Fans get 'One on One' with Paul McCartney at Pappy & Harriet's

Paul McCartney at Pappy & Harriet's



www.desertsun.com
Fans get 'One on One' with Paul McCartney at Pappy & Harriet's
Bruce Fessier , The Desert Sun
October 13, 2016



Paul McCartney performs "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Hard Days Night" during Desert Trip at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio. Courtesy of Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney, arguably the biggest pop star on the planet, gave one of his most intimate concerts for a largely locals-only crowd Thursday, providing the kind of energy that was probably reminiscent of his old days of playing of the Cavern in Liverpool with the Beatles.

McCartney, who has been playing unusual dates since opening his One-On-One tour at the SaveMart Arena in Fresno in April, might have played his most unusual date for 300 people at Pappy & Harriet’s saloon in Pioneertown. It was a well-kept secret providing him with a concert between his two high profile Desert Trip appearances in Indio.


Paul McCartney performs to a literally packed house Thursday at Pappy and Harriet's saloon in Pioneertown
(Photo: Bruce Fessier/The Desert Sun)

“Welcome to Pappy and Harriet’s,” said McCartney, wearing a white long-sleeve shirt and suspenders with no jacket. “This is the biggest gig we ever played!

“We thought it would be a good idea to come out to a little roadhouse like this.”

McCartney opened with a solo number, “Save Us,” and then went into a selection of Beatles and Wings songs, including “A Hard Day's Night,” “Junior’s Farm” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Fans screamed and sang along, especially to his Beatles songs. When he tried to end his set with “Hey Jude” after an hour and 15 minutes, he got shrieks before most everyone began singing along. “I can’t stop this thing!” McCartney said. Then he came back for an encore of three more songs.

Singer Victoria Williams said with a big smile on her face, “I think it’s great. Fantastic!”

She was one of a handful of desert musicians invited to the special show. Also in the crowd, although not together, were former Kyuss band leaders Josh Homme and Brant Bjork.

The Western-style bar was so packed, most people were only able to catch glimpses of McCartney’s head bopping back and forth. Many watched on a video monitor. But the sensation of being within 20 yards of a Beatle and hearing him sing and speak close up and personal created a sense of history, not to mention joy. The sound was among the best ever heard at Pappy’s.

McCartney seemed to be having as much fun as the crowd, saying, “This is fantastic here in Pioneertown.”

Actually, the gig was a long time in the making.

Pappy’s co-owner Robyn Celia said a friend who also is a friend of McCartney’s had been telling the former Beatle about the nationally acclaimed saloon for years. The place has been the site of many legendary performances by McCartney contemporaries such as Eric Burdon of the Animals and Leon Russell. Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin has dropped in to sing some songs. Earlier this year, the music website, Consequence of Sound named Pappy and Harriet’s the 13th best music venue in the United States, well ahead of Madison Square Gardens.

When McCartney agreed to play Goldenvoice's Desert Trip at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, he reportedly said he also wanted to play a “real desert” gig.

Celia said she got an e-mail about a month ago from someone she didn’t know who was making inquiries about her performance venue. Soon, people started coming around to scout the specifications at Pappy’s. She discovered it was McCartney’s people about two weeks ago when she was told McCartney wanted to play her saloon.

Celia quickly agreed to the date McCartney wanted.

“I’m a huge fan of the Beatles,” she said. “I’m a huge fan of Wings. I was really happy. He’s brought so much joy to everybody’s life. I’m sorry for everybody who couldn’t get in, but I’m glad for the people that did get in.”


British artist David Hockney was seen attending Paul McCartney's concert at Pappy & Harriet's with Nancy McCartney. (Photo: Joe Enos/Special to The Desert Sun)

More than 1,000 people were turned away after co-presenter KCRW public radio announced the concert at 9 a.m. Thursday. Pappy and Harriet’s put it on social media shortly thereafter. Single tickets were scheduled go on sale for $50 at 6:30 p.m. but people who weren't in line at 3 p.m., when they were allowed to begin queuing up, were told they wouldn't be able to get in.

Jan Jacques of Palm Springs said he read about the show on Facebook and drove to a dirt lot down the road from Pappy’s at around 1:15 p.m. He said people were already sitting in cars waiting for an opportunity to line up for tickets.

“There were five of us in a little dirt area,” he said “and, when we got out, all the people in the cars were looking at us and got out and started getting in a line.”

Becky Morgan of Upland, who read about the show on Facebook that morning and immediately told her boss she was taking a half-day off, said she got into that "pre-line" of 25 people at 1:45 p.m.

But Celia said there was no official pre-line. McCartney’s management insisted that this be a locals-only show, she said, and they did not want people driving in from out of town and waiting in line to get in line.

McCartney asked the crowd how many people were actually from Pioneertown and got a large cheer. He asked how many had come from out of town and got only a fraction of that reaction.

McCartney played a significantly different set than he played Saturday at Desert Trip. He added the Wings songs, “Band on the Run” and “Feel Like Letting Go,” and Beatles songs such as “Yer Birthday” and “I Saw Her Standing There," which was the final encore of the 90-minute show. He didn't do his tributes to his late Beatles colleagues John Lennon and George Harrison, and such big production numbers as "Live and Let Die," "A Day in the Life" and the "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" medley that ended his Saturday Desert Trip set.

This gig didn’t include a guest appearance by Neil Young, as his show at Desert Trip did. But his wife, Nancy, was in the audience at Pappy’s with the great British artist, David Hockney, adding to the family feel of the evening.

Rumors abounded that Mick Jagger, who was seen staying in the high desert, and Keith Richards, might show up, but Richards and other Rolling Stones, including Charlie Watt, bassist Darryl Jones, saxophonist Tim Ries and backup singer Sasha Allen instead attended the concert by the Stones' long-time backup singer, Lisa Fischer, at the Renaissance Indian Wells Resort & Spa.