Pittsburgh, PA -- Paul McCartney, arguably the most successful performer and composer in popular music, will open CONSOL Energy Center on Wednesday August 18, 2010 with a Grand Opening Concert, bringing his Up and Coming 2010 Tour to Pittsburgh. Keeping with his headline-making special concerts, the tour will feature the iconic star and his band returning to Pittsburgh for the first time in more than 20 years. McCartney performed back-to-back, sold-out concerts in the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in February, 1990. Sir Paul made his Pittsburgh debut with The Beatles on September 14, 1964 at the Civic Arena.
The Grand Opening Concert is being promoted by CONSOL Energy Center, and supported by AEG Live by arrangement with Marshall Arts and MPL.
Tickets go on sale Monday, June 14, 10:00 a.m. and will be available at the Mellon Arena Box Office, ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Advance tickets are available to American Express Cardmembers beginning Wednesday, June 9 at 10AM through Sunday, June 13 at 10PM.
“We are excited to have an icon like Paul McCartney return to Pittsburgh for the first time in more than 20 years to open CONSOL Energy Center – a world-class performer in a world-class facility,” said Ken Sawyer, CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who will operate the arena. “It’s a signal to the city and the region that this more than just a hockey arena or a sports arena. It is a first-class entertainment center.”
McCartney’s live shows have reached a new level of status in recent years, garnering unprecedented reviews from fans and critics alike. He’s pushed boundaries, performed to millions and made global news with monumental shows including performances in Moscow’s Red Square, outside of the Coliseum in Rome, the largest outdoor show ever in the Ukraine, his first performance in Tel Aviv and a live performance into a NASA space station. Last year’s Summer ’09 Tour began in earnest with an already legendary inaugural run of shows at New York’s CitiField Stadium, the site of the former Shea Stadium where The Beatles played the 1965 concert that set the precedent for the modern-day stadium rock show.
The Up and Coming 2010 Tour, which kicked off in late March, are McCartney’s first U.S. shows since his five-week ‘Summer Live ‘09′ tour, which was prefaced by a triumphant sold-out headline set at the 2009 Coachella festival and a surprise performance for CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman on the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater (inside which The Beatles made TV history decades ago) that drew throngs packing Broadway from Columbus Circle to Times Square.
Garnering rave reviews the new McCartney show features a typically diverse set list, drawing on 2 plus hours’ worth of selections spanning the catalogues of The Beatles, Wings and Paul’s solo career, including tracks from The Fireman’s 2008 album, Electric Arguments, and potentially some songs never-before-played-on-U.S.-soil added to the set list.
For more information, go to
www.paulmccartney.com or
www.consolenergycenter.com.