Paul McCartney doesn't usually do songs in concert that were mostly written by John Lennon. He made a major exception Friday night at the Santa Barbara Bowl, performing "Help!" in the first show of his North American tour, Rolling Stone reports. The last time McCartney sang about wanting assistance in getting his feet back on the ground, it was Dec. 12, 1965, and the Beatles were onstage in Cardiff. He'd sung snippets since then, and he included bits in a medley during his Flowers in the Dirt tour 35 years ago. But this was the full version.
Fewer than 5,000 people heard it, as the show was a tour warmup added to a small venue at the last minute. And videos will be hard to find, because concertgoers had to stow their phones. Lennon told Playboy in 1980, shortly before he was killed, that the song is indeed a plea, though he didn't realize that until later. "I was fat and depressed and I was crying out for help," Lennon said. Ultimate Classic Rock has McCartney's setlist here. The second show is Monday night in Thousand Palms, California.