Paul McCartney’s performance as part of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix was 11 years ago — still, the impact continues to resonate within the UAE events industry.
As The Beatles singer, 80, prepares to headline the UK’s Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, becoming the oldest person to do so, The National looks back at his epic concert in November 2011 and why it set the standard for the rest of the high-profile stars to play the UAE.
McCartney's performance at Etihad Park remains hard to beat when it comes to the amount of back-to-back hits played.
Beginning with The Beatles' Hello Goodbye, he took 30,000 fans on a two-and-a-half hour journey with 37 songs spanning five decades.
In addition to The Beatles favourites such as Hey Jude, A Day in the Life and Let It Be, McCartney also performed hits from Wings (Live and Let Die and Band on the Run) and key solo tracks such as Maybe I'm Amazed.
As chief executive of Flash Entertainment, John Lickrish was tasked with putting together the concert as part of the still fledgling Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix.
“It was the third Formula One race and we were already off to a great start with acts like Beyonce in 2009 and Prince the following year,” he recalls.
“So there was already a growing buzz about Abu Dhabi as a go to destination for big artists.
"But it was really McCartney in 2011 who took us to the next level.”
Getting McCartney to the UAE was a result of steady growth.
The concert industry is relatively tight, Lickrish says, with agents and tour promoters working with a number of artists at any given time.
One of the most powerful figures is the UK’s Barrie Marshall with a career spanning four decades.
As well as being McCartney’s long-term agent and tour promoter, his current stable includes Elton John, Lionel Richie, Celine Dion and Tina Turner.
He also looked after some of the international tours of the late George Michael, one of which included a 2008 stop at Zayed Sports City Stadium.
Marshall flew in to Abu Dhabi to ensure everything went smoothly.
"He is really old school in the way he does things," Lickrish says.
"Also, he is very polite. He would say: 'If I ask you to do something and I don't say please and thank you will have to forgive me'."
Impressed by the Flash Entertainment operation, the successful show laid the seeds to bring McCartney to Abu Dhabi three years later.
Lickrish recalls the preparation for the Abu Dhabi F1 race-day concert, from financial negotiations to the technical requirements, as being smooth.
McCartney and the band were also up for it.
They arrived in Abu Dhabi two days before the show and a week after sending a teaser video to UAE fans from rehearsals in the UK.
Lickrish remembers McCartney as being very welcoming backstage.
“He was very laid-back, friendly and calm,” he says.
“He was also excited about performing in this part of the world for the first time and he was practising Arabic words like ‘marhaba’ (hello) and 'shukran' (thank you).”
McCartney’s show remains one of the best concerts performed in the UAE.
In my report for The National, I describe how McCartney turned the arena "into a stadium-sized karaoke club."
In a reflective column, journalist Sarah Ferguson recalled the communal atmosphere, with the show being “a truly memorable night of fabulous music surrounded by great friends".
Standing side of stage and watching McCartney belting out the hits, Lickrish’s recalls his satisfaction being tempered by a growing responsibility.
“We knew that we have raised the bar when it comes to expectations of what we can do here in Abu Dhabi,” he says. “I knew it was a show people would remember for a long time and make other touring artists take notice.”
Sure enough, Abu Dhabi’s stature as a concert destination was cemented on the back of McCartney’s performance with major acts, from The Rolling Stones, Eminem and Guns N’ Roses to The Weeknd and Pink, all bringing their large scale productions to the city in the ensuing years.
Lickrish has no doubt McCartney will deliver a similarly memorable show at Glastonbury.
“His voice is great and the songs speak for themselves,” he says. "And with the varied demographic of the audience you can feel that it will be a really beautiful experience."
For Abu Dhabi to be part of the remarkable journey of one of the world’s greatest living artists, all we can say is "shukran", Paul.
From Beyonce to Stormzy: 45 artists who played at the Abu Dhabi F1 After-Race Concerts — in pictures
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Prince kept it fun and funky during his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix performance in 2010. Reuters -
Beyonce performs at Ferrari World on the opening day of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix on October 29, 2009. Philip Cheung / The National -
Jamiroquai performs at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on October 30, 2009. Philip Cheung / The National -
Kings of Leon performed in the UAE for the first time at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Formula Grand Prix. Reuters -
Aerosmith performs on the final race day on November 1, 2009. Philip Cheung / The National -
Kanye West performs at Yas Island on November 12, 2010. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National -
Linkin Park at the Formula One after-race concert on November 13, 2010. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National -
Britney Spears's 2011 show was high on choreography but low on energy. Lee Hoagland / The National -
US rock band Incubus performs in 2011 in what was an odd double bill also featuring The Cult. Silvia Razgova / The National -
Paul McCartney played a hit-filled set in 2011. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue kept it fun and breezy in her 2012 Abu Dhabi F1 concert. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Nickelback played all their anthems in a 2012 concert. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Eminem made his concert debut in the Middle East with a race day performance at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi was one of the first Arab artists to perform as part of the Abu Dhabi F1 after-race concerts -
Hip-hop superstar Jay-Z wowed crowds with his 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix show. Delores Johnson / The National -
British rockers Muse brought their progressive rock sounds to Etihad Park in 2013. Delores Johnson / The National -
Dave Gahan, from Depeche Mode, owned the stage during the group's 2013 race-day concert. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Egyptian pop star Tamer Hosny at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix after-race concert. Getty Images -
Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren was the first EDM act to perform as part of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after-race concert series in 2014. Delores Johnson / The National -
Pharrell William lost his voice during his 2014 Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix concert. Delores Johnson / The National -
The Who rocked loud and proud during their 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race day concert. Ravindranath K / The National -
Emirati singer Aryam made her stage return during the 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Enrique Iglesias was all charm during his 2015 performance at Etihad Park. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Brit-pop group Blur gave a rare live performance of 'Country House' for their 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix concert. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Florence + the Machine at the 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Cuban-American singer and rapper Pitbull was underwhelming in 2016. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National -
UK dance duo The Chemical Brothers were relentless at their 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix concert. Pawan Singh / The National -
Lionel Richie didn't disappoint at his 2016 after-race concert. Waleed Shah for The National -
Rihanna rocked out at Etihad Park in 2016. Christopher Pike / The National -
UK DJ Calvin Harris was a shadowy presence at his Etihad Park concert in 2017. Reem Mohammed / The National -
US rapper J Cole performed at the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar pulled out. Pawan Singh / The National -
The 2017 concert by Mumford & Sons was largely a fans-only affair. Pawan Singh / The National -
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race day concert in 2017 by Pink had its fair share of acrobatics. Photo: Flash Entertainment -
US rapper Post Malone brought new meaning to the term 'solo performance' with his 2018 Abu Dhabi F1 show. Victor Besa / The National -
The Weeknd gave a typically brooding show in 2018. Victor Besa / The National -
Sam Smith changed a few misconceptions at their 2018 Abu Dhabi F1 concert. Victor Besa / The National -
The Guns 'N' Roses concert at the 2018 Abu Dhabi F1 was cut short due to singer Axl Rose feeling unwell. Lee Hoagland / The National -
Marshmello was a hit with the younger crowd during his 2019 Abu Dhabi F1 concert. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Rapper Future performing at the 2019 after-race concert at Etihad Park. Pawan Singh / The National -
Lana Del Rey was suitably dramatic during her 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix concert. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The Killers were the big act in 2019. Photo: Flash Entertainment -
Khalid performed a sweet low-key set to kick of the 2021 Abu Dhabi F1 after-race concerts Pawan Singh / The National -
British rapper Stormzy was happy to be back on stage at the 2021 Abu Dhabi F1. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Lewis Capaldi performs in 2021. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
DJ Martin Garrix performing the Abu Dhabi F1 race-day concert in 2021. Pawan Singh / The National
