We asked some serious Newcastle fans of Paul McCartney why they loved him so much ahead of his concert at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on Tuesday, October 24, and they gave us their innermost thoughts.
Jade Lazarevic
First, I'm a massive fan of The Beatles and would consider myself as having been pretty much obsessed with them since I started listening to their music as a teen in the mid-90s.
I was always a John fan, but after I finally had the opportunity to see Paul live on his last tour, I can say that my eyes were opened and I've since delved so much further into his career outside of The Beatles, and believe that Paul was the standout musical genius of the band. His music is timeless, and his creativity and ability to write a song and change up his vocals without sticking to one musical style is astounding to me.
I listen to his music, whether The Beatles, Wings or his solo stuff, pretty much every day. I can't seem to get enough no matter how many times I listen.
I'm taking my kids to see Paul with me, and it truly is a dream come true for me to be able to share that moment with them. I see black and white footage of The Beatles with Paul and think 'How incredible is it that 60 years later he is still here and his music is still so iconic and I get to share that with my kids (aged 7 and 9) who will be singing along to songs like Let It Be, Get Back and Blackbird with me?'. A real-life actual Beatle!
The last time I saw Paul live, my Dad remarked that it's like seeing Beethoven. I think that is spot on - Paul is living music history.
Nuatali Nelmes
I grew up listening to The Beatles and will be taking my Mum to the concert on Tuesday. Paul is a talented musician and dedicated peace activist. My favourite McCartney song is Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da.
Mitch Revs
My favourite Paul McCartney song is Hunt You Down. I like that he also paints, and isn't just a muso. Pretty cool that he makes some of his own album art.
Michael Stamboulidis
Live and Let Die is like hitting the McCartney musical jackpot. I love the mix of catchy melodies and rock 'n' roll energy. Plus, being a massive Bond fan, this track just hits differently for me. So, in my book, it's not just one of his best, it's McCartney's musical dynamite.
Kurt Spiers
My favourite McCartney song is Monkberry Moon Delight, from RAM. I discovered it through Screamin Jay Hawkins (who covered it in 1971).
As a musician, bass player and music fan, Macca has had a huge influence on me. I'm a massive Beatles fan, and had the opportunity to see him 10 years ago in Vancouver. It's a rare feeling to be in a crowd experiencing these timeless songs together. Now that we've got mega-artists playing outdoor shows, perhaps it's time to revisit our own local music sound restrictions.
Juan Mahony
Yes, I'm off to see Sir Paul. I have never seen him before. The man is a musical living legend with his songs being very much the soundtrack of our lives. To be able to compose songs such as For No One, She's Leaving Home or Blackbird at such a young age, well, in his own words, Maybe I'm Amazed ... I sure am. It would just be nice to be able to photograph him in concert.
The other important thing for me is that McCartney is in that rare insightful breed of living British singer/songwriters, along with Ray Davies, Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg. Just a phenomenal and freakishly talented word and tunesmith.
Suellen Hall
I have waited 60 years to see Paul McCartney. I was an 11-year-old girl who loved The Beatles, but especially Paul. Through the eyes of an Aussie kid back in the '60s I thought he was the "handsomest man on the planet". His poster donned my wall and I kissed it regularly after practising on my pillow.
I watched The Beatles arrive in Australia on a very wet, rainy day and loved watching them walk down the steps from the plane smiling and waving to the thousands of fans, the screams of the girls and I joined them on my black-and-white TV set in Newcastle.
All through my teenage parties I danced to the tunes of The Beatles. Even as a university student I loved dancing, singing and partying to the Beatles' music. As I often danced a slow dance to Hey Jude with an available nice guy, I pretended it was Paul.
How lucky we all were to have lived through the music of the Beatles. All so sweet and innocent. Over the years I have always followed The Beatles and their music. Paul has always remained a humble, down-to-earth, totally adored musician who is so loved, admired and is the greatest song writer of all time. And one of the richest!
All I can say is I picked a great person to love as a kid, and bring on Tuesday, where I will hear Hey Jude and we will all be reminded of Yesterday.
Helen Gregory
Paul McCartney in Newcastle? I would have sooner believed he'd booked a show on the moon.
Almost everyone can draw a line from at least one song in McCartney's career - spanning the Quarrymen, The Beatles, Wings and as a solo artist - to a moment, season or person in their life.
His music has been the soundtrack to some of the most meaningful milestones in mine.
When I was a child, my Dad used to drive my sister and I to the beach at dawn, Here Comes The Sun playing on cassette.
It was the song we walked down the aisle to at my wedding.
On my first trip to England, I headed straight for Abbey Road and Savile Row, before stopping in Liverpool to - pinch me - drink at the Cavern Club, visit Eleanor Rigby's grave, stand on Penny Lane's roundabout and peer through the red gates at Strawberry Field.
When my sister and I criss-crossed the United States together we paused in Las Vegas to catch Cirque du Soleil's The Beatles: Love.
On a bus on the west coast of Ireland, I listened as an elderly American woman tracing her family roots murmured quietly along to In My Life.
Just as McCartney's music unites - wait for the Hey Jude refrain to reverberate around McDonald Jones Stadium - it is universal, transcending age, gender, race, language and location.
It came before me and will outlive everyone who congregates at Turton Road on Tuesday.
What a joy for Newcastle to be in McCartney's orbit, if only for a few hours.
Judith Whitfield
I distinctly remember the first time I heard Hey Jude, which was written by Paul. I was 15 and listened to it after wondering what all the fuss was about regarding The Beatles. I knew of the band, and knew more than a few of their songs, but after that first encounter with Hey Jude, my appreciation went to another level entirely. I became hooked, and the best part of loving them was that there was so much material to uncover. Paul and John were prolific composers and it's hard to find a "bad" song. The B-sides, the outtakes, the covers, the originals, they were all touched by magic. The wonderful thing is, these songs will be discovered by some other curious 15-year-old, wondering what all the fuss was about, and they will get to experience the unabashed joy of his music.
Paul is such a diverse songwriter, it's truly astounding to comprehend. Yes, there are the perfectly executed love songs: Two of Us, The Long and Winding Road, All My Loving, Maybe I'm Amazed; the ballads: Hey Jude, Let It Be, Blackbird, Mull of Kintyre; the classic rock 'n' roll: Can't Buy Me Love, Back in the USSR, I Saw Her Standing There; and of course, the songs that stand alone in their own world: Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, Penny Lane. But he also experimented and had fun within his repertoire: the country undertones of I've Just Seen a Face; the whimsy of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, the blues of Get Back. There is a Paul song for every mood, for every occasion.
I have all the merchandise: a Beatles watch, clothes, posters, belt buckles, Zippo lighter, badges, earrings, bags, original magazines and vinyl, stationery, mugs, videos, CDs, DVDs, books and more.
When I lived in London, one of the first things I did was visit the Abbey Road crossing, walk by the Indica Gallery, and stare up to the roof on Savile Row where The Beatles played their final concert.
One day I booked a tour to Liverpool. When I arrived at Euston Station, I learnt I was the only person booked for the tour, which the company decided didn't warrant a guide, so they gave me my tickets and itinerary and sent me on my way alone. I caught the train to Liverpool, headed straight for the Cavern Club where I listened to the house band and marvelled at the place where The Beatles played their first shows. I went to the Beatles Museum at the Liverpool Docks and then caught the yellow Magical Mystery Tour bus around Liverpool to see the famous sights.
A highlight was driving along Penny Lane and seeing all the spots that had inspired Paul to write the song.
I love Paul's enthusiasm for music, his passion for performing and his commitment to the fans. He has been writing, playing and performing for 60+ years and he still gives everything he's got on stage, and this has been repaid by legions of followers throughout his lifetime.
When it comes to music, he seems to live by the final words he recorded for The Beatles: "the love you take is equal to the love you make".
