Friday, July 19, 1991
Concert • By Paul McCartney • Part of the Unplugged 1991 Summer Tour
Last updated on June 18, 2019
Location: Cliffs Pavilion
Previous concert Jun 07, 1991 • United Kingdom • St Austell
Classical concert Jun 28, 1991 • United Kingdom • Liverpool
Classical concert Jun 29, 1991 • United Kingdom • Liverpool
Concert Jul 19, 1991 • United Kingdom • Westcliff-on-Sea
Interview Jul 21, 1991 • Paul McCartney interview for People Magazine
All six surprise shows followed the same pattern of two distinct 50-minute musical sets, acoustic and electric, Unplugged and Plugged, separated by a brief interlude. Further underscoring the unpretentious nature of the seaside shuffles, the Westcliff-on-Sea gig (24 July) featured a unique bonus in the shape of a poetry reading by Adrian Mitchell, a friend of Paul’s since the 1960s. He had rehearsed with the band two days earlier.
The musicians kept a low-volume accompaniment while Mitchell addressed the audience with four of his poems – ‘Junk’ was recognisable as the backing behind love verse ‘Maybe May Time’, and a suitably funky arrangement was provided to augment a poem about James Brown. The sequence was so very much a departure from the norm, and so irresistibly fascinating to watch, that most audience mouths were left distinctly agape. It must have made the McCartney memory-bank dart back to the only other time he had backed a bard: an unforgettable Liverpool evening in 1960 that had the youthful Silver Beatles – clearly lads of sheltered upbringing – accompany visiting ‘beat poet’ Royston Ellis and find themselves somewhat puzzled by Ellis’s indiscreetly veiled references to then-illegal all-male sexual activities.
Though Paul resisted the idea of donning on stage a ‘Kiss Me Quick’ hat from nearby Southend, the Westcliff show was every bit as jolly and relaxed as that at St Austell. John Hammel kept a steady harmonica hand during ‘Down To The River’, there was the usual instrument swap-around for ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, and ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ had two endings – first the usual one and then another, an unusual one, which saw Robbie then Paul and then Hamish drop to their knees. (Robbie’s idea, Paul announced.) The audience reaction was on the wild side of ecstatic from start to finish. (If one could only harness the power given off by a McCartney audience when demanding an encore there’d be no need for nuclear power-stations.)
From Club Sandwich 59, Autumn 1991
This was the 1st and only concert played at Cliffs Pavilion.
Acoustic set
Written by Claude Demetrius
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Written by Gene Vincent, Donald Graves, Bill Davis
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Written by Jesse Fuller
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Written by Paul McCartney
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Written by Paul McCartney
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Written by Paul McCartney
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Written by Paul McCartney
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Written by Bill Withers
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Written by Tommy Tucker
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Song In Space
I Like That Stuff
Maybe May Time (Singalong Junk)
Hot Pursuit
Electric set
Written by Roy Brown
Album Available on Rehearsals For The New World Tour 1993
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Written by Eddie Cochran, Ned Fairchild
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Written by Paul McCartney
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Written by Paul McCartney
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Written by Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Encore
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Album Available on Secret Gig 1991 July
Album Available on Southend Surprise
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David • 1 year ago
I was at this concert, and even today people have no idea that Paul McCartney played this gig. Its something that i surprise them with. I remember that people wer happy to shift around and allow you to move closer to the stage. It was like "Ok, its your time to be close to a Beatle". I remember distinctly Paul singing Let It Be and looking down at me and smiling at me. It was like he was saying "yeah this is a bit amazing isnt it"..it certainly was
The PaulMcCartney Project • 1 year ago
Thanks David. What awesome memories. Indeed, those intimate concerts are not really remembered. Would have loved to be in the audience like you were!