

The moment when Sir Paul McCartney made a 9NEWS presenter’s dreams come true

After 37 years of journalism, today was one I will never forget.
I got to meet the most successful songwriter-performer on the planet, Sir Paul McCartney.
I can still remember the day my sister brought home a copy of the album Abbey Road in 1969.
It was the day I became a Beatles fan and years later a Beatles fanatic.
They were magnificent.
They captured the essence of an era and set the agenda for years to come. They changed music.
And Paul, with John Lennon, were, and still are, songwriting giants.


So to get the chance to go to a private show with Sir Paul, was something beyond, even my most extravagent "bucket list"
Sir Paul McCartney meeting fans in Perth. (9NEWS)
Sir Paul McCartney meeting fans in Perth. (9NEWS)
McCartney is kicking off the Australian leg of his "One On One" tour in Perth.
While more than 1.2 million fans have watched McCartney play on this tour, only a small crowd of about 40 got watch this private show.
At the beautiful old Regal Theatre in Subiaco, 20 McCartney diehards who had won a competition and a small group of local media gathered.
Sir Paul was very generous with his time, he made a point of shaking everybody's hand, including yours truely, and then sat down to answer a series of questions, including why he is still touring at 75.
"I love it so much," he said.
"That's why I keep doing it and that's what gives me the energy.
"It's great in a different way, I'm older, the audience is older."
McCartney is kicking off the Australian leg of his "One On One" tour in Perth. (9NEWS)
He also remembers fondly the Beatles 1964 tour of Australia, when Beatle mania was its peak.
"It was amazing for us
"The welcome was phenominal, we had welcomes through Europe and all over the place, but this was like mega, here we felt like Royalty."
He loved Perth in 1975 when he toured the city with Wings.
He brought along wife Linda and his young family.
"We used to go down to Mandurah,” he said.
"And swim down there, when the kids were little and I can remember swimming with dolphins down there.
"I had a little sail boat and sailing along in the bay and suddenly dolphins appeared on the bow wave, and I'd only seen that in films."
He was funny, engaging and working very hard to be enthusiastic with his answers, even though he's probably heard them all before.
Then he got up on the stage, invited his band to join him, and he played three songs for us.
To sit just three metres from Paul McCartney as he belted out "Baby You Can Drive My Car" was pure magic.
Then an old Wings classic, "Juniors Farm", followed by "I've Got A Feeling"
The band was superb. They have been playing with Sir Paul for years and the sound was great.
As a journalist, every day is different, but this was something I will never forget.

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