17 December 2010: Paul McCartney live at the 100 Club, London

On 17 December 2010 Paul McCartney performed a special lunchtime concert at London’s legendary 100 Club before an audience of just 300 lucky people.

The concert was announced on Tuesday 14 December, and tickets – priced at £60 – sold out almost immediately. The show was McCartney’s most intimate gig since he played the Cavern Club in Liverpool in 1999.

During the concert he performed Johnny Burnette’s ‘Honey Hush’, a song which is often part of McCartney’s soundcheck set. He also performed a brief medley of ‘Band On The Run’ and ‘Let It Snow’ at the piano, followed by ‘Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying’.

He also performed the traditional Russian song ‘Petruskka’, and a cover version of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Hitch Hike’, as he had earlier in the week at the Apollo Theater in New York City.

I’ve played all sorts of different venues over the years and this kind of show presents a different kind of challenge to performing in a stadium.
I love performing and I love connecting with audiences, be it in a stadium or arena or in a club. I’m looking forward to being able to interact with fans on a face-to-face basis, not to mention the smell of sweat and beer.

Paul McCartney

McCartney is backing a campaign to save the 100 Club from closure caused by rising rents in central London by re-establishing it as a non-profit-making co-operative.

During its 70-year history the club has played host to artists including Louis Armstrong, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Sex Pistols, Oasis and Metallica.

I’ve never played at the 100 Club before and it’s great to be playing at a venue with so much great history that has seen so many brilliant gigs over the years. One of the reasons for playing the 100 Club, besides playing a small club gig, is so that we can be part of the campaign to help the venue stay open for a new generation of up and coming artists – like myself!

Paul McCartney