For McCartney, Home Is Where the Heart Is : Music: The former Beatle thrills 50,000 concert fans in Liverpool. It’s his first return since 1979.

Paul McCartney came home Thursday, thrilling a capacity crowd of 50,000 fans with a waterfront concert that included a fireworks display and a medley of John Lennon tunes.

The former Beatle, who turned 48 this month, made it clear that this was a special night for him as well as the fans. Playing here for the first time since 1979, he referred to the crowd as “fellow Liverpudlians” and “fellow scousers,” as the locals call themselves. On the breast pocket of his cream-colored sport coat he wore a patch depicting the mythical Liver Bird--the symbol of Liverpool.

Although McCartney tried to play it down, there were inevitable comparisons between his “Let It Be Liverpool” concert and the poorly received John Lennon tribute concert here last month.

The earlier show, which featured Yoko Ono and an array of mostly American artists interpreting Lennon songs, drew half the 45,000 fans anticipated. Locals and press critics complained that the show, a made-for-television event hosted by “Superman” Christopher Reeve, had little to do with Liverpool. McCartney and Ringo Starr stayed away, but sent video greetings. George Harrison snubbed the affair.

At a press conference before Thursday’s concert, McCartney--who announced his Liverpool show after the Lennon tribute took place--was asked if he would have performed a hometown show if Ono hadn’t come to Liverpool first.

“Yeah, in fact we were planning to do it quite a bit before she was planning to do it,” he said. “You have to take my word for that.”

McCartney said he at first considered playing a pared-down version of his lasers-and-smokebombs-laden show in the 2,000-seat Liverpool Empire Theater, but the facility was too small to handle the show’s elaborate staging.

“I didn’t like the idea of scaling down the show, showing everyone else in the world the big show and then doing a little piddly show for Liverpool,” he said. “So we had to look around and find a site like this.”

“This” was the empty King’s Dock on the banks of the River Mersey, where a monstrous stage and temporary bleachers were erected.

McCartney wouldn’t state exactly what he thought of the Lennon concert, but made it fairly clear anyway. “As to whether it was in poor taste or whether it had come off or not, it’s over, it’s done,” he said. “I didn’t like. . . .” He paused half a beat. “I think John might not have liked it. That was the funny bit about it. There were a few artists on there I don’t think he would have been proud of.”

McCartney also told reporters backstage that he has become involved in an effort to convert his old school, the Liverpool Institute, into a school for the performing arts similar to the one portrayed in the movie “Fame.” He envisioned himself dropping in occasionally to show students some of his musical techniques.

A small portion of the profits from the Liverpool show will be used as seed money for the school, while the rest will go to local charities and organizations.

Outside, in the chill of a Liverpool summer evening, 20,000 balloons were released as McCartney took the stage. Accompanying him were the same musicians who have been with him on his current tour.

The audience was respectful, often enthusiastic, about songs from McCartney’s Wings and solo albums. But Beatle songs caused the most excitement.

Liverpudlian Kathy Cavanagh, who brought her grown daughter to the show, saw McCartney and the other Beatles once before--not in concert but on the steps of Liverpool’s town hall in 1964, where the Fab Four saluted local supporters after a triumphant return from touring.

McCartney’s return this time “is a very big event,” she said. “You couldn’t miss it.”

Dora Wareing, a woman in her mid-50s who lives just outside Liverpool, also found herself stirred by memories of the early Beatles days. “We had a young family then,” she recalls. “I think back to friends who got lost or died.”

Also in attendance at the show were many Beatle fanatics from around the world who couldn’t pass up the chance to see “Macca” on his own turf.

Charles F. Rosenay, who publishes the fanzine Good Day Sunshine in New Haven, Conn., and leads Beatle tours, brought over 37 Americans for the show. They’ve hooked up with a group of 40 Japanese counterparts.

McCartney and band finally hit their groove when they ripped into “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

After McCartney finished “Let It Be,” his 21st song of the evening, he introduced a segment that would only be played this one night.

“We’ve learned up a little thing especially for Liverpool,” he told the audience. “Maybe you’ll help us out with it by singing along if you know the words. This is just a little tribute to someone we loved dearly.”

With that, McCartney gave his version of Lennon’s “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Before the song was finished, the band switched seamlessly into “Help.” It was disorienting, but intriguing to hear McCartney’s voice instead of Lennon’s singing “Help me if you can I’m feeling down. . . .” From there, it was directly into “Give Peace a Chance.”

Next came the grand theatrics and fireworks of “Live and Let Die” and the spectacle of 50,000 people singing the “nananana” chorus of “Hey Jude.” For encores it was “Yesterday,” “Get Back” and “Carry That Weight/Golden Slumbers.”

“Hey, this was great for us,” McCartney shouted finally, after the last note was played--and the cheers of the audience suggested his fellow Liverpudlians felt the same.