Paul McCartney customarily does not not refresh himself with water on stage but he was recently obliged to have a water cooler moment.
Clearing his throat a few times during a rendition of his song Here Today during Monday night’s show in Raleigh, North Carolina led to the transgression.
The once and forever Beatle, who turns 77 in June, had already sung more than 20 songs straight. Following a performance of Queenie Eye, a bottle of water was brought to his piano.
The sip was taken with a drum roll, as reported by the local News & Observer. "One of the things that people say to me when they’re seeing the show, ‘You didn’t take a drink of water the whole time,’" he told the crowd.
"But tonight I’m going to. A rule is broken. That’s what rules are for."
"Hello, Raleigh, it’s been 17 years ago," McCartney had said earlier, greeting his fans. "We’ve got some old songs for you, some new songs, some in-between ones."
He kicked off proceedings with A Hard Day’s Night, the first of 22 Beatles songs performed on the night.
The Raleigh show was the second date on the US leg of his tour. He has already played shows in South America, Asia and Europe.
Vintage clips of the Beatles in their heyday and pyrotechnics were employed on the night to generate what the reviewer described as ‘a Bucket List-type of concert.’
Read Ryan Tubridy's account of seeing McCartney in concert in Liverpool last September here
