PAUL McCARTNEY BACKSTAGE AT THE SPECTRUM (MAY 12, 1976) PART 1

Paul McCartney stops to say hello and pose for a
picture after a late-afternoon rehearsal with Wings.
In the background (left), is McCartney's piano case.
He is pictured here carrying a leather flight jacket,
and wearing an ivory Wings pendant around  his neck.
© ROGER BARONE 1976

I crossed paths with Paul McCartney about five or six times during his two concerts at the Spectrum in 1976. We shook hands about four times, shared a Frisbee catch, he posed for photos (the shot to the left), and engaged in  brief chats.

During the move-out, when a full crew of stagehands, changeover crew members, truck loaders, security personnel, roadies and cleaners crowded the back hallways like a throng of marathon runners waiting for the starting pistol to fire before attacking  the course, McCartney made his way down the ramp, like Moses parting the red sea, as the path opened wider with every step.

As he approached, I looked up and waved. He, apparently, recognized me as he, took a step toward me and said, "And, You, I'll catch you later, " before flinging another thumbs up--for the road. My friends would eventually adopt the McCartney farewell, whenever we'd depart from work.

During the sound check, I stood at McCartney's feet, adjusting and readjusting (it only needed adjusting) a black curtain running the length of the stage. He smiled and gestured to me repeatedly, acknowledging my presence with a few left-handed, thumbs up, or smiling with a furrowed brow. Streams of smoke billowed from a cigarette carefully placed in the headstock of his blond Rickenbacker Bass guitar.

Note: During the McCartney sound checks, the inner arena, or, bowl area, was cleared. Absolutely "no one" was permitted in the arena during his rehearsal. This was the first time that I'd ever experienced something like this. But, I found away around this security restriction by grabbing several rolls of black tape and a large black drape, about eighty-feet long, and attached it to the  the stage front. It was my ticket to, essentially, a private rehearsal from Paul McCartney and Wings. During the second night's sound check, I hid in the upper level, and shot a few  photos. It was very dark, and the pictures weren't that good, but with today's photo editing software like Photoshop and Lightroom, I might be able to make them usable.

"Let Me Roll It," he sang repeatedly, in fact, that song from the Venus and Mars album received several run throughs during the rehearsal.

McCartney was very friendly and walked with a bounce in his
step. I first met him when he arrived early by limo' for
a sound check. I had blocked the inside driveway with chair racks so that McCartney and mates would have to walk past me once the vehicles entered the venue. It worked perfectly. Paul got out of the limo' right in front of me, held up a yellow Frisbee, and tossed
it to me.

 I held onto the Frisbee, clutching the yellow, future family heirloom before me McCartney waved to me, before placing his hands in catch mode, saying, "Come, come, toss it back." We shook hands and he headed up the back halls to the dressing rooms with his entourage, including Linda.

A dark brown woodcut engraving with the words, "Paul and Linda" in a fancy loopy script was placed on the 76ers' dressing room door, which he used.

Inside the dressing room,  three or four beige Ovation guitar cases lay on the floor and against a cart. In addition,  an opened, brown cardboard box, filled with promotional copies of his new album,
Wings at the Speed of Sound, was on the blue carpeted floor.

I was given a couple of copies later in the night, (each album had a circular hole in the bottom right-hand corner) Backstage guests were also given  a four-page, 5 x 7 inch, gated photo booklet, featuring inside a picture of the full band to the left of a blank white page, specifically designed for autographs. Most notably, Paul McCartney's. I still have and unsigned version in my archives.

Note: This will be the first of a series dedicated to Paul McCartney's visit to Philly in the next three weeks. I will write about my experiences from 1976 and 1990. Lots of photos will accompany the articles.