Friday, April 25, 2014

SF Gate: Paul McCartney to play Candlestick's final show


Matier & Ross | April 24, 2014  http://m.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Paul-McCartney-to-play-at-Candlestick-5426723.php

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Jim Marshall/1966
The Beatles walking to the Candlestick Stage on Aug. 29, 1966 where they played their final paid concert.
Photo: Jim Marshall, 1966
Paul McCartney is coming back to San Francisco for a send-off concert at Candlestick Park - the last scheduled event ever at the 54-year-old stadium.
The former Beatle said Thursday that he'll play the final show at the Stick on Aug. 14, ending a back-and-forth drama that had the city competing against the 49ers for the right to play host to the music legend.
"Sir Paul McCartney is a class act, and I am very grateful that he's coming back to Candlestick to help us give this iconic landmark the goodbye it deserves," said Mayor Ed Lee.
"To add a concert like this, one that's not only just great on a purely entertainment level, but one that is rooted in the city's history and musical history, is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event."
The concert will be jointly produced by the city and Another Planet, the rock promoters who have been putting on McCartney shows in the Bay Area since a 1990 performance at UC Berkeley's Memorial Stadium.
Another Planet's Gregg Perloff said tickets would probably range from $50 to $275 - the same prices for McCartney's appearance at AT&T Park in 2010. They will go on sale to the general public May 5.
McCartney is tacking the show onto his "Out There" tour, which is definitely taking him out there, to cities big - Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans - and not so big - Lincoln, Neb.; Fargo, N.D.; and Lubbock, Texas.
Lee personally invited McCartney to close the Stick when the former Beatle played the Outside Lands festival in Golden Gate Park last year. The idea was to say goodbye to the ballpark where the Beatles played their final paid concert in 1966.
Everything was looking good until McCartney's envoys toured Candlestick last month and told city officials that, by the way, they were negotiating with the 49ers to have Sir Paul christen the team's new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara with a concert in August instead.
Team executives told the city they had been approached about hosting a McCartney show by Live Nation, the national promoter that has a financial stake in the musician's management company.
"It was natural for McCartney to consider the new stadium - it is the bright, new, shiny penny," said one person close to the deal on the city side.
San Francisco officials kept at it: "We just kept pushing and were persistent and drove the deal down the field," said Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the city Recreation and Park Department, which operates Candlestick.
No hard feelings, said the Niners.
"We are excited to hear that Paul McCartney will play the final concert ever at Candlestick Park," said team spokesman Bob Lange. "It is sure to be a great event for the entire Bay Area, and we are pleased to provide support in any way we can."

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