McCartney Recaptures Magic of Early Rock

The screams Saturday night on the Paramount Studios lot may not have been of Beatlemania proportions, but they were piercing enough to remind you that it’s a bit magical every time Paul McCartney steps on a stage.

And it was endearing that McCartney used that star power--for what is his only scheduled concert performance of the year--to support People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an organization that McCartney’s late wife, Linda, strongly endorsed.

After presenting PETA’s first Linda McCartney Memorial Award to actress Pamela Anderson Lee at a black-tie humanitarian awards gala attended by an estimated 2,000 on the studio grounds, McCartney treated the crowd to a preview of six songs from his new album. (Lee was honored for various projects, include posing for PETA’s first Times Square billboard, titled “Give Fur the Cold Shoulder”).

Following a set by the B-52’s and one number by Chrissie Hynde, McCartney took the stage at 12:30 a.m. with a four-piece band, including Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour on guitar.

Unlike his nervous appearance when he was inducted earlier this year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York, McCartney was playful and relaxed on a stage set up on the studios’ New York street.

McCartney may be one of the most influential figures in pop music history, but he is still a fan, and the new album lets him relive some of his early rock memories.

Titled “Run Devil Run” and due Oct. 4, the album features his version of songs he loved as a teenager, both well-known ones, such as Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up,” and relatively obscure ones, including Carl Perkins’ “Movie Magg.”

Opening with Big Joe Turner’s upbeat “Honey Hush,” McCartney’s vocal intensity reminded you that, for all his acclaim as the melodic Beatle, he’s also a splendid rocker. He followed with an equally blistering rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” before turning to a ballad, the Vipers’ “No Other Baby.”

Like so much early rock, “No Other Baby” is filled with the innocence of youthful emotion--a statement of everlasting devotion, and it seemed to mirror McCartney’s own storybook love affair with Linda, his wife of some three decades.

He also sang “Lonesome Town,” a ballad that was a hit for Rick Nelson, and two up-tempo numbers that he wrote for the album. Highlights from the PETA event will be shown as a VH1 special, but no date has been announced.

While in town, McCartney also hosted a listening party for the album for about 1,000 fans at the House of Blues on Friday, but did not perform. Backstage Friday, McCartney said he expects to tour again, possibly even doing a few solo dates a la Neil Young’s recent expedition.