that John ever stood for... "all we are sayyyyyyingggggg is give peace a chance...all we are sayyyyyyinggggg is give peace a chance".
            The chant became a bellow, one big primal lullaby for the other guy who should have been standing there and for a moment it gripped Mac in its emotional swirl.
            Was there a tear? It could have been sweat. Probably was. Well...maybe. Leastways, he shook it; leaping back to the piano stool and hurling the band back into the song.
            Weeks later, looking back at Liverpool from America on the last leg of the tour, he said:
            "It was one of the greatest moments of my career that, when the crowd wouldn't stop singing....It's moments like that that make you go 'God, this is it! God, this is live! God, this is the way I like it'.
            "The thrill of all that is what you do it all for really"
            The London Daily Mail said it the same. It wrote of Let It Be Liverpool...."Was this history? Probably. It was certainly one of the greatest moments of his career. Liverpool will not see its like again".
            And backstage in Paul's dressing room, half an hour after Macca had "done a runner" on a coach from the show, brother Mike sat listening to a procession of Paul's aides gushing how brilliant, how moving, how fab, how better than anywhere this gig had been.
            "It was just so special, so...so...there was magic out in that crowd tonight, man, just a weird magic", said one of the crew.
            "I know", said Mike, "And it's called Liverpool".
            Two days later Paul McCartney's band joined Tears For Fears, Status Quo, Cliff and The Shadows, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Phil Collins and Genesis, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Pink Floyd at the Music Therapy charity show at Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire.
            The super-bands competed before 120,000 people that day and, in my humble opinion, you need know only one thing about it. We won.