Paul McCartney live: Verizon Arena, North Little Rock

Saturday 30 April 2016 Live, Paul McCartney No Comments

Paul McCartney performed at the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, USA, on 30 April 2016.

It was the sixth show of the One On One Tour, which lasted for 77 dates between April 2016 and December 2017. This concert was seen by 15,317 fans.

Backstage at the arena, McCartney met Thelma Mothershed Wair and Elizabeth Eckford of the ‘Little Rock Nine’, who protested against segregation by enrolling at the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Their actions helped inspire The Beatles’ 1968 song ‘Blackbird’.

Yeah, that was important, meeting two of the ‘Little Rock Nine’. At the concerts, I had always remembered this story about ‘Blackbird’ and the writing of it, which came from me doing poetry readings. I’d been encouraged by my friend who helped me on that poetry book I did [Blackbird Singing] to tell a story, if I could remember anything about the song and then read the poem. So I did that and I thought, ‘That’s probably a nice idea for concerts’.

I remembered this story of the Civil Rights thing. How ‘Blackbird’ was really meant to try and communicate with people going through those struggles, and to see if it could help them. ‘You were only waiting for this moment to arise’. It had a, ‘We will overcome,’ kind of aspect. So, it was like coming full circle going to Little Rock, where we’d only ever heard of as being the sort of place where the first kids went into the school that had previously been segregated. And to meet two of the kids who are now grown ups, and to see how well they’d done, and that it had all worked, was very moving. I was glad to be some tiny part of that. That was a nice evening.

Paul McCartney
paulmccartney.com

McCartney’s band was Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens (vocals, keyboards, guitar, percussion, harmonica), Brian Ray (vocals, guitar, bass), Rusty Anderson (vocals, guitar), and Abe Laboriel Jr (vocals, drums).

Ringo Starr performed at the Simmons Bank Arena, as the venue was later known, on 12 October 2023.

Paul McCartney – One On One Tour (2016-2017)

Soundcheck setlist

Concert setlist

One On One Tour dates

Last updated: 12 June 2024
Paul McCartney live: Rogers Arena, Vancouver
Paul McCartney live: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls
Also on this day...

Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.

Leave a Reply