Those fortunate enough to secure tickets to see Sir Paul McCartney in Frome tonight queued behind barriers while a host of local people who missed out on tickets waited in the hope of catching a glimpse of the former Beatle. The 80-year-old icon played at the Cheese and Grain this evening, just 24-hours before he headlines Glastonbury Festival 2022.
Jane Lamb, a self-professed super fan, stood opposite the venue holding a Beatles scrapbook she had made when she was young. Despite not having tickets, she hoped that Sir Paul would spot her and sign it after the show.
The 68-year-old from Frome said: “This is one of four scrapbooks I made between the ages of eight and 10, I’m hoping if I don’t get to see him at least I have this version of him. I didn’t manage to get tickets, I was close.”
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She said she hoped he would come out after the gig to speak to fans as she feels he is “that kind of guy” despite his success. Lamb explained that the last time she saw Sir Paul was at an intimate concert in York back in 1972, but admitted she did not ask for an autograph at the time as at age 18 she felt she was “far too cool to ask for such a thing”.
She added: “I think they kept this gig quiet because I guess they didn’t want people coming down in their thousands to try and get a ticket so they wanted it to be last minute when everybody had a reasonable chance of getting in. I think it’s amazing he is headlining Glastonbury at his age, I have heard people say his voice has gone but I don’t think it has.”
Sir Paul McCartney joined the Foo Fighters and Wolf Alice in playing at the Cheese and Grain in Frome before his Glastonbury headline set on Saturday. The Foo Fighters famously a secret gig at the venue in 2017, with only the most dedicated fans being allowed through the doors to see them perform.
Security staff were asking ticket holders to seal their phones in opaque bags so no recordings or pictures could be made during his surprise performance on Friday.
Sarah McDonald, who was attending the performance with her family, said: “We’re excited to see him, we’ve been listening to Paul McCartney all day. We got here and were the first in the queue, when the post about tickets went up and everyone heard about it people were sprinting down.
“We know someone who works in there so we heard about it earlier. Foo Fighters came here about four years ago and Emily Eavis is a patron of the venue, Jo Whiley has played here and so has Huey Morgan, Wolf Alice played last year.”
Jackie and Martin Moss with their grandchildren were among the crowd of people waiting for Sir Paul McCartney to arrive. The couple had attempted to get tickets after the shock music announcement on Thursday evening but described scenes of gridlock in the town.
Ms Moss said: “I was disappointed we didn’t get a ticket, we’ve just come to watch. We got wind of it but by the time we got down here it was too late.” She recalled how the town of Frome became chaotic yesterday when the surprise gig was announced, saying: “The roads were rammed, the place was gridlocked, the police had to arrive as you had to come in person and gets tickets.”
Ms Moss also described the Cheese and Grain venue as “very intimate” and “quite ordinary”. But she also noted that having the festival’s co-organiser Emily Eavis as a patron seems attract the big stars to the establishment. As local residents, they will be attending the much-anticipated festival on Sunday and hope to see the Pet Shop Boys.
Musician Robbi Desport said he was “disappointed” to not get tickets to watch Sir Paul McCartney’s surprise gig in Somerset. He explained he has always been “massively inspired” by the Beatles.
The 38-year-old father, who plays in the band Sad Dad Club, said: “I unfortunately didn’t manage to secure tickets, it was just mega queues, it’s just really disappointing really.
“I am massively inspired by the Beatles, we play a few of their songs in our set, we’re all huge fans but my dad is the mega mega fan, I grew up listening to their music all the way through my early years and I have passed the buck on to my youngest daughter so hopefully that’ll continue.
“When you look at him I don’t see someone who is 80, he is really taking care of himself, he looks after himself very well, all power to the guy. I think it’s so beautiful, he is putting on a show like this and I think it’s great for Frome.
“A few years back Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters came and played here as well. I’m hoping Macca is going to come out here and do an acoustic just for one number knowing there are people out here, that’s the type of guy he is.”
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