Red Square

Brian would play through one at a time, and have the second Rocket ready as a backup. Happily, through several years of touring and two world tours, the backup Rocket was never needed. The Rockets, in blond tolex and burgundy grille, would be lined up side-by-side in back of Brian; stage right, and right in front of Paul’s grand piano. Brian took his Rockets everywhere, to almost every major venue in the free world, and to very high-profile events including the Queen’s 50th Anniversary Bash, hosted by none other than Prince Charles. The Bash was a “who’s who” of British rock and pop icons, and Brian relished every second of it! [I gave Brian’s Rockets a check up after that gig, and literally pulled out some of the confetti that was unleashed at the climax of the event.] But there was one subsequent gig that topped them all: Paul’s historic concert in Red Square, Moscow. It was Paul’s first concert in Russia, before an enthusiastic crowd of over 100,000 fans, all of whom were quite cognoscente of the historic and socio-political impact of the event. The full significance of the concert is brilliantly told in the documentary/concert film “Paul McCartney In Red Square”, which also features most of the concert that evening. Paul and the band did a masterful job taking the crowd through all the hits that were banned during the Cold War, yet found an enthusiastic audience in the cultural underground of the time.