I’ve seen two of the former Beatles in concert: Paul McCartney probably in the mid eighties and George Harrison a few years later. The McCartney concert was meant to wow with a laser light show and a fast paced presentation of old and new songs. In some concerts there are quiet moments when the performer speaks to the audience in an attempt to connect but we left feeling no closer to McCartney than before. Perhaps he was having an off night. Who knows.
On the other hand, the Harrison concert was all about connecting. We felt like a friend we’d known a long time had invited us into his heart once again. I think the only Beatle-related songs he sang were While My Guitar Gently Weeps (which he changed to While My Guitar Gently Smiles so as not to offend his audience) and Something. Sadly many folks who came expecting a Beatles concert left or took a breather when Ravi Shankar joined him for a few lively ragas. What dolts. But George took it well.
Flash forward to the end of November, 2001. I’d just parked my car at work when I heard the announcement on the radio that George Harrison, formerly of the Beatles had died. I wanted to cry, to blubber like a baby, and then run back home to bed with the covers over my head. And then, a rainbow appeared in front of me, spanning the San Francisco Bay. Not a wispy here and gone rainbow but a solid arch. Directly underneath this rainbow a bird sang from the top of a spare and leafless tree. I must have sat in the car for five minutes or perhaps an eternity or perhaps just the blink of an eye … mesmerized by the sight.
Do not grieve me, I am not gone.
Anyway, that was a long, long time ago.
Saying nothing in particular 
I was never a fan of Paul; George was my favorite Beatle. He was the most interesting and deepest of the four, in my opinion.
I loved all the Beatles but Paul gave a rock and roll show with all the glitz and gimmicks and George’s show was far more intimate.
Nice post x
Thank you!
I was a huge fan of George. His triple album ‘All Things Must Pass’ is still a favourite of mine.
Mine too!
Wow.
I’d say George made his pleasure known…
❤️
Well, they say you see what you need to see and the country was still getting over 9-11. I sure needed to see some hopeful scene!
very beautifull 👌
Thank you!
Paul shares many stories of his last days with George and they are heartfelt. He does hide behind the curtain of fame, rarely letting his true emotions come out – but his recent words about George are some of the most emotional and honest yet. Both have given us so much great music…I shared this story of George’s “Supergroup” in the 80’s – George came up with the name and here is how: https://johnrieber.com/2025/08/29/whats-a-wilbury-perhaps-the-greatest-supergroup-of-all-the-traveling-wilburys-the-origin-of-the-name-revealed/
I can understand Paul – some people find me a bit remote as well. I always thought the name Wilbury came from a group of locksmiths who traveled around Europe during Medieval times! I also heard a legend about a farmer named Wilbury who kept falling off his tractor!
I loved your post – thanks for sharing. For some reason I couldn’t comment on your site!
Hmmm…not sure why you can;t but thanks for reading…I found the “we’ll bury” twist hilarious!
Hi Jan, although I’m not really a fan of any of The Beatles (before my time), I appreciate how you felt at these two very different events.
The Beatles came to America when I was twelve only months after we had lost a beloved president (JFK) very tragically and so their joyful music was really a godsend. And when they all proved to have a sense of humor … it was even better.
The rainbow must have been wonderful.
I only saw Paul in concert. With Linda. Maybe the mood was different, or the selection of songs, we really had a wonderful time. (I’ll always miss John, though)
No doubt Paul works hard to put on a show – but did you feel connected to him?
I think so. He was very pleasant, good interaction with the mexican public (who are very cheery.) I remember another concert with Michael Bolton who was big at the time. Totally cold. Left us chatting “with the band” for 40 minutes halfway through… Probably went for a nap backstage…
Paul -and Linda- were 100% into it.
A memory counts as well. I’m sure I’d have been equally wowed.
My friend Duke wrote a beautiful story about transformative visions part of which is here … https://tinhatsblog.wordpress.com/2024/02/14/ranadip-and-the-baby-goat. At one time I tried to spin a few of his stories into a play. Another dud of an idea but fun.
Will check it out, thanks for the recommendation.