Wings 1973 UK Tour: Difference between revisions

Wings 1973 UK Tour
Tour by Wings
Associated album	Red Rose Speedway
Start date	11 May 1973
End date	10 July 1973
Legs	2
No. of shows	21
Wings concert chronology
	; Wings Over Europe Tour; (1972); ; Wings 1973 UK Tour; (1973); ; Wings Over the World tour; (1975–76);

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During the spring and early summer of 1973, Paul McCartney's band Wings performed on a twelve-city concert tour of the United Kingdom.^[1]

Promotion

The tour was for the purpose of promoting the band's latest album, Red Rose Speedway, as well as the single "Live and Let Die" from the James Bond film of the same name. Another reason for the tour was that McCartney simply enjoying playing live shows.^[2]

This was the largest tour yet for Wings.^[3] Unlike the surprise appearances of the previous year's Wings University Tour and the spontaneous nature of the follow-up Wings Over Europe Tour,^[4] here the tour was announced in more normal fashion and fans could buy tickets ahead of time.^[1] Tickets sold well, with a third date being added at the Hammersmith Odeon and other cities being added onto the itinerary.^[2] The routing included a return to McCartney's hometown as the band played the Liverpool Empire Theatre on 18 May.^[3]

The announced nature of the tour also meant that music critics could arrange to see the shows, and while the press's regard for McCartney and the Wings enterprise in general was fairly low, the concerts got some mixed-to-good notices.^[1]

Wings' line-up for the tour was Paul and Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Henry McCullough, and Denny Seiwell.^[3] Shows lasted for around an hour or so.^[4] Wings presented a different image on stage during the tour's shows than they did on record, being respectively "undeniably vigorous and invigorating" rather than "tame, even lame," as Tony Palmer wrote for The Observer after seeing the tour's opening night at the Bristol Hippodrome.^[4] The band had somewhat more material to play than they had in previous outings, and McCullough's instrumental "Henry's Blue", previously used to fill out the setlist, was not employed.^[5] Laine's singing of his former band The Moody Blues' hit "Go Now" was included, however.^[4]

As per McCartney's practice with Wings at the time, the three non-McCartney band members did not earn a share of the receipts but rather received a flat rate of £70 a week, with a £1000 bonus paid at the tour's conclusion.^[6] This reinforced the financial dissatisfaction that Seiwell was feeling with vaguely promised royalties from Wings' recordings not coming to him.^[7] McCullough was also unhappy with the monetary situation and furthermore resented having to share the stage with Linda McCartney.^[8] Although her keyboard playing had improved from before,^[2] she still qualified as a musical amateur.^[8] Overall, the group began coming apart during the tour.^[2] The situation with Seiwell and McCollough would soon reach a breaking point in the weeks immediately afterward, and both quit Wings shortly before the group left for Lagos, Nigeria to record Band on the Run.^[9]

The support act for the entire tour was pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz.^[2] Paul and Linda asked them to be on the tour after seeing them perform at the London Hard Rock Cafe's opening night a few weeks previously. Prior to the tour, Wings had performed unannounced at the Hard Rock on 18 March in support of the charity organisation Release.

During a break in the tour itinerary, the McCartneys went exploring and ended up buying a secluded house, Waterfall, in Peasmarsh, Surrey, which would end up becoming their main residence.^[10]

Tour dates

Date	City	Country	Venue
11 May 1973	Bristol	England	Bristol Hippodrome
12 May 1973	Oxford	England	New Theatre Oxford
13 May 1973	Cardiff	Wales	Capitol Theatre
15 May 1973	Bournemouth	England	Bournemouth Winter Gardens
16 May 1973	Manchester		Hardrock Concert Theatre
17 May 1973	Manchester		Hardrock Concert Theatre
18 May 1973	Liverpool		Liverpool Empire Theatre 2 performances
19 May 1973	Leeds		University of Leeds Refectory
21 May 1973	Preston		Preston Guild Hall
22 May 1973	Newcastle upon Tyne		Newcastle Odeon
23 May 1973	Edinburgh	Scotland	Odeon Cinema 2 performances
24 May 1973	Glasgow	Scotland	Green's Playhouse
25 May 1973	London	England	Hammersmith Odeon
26 May 1973
27 May 1973
4 July 1973	Sheffield		Sheffield City Hall
6 July 1973	Birmingham		Birmingham Odeon
9 July 1973	Leicester		Odeon
10 July 1973	Newcastle upon Tyne		Newcastle City Hall

A source:^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c McGee, Band on the Run, p. 45.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e McGee, Band on the Run, p. 46.
^ ^a ^b ^c Sounes, Fab, p. 305.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Palmer, Tony (20 May 1973). "O, for the Wings ..." The Observer. London. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, p. 208.
^ Sounes, Fab, p. 308.
^ Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, p. 204.
^ ^a ^b Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, p. 210.
^ Sounes, Fab, pp. 308–310.
^ Sounes, Fab, pp. 306–307.
^ McGee, Band on the Run, pp. 173–174.

Cited bibliography

McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing.
Rodriguez, Robert (2010). Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980. Milwaukee: Backbeat Books.
Sounes, Howard (2010). Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney. London: HarperCollins.

[mcgee-45-1] McGee, Band on the Run, p. 45.

[mcgee-46-2] McGee, Band on the Run, p. 46.

[sounes-305-3] Sounes, Fab, p. 305.

[observer-4] Palmer, Tony (20 May 1973). "O, for the Wings ..." The Observer. London. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.

[rodriguez-208-5] Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, p. 208.

[6] Sounes, Fab, p. 308.

[rodriguez-204-7] Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, p. 204.

[rodriguez-210-8] Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, p. 210.

[9] Sounes, Fab, pp. 308–310.

[10] Sounes, Fab, pp. 306–307.

[11] McGee, Band on the Run, pp. 173–174.

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[3]

[4]

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[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|1973 concert tour by Wings}}
-{{Unreferenced|date=February 2007}}
-{{Primarysources|date=December 2007}}
+{{EngvarB|date=February 2016}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
-{{Infobox concert tour|
+{{Infobox concert
-|concert_tour_name = Wings 1973 UK Tour
+| concert_tour_name = Wings 1973 UK Tour
-|image =
+| image             =
-|artist = [[Wings (band)|Wings]]
+| artist            = [[Wings (band)|Wings]]
-|dates = May 11 - May 27, July 4–10, 1973
+| album             = ''[[Red Rose Speedway]]''
-|number_of_legs = 2
+| start_date        = 11 May 1973
-|number_of_shows = 21}}
+| end_date          = 10 July 1973
-During the spring and early summer of [[1973 in music|1973]], [[Paul McCartney]]'s band [[Wings (band)|Wings]] performed on a [[concert tour]] of the [[United Kingdom]]. The tour was for the purpose of promoting the band's latest album, ''[[Red Rose Speedway]]'', as well as the single "[[Live and Let Die (song)|Live and Let Die]]" from the [[James Bond]] [[Live and Let Die (film)|film of the same name]]. Prior to the tour, Wings performed unannounced at the [[London]] [[Hard Rock Cafe]] on March 18 in support of the charity organisation Release.
+|number_of_legs     = 2
+|number_of_shows    = 21
+| last_tour         = [[Wings Over Europe Tour]]<br />(1972)
+| this_tour         = '''Wings 1973 UK Tour'''<br />(1973)
+| next_tour         = [[Wings Over the World tour]]<br />(1975–76)
+}}
+During the spring and early summer of 1973, [[Paul McCartney]]'s band [[Wings (band)|Wings]] performed on a twelve-city [[concert tour]] of the United Kingdom.<ref name="mcgee-45"/>
-Wings' lineup for the tour was Paul and [[Linda McCartney]], [[Denny Laine]], [[Henry McCullough]], and [[Denny Seiwell]].
+==Promotion==
+The tour was for the purpose of promoting the band's latest album, ''[[Red Rose Speedway]]'', as well as the single "[[Live and Let Die (song)|Live and Let Die]]" from the [[James Bond]] [[Live and Let Die (film)|film of the same name]]. Another reason for the tour was that McCartney simply enjoying playing live shows.<ref name="mcgee-46">McGee, ''Band on the Run'', p. 46.</ref>
+This was the largest tour yet for Wings.<ref name="sounes-305"/> Unlike the surprise appearances of the previous year's [[Wings University Tour]] and the spontaneous nature of the follow-up [[Wings Over Europe Tour]],<ref name="observer"/> here the tour was announced in more normal fashion and fans could buy tickets ahead of time.<ref name="mcgee-45">McGee, ''Band on the Run'', p. 45.</ref> Tickets sold well, with a third date being added at the [[Hammersmith Odeon]] and other cities being added onto the itinerary.<ref name="mcgee-46"/> The routing included a return to McCartney's hometown as the band played the [[Liverpool Empire Theatre]] on 18 May.<ref name="sounes-305"/>
+The announced nature of the tour also meant that music critics could arrange to see the shows, and while the press's regard for McCartney and the Wings enterprise in general was fairly low, the concerts got some mixed-to-good notices.<ref name="mcgee-45"/>
+Wings' line-up for the tour was Paul and [[Linda McCartney]], [[Denny Laine]], [[Henry McCullough]], and [[Denny Seiwell]].<ref name="sounes-305">Sounes, ''Fab'', p. 305.</ref>  Shows lasted for around an hour or so.<ref name="observer"/>  Wings presented a different image on stage during the tour's shows than they did on record, being respectively "undeniably vigorous and invigorating" rather than "tame, even lame," as [[Tony Palmer (director)|Tony Palmer]] wrote for ''[[The Observer]]'' after seeing the tour's opening night at the [[Bristol Hippodrome]].<ref name="observer">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/257830655/?terms=mccartney%20wings%20tour&match=1 | title=O, for the Wings ... | author-first=Tony | author-last=Palmer | newspaper=The Observer   | location=London | date=20 May 1973 | page=34 | via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The band had somewhat more material to play than they had in previous outings, and McCullough's instrumental "Henry's Blue", previously used to fill out the setlist, was not employed.<ref name="rodriguez-208">Rodriguez, ''Fab Four FAQ 2.0'', p. 208.</ref> Laine's singing of his former band [[The Moody Blues]]' hit "[[Go Now (song)|Go Now]]" was included, however.<ref name="observer"/>
+As per McCartney's practice with Wings at the time, the three non-McCartney band members did not earn a share of the receipts but rather received a flat rate of £70 a week, with a £1000 bonus paid at the tour's conclusion.<ref>Sounes, ''Fab'', p. 308.</ref>  This reinforced the financial dissatisfaction that Seiwell was feeling with vaguely promised royalties from Wings' recordings not coming to him.<ref name="rodriguez-204">Rodriguez, ''Fab Four FAQ 2.0'', p. 204.</ref>  McCullough was also unhappy with the monetary situation and furthermore resented having to share the stage with Linda McCartney.<ref name="rodriguez-210">Rodriguez, ''Fab Four FAQ 2.0'', p. 210.</ref>  Although her keyboard playing had improved from before,<ref name="mcgee-46"/> she still qualified as a musical amateur.<ref name="rodriguez-210"/>  Overall, the group began coming apart during the tour.<ref name="mcgee-46"/> The situation with Seiwell and McCollough would soon reach a breaking point in the weeks immediately afterward, and both quit Wings shortly before the group left for [[Lagos, Nigeria]] to record ''[[Band on the Run]]''.<ref>Sounes, ''Fab'', pp. 308–310.</ref>
+The support act for the entire tour was pub rock band [[Brinsley Schwarz]].<ref name="mcgee-46"/> Paul and Linda asked them to be on the tour after seeing them perform at the London [[Hard Rock Cafe]]'s opening night a few weeks previously. Prior to the tour, Wings had performed unannounced at the Hard Rock on 18 March in support of the charity organisation Release.
+During a break in the tour itinerary, the McCartneys went exploring and ended up buying a secluded house, Waterfall, in [[Peasmarsh, Surrey]], which would end up becoming their main residence.<ref>Sounes, ''Fab'', pp. 306–307.</ref>
 ==Tour dates==
+{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
-*11/05/1973 [[Bristol]] ([[Bristol Hippodrome]]) [[England]]
+! width="200"| Date
-*12/05/1973 [[Oxford]] ([[New Theatre Oxford|New Theatre]]) England
+! width="200"| City
-*13/05/1973 [[Cardiff]] (Capitol Cinema and Theatre) [[Wales]]
+! width="150"| Country
-*15/05/1973 [[Bournemouth]] (Winter Gardens) England
+! width="300"| Venue
-*16/05/1973 [[Manchester]] (Hardrock) England
+|-
-*17/05/1973 Manchester (Hardrock) England
+| 11 May 1973 || [[Bristol]] || rowspan="2"|England || [[Bristol Hippodrome]]
-*18/05/1973 [[Liverpool]] ([[Liverpool Empire Theatre]]) England
+|-
-*18/05/1973 Liverpool (Liverpool Empire Theatre) England
-*19/05/1973 [[Leeds]] ([[Leeds University]]) England
+| 12 May 1973 || [[Oxford]] || [[New Theatre Oxford]]
+|-
-*21/05/1973 [[Preston]] (Guild Hall) England
+| 13 May 1973 || [[Cardiff]] || [[Wales]] || [[Capitol Theatre, Cardiff|Capitol Theatre]]
-*22/05/1973 [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] (Odeon Cinema) England
+|-
-*23/05/1973 [[Edinburgh]] (Odeon Cinema) [[Scotland]]
+| 15 May 1973 || [[Bournemouth]] || rowspan="7"|England || [[Bournemouth Winter Gardens]]
-*23/05/1973 Edinburgh (Odeon Cinema) Scotland
+|-
-*24/05/1973 [[Glasgow]] ([[Green’s Playhouse]]) Scotland
+| 16 May 1973 || rowspan="2"|[[Manchester]] || rowspan="2"|Hardrock Concert Theatre
-*25/05/1973 [[London]] (Hammersmith Odeon) England
+|-
-*26/05/1973 London (Hammersmith Odeon) England
+| 17 May 1973
-*27/05/1973 London (Hammersmith Odeon) England
+|-
+| 18 May 1973 || [[Liverpool]] || [[Liverpool Empire Theatre]]<br/>2 performances
+|-
+| 19 May 1973 || [[Leeds]] || [[University of Leeds Refectory]]
+|-
+| 21 May 1973 || [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]] || [[Preston Guild Hall]]
+|-
+| 22 May 1973 || [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] || [[Newcastle Odeon]]
+|-
+| 23 May 1973 || [[Edinburgh]] || rowspan="2"|[[Scotland]] || Odeon Cinema<br/>2 performances
+|-
+| 24 May 1973 || [[Glasgow]] || [[Green's Playhouse]]
+|-
+| 25 May 1973 || rowspan="3"|London || rowspan="7"|England || rowspan="3"|Hammersmith Odeon
+|-
+| 26 May 1973
+|-
+| 27 May 1973
+|-
+| 4 July 1973 || [[Sheffield]] || [[Sheffield City Hall]]
+|-
+| 6 July 1973 || [[Birmingham]] || [[Birmingham Odeon]]
+|-
+| 9 July 1973 || [[Leicester]] || Odeon
+|-
+| 10 July 1973 || Newcastle upon Tyne || [[Newcastle City Hall]]
+|}
+A source:<ref>McGee, ''Band on the Run'', pp. 173–174.</ref>
+==References==
-*04/07/1973 [[Sheffield]] ([[Sheffield City Hall|City Hall]]) England
+{{Reflist}}
-*06/07/1973 [[Birmingham]] (Odeon) England
-*09/07/1973 [[Leicester]] (Odeon) England
-*10/07/1973 [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] ([[Newcastle City Hall|City Hall]]) England
-==Tour Set List==
+==Cited bibliography==
+* {{cite book | author-last=McGee | author-first= Garry | title=Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings | publisher=Taylor Trade Publishing | location=Lanham, Maryland | year= 2003}}
-#"Soily"
+* {{cite book|last=Rodriguez|first=Robert|title=Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980|publisher=Backbeat Books|location=Milwaukee|year=2010}}
-#"Big Barn Bed"
+* {{cite book|last=Sounes|first=Howard|title=Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney|publisher=HarperCollins|location=London|year=2010}}
-#"When the Night"
-#"Wild Life"
-#"[[Seaside Woman]]"
-#"[[Little Woman Love]]"
-#"[[C Moon]]"
-#"[[Live and Let Die (song)|Live and Let Die]]"
-#"[[Maybe I'm Amazed]]"
-#"[[My Love (Paul McCartney song)|My Love]]"
-#"[[Go Now (song)|Go Now]]"
-#"Say You Don't Mind"
-#"The Mess"
-#"[[Hi Hi Hi]]"
-#"[[Long Tall Sally]]"
 {{Wings}}
@@ Line 58: / Line 93: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wings 1973 Uk Tour}}
 [[Category:1973 concert tours]]
-[[Category:Wings concert tours]]
+[[Category:Wings (band) concert tours]]
 [[Category:1973 in the United Kingdom]]
+[[Category:May 1973 events in the United Kingdom]]
+[[Category:June 1973 events in the United Kingdom]]
+[[Category:Concert tours of the United Kingdom]]

v t e Wings
Paul McCartney Linda McCartney Denny Laine Denny Seiwell Henry McCullough Jimmy McCulloch Geoff Britton Joe English Laurence Juber Steve Holley
Studio albums	Wild Life (1971) Red Rose Speedway (1973) Band on the Run (1973) Venus and Mars (1975) Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976) London Town (1978) Back to the Egg (1979)
Live albums	Wings over America (1976) Wings over Europe (2018) One Hand Clapping (2024)
Compilations	Wings Greatest (1978) Cold Cuts (unreleased) Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)
Singles	"Give Ireland Back to the Irish" "Mary Had a Little Lamb" / "Little Woman Love" "Hi, Hi, Hi" / "C Moon" "My Love" "Live and Let Die" / "I Lie Around" "Helen Wheels" / "Country Dreamer" "Mrs. Vandebilt" / "Bluebird" "Jet" / "Mamunia" "Let Me Roll It" "Band on the Run" / "Zoo Gang" "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" "Junior's Farm" / "Sally G" "Listen to What the Man Said" / "Love in Song" "Letting Go" / "You Gave Me the Answer" "Venus and Mars"/"Rock Show" / "Magneto and Titanium Man" "Silly Love Songs" / "Cook of the House" "Let 'Em In" / "Beware My Love" "Maybe I'm Amazed" / "Soily" "Seaside Woman" "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" "With a Little Luck" / "Backwards Traveller"/"Cuff Link" "I've Had Enough" / "Deliver Your Children" "London Town" / "I'm Carrying" "Goodnight Tonight" / "Daytime Nighttime Suffering" "Old Siam, Sir" "Getting Closer" "Arrow Through Me" / "Old Siam, Sir" "Rockestra Theme" "Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)" "Mama's Little Girl"
Other songs	"Big Barn Bed" "Little Lamb Dragonfly" "No Words" "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" "Call Me Back Again" "She's My Baby" "Must Do Something About It" "Warm and Beautiful" "Girlfriend"
Tours	Wings University Tour (1972) Wings Over Europe Tour (1972) Wings 1973 UK Tour (May 1973) Wings Over the World tour (1975–1976) Wings UK Tour 1979 (1979)
Filmography	Wings Over the World (1979) Concert for Kampuchea (1980) Rockshow (1980) Back to the Egg (1981) Wingspan – An Intimate Portrait (2001)
Related articles	1972 Wings Tour Bus Discography Songs McGear Concerts for the People of Kampuchea (album) Japanese Tears Standard Time Suzy and the Red Stripes The Oriental Nightfish Wide Prairie