Sir Paul McCartney performs at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2018
(Picture: Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)Sir Paul McCartney has opened up about his underlying fears that fans will walk out of his gigs mid-performance.
The 79-year-old legend, who is set to play at Glastonbury this summer, revealed that he suffers from a recurring dream in which the crowds leave while he’s playing a lesser-known song on stage.
According to ITV, McCartney spoke during rehearsals about his worries when playing less popular songs in front of the audience, which might prompt them to leave.
“There’s always the eternal dilemma of what do you take out, knowing the audiences really want to hear the hits so you’ve got to balance it very carefully,” he explained.
“You’re taking out something they know very well and putting in something they don’t necessarily know, and I’m always dreading that’s the signal for them to go get a beer.
McCartney added: “It’s actually a recurring dream of mine: I’m playing and people start walking out, and I’m trying to think of a song that will get them back – ‘do Long Tall Sally, quick!’ – but they keep walking – ‘let’s do Yesterday!’ – it’s typical performer’s insecurities.
“I’d like to do a whole show of new songs but that’s for the anoraks in the crowd, that’s for the deep fans.”
In less than two months, McCartney is set to grace the Pyramid Stage of Glastonbury Festival for only the second time in his musical career. He first headlined the festival in 2004.
McCartney’s headline performance also comes alongside Kendrick Lamar, Diana Ross and Billie Eilish.
Speaking ahead of his performance, he also explained that his set will be a mix of old and new tracks including music from the Beatles and the Wings.
