McCartney stays dry in Russia

Paul McCartney wasn’t taking any chances with anyone raining on his parade over the weekend in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he played what by his count was his 3,000th career performance.

Organizers spent some $55,000, according to at least one report, for three jets to spray the clouds above St. Petersburg with dry ice to stave off any possibility of precipitation that might dampen the clothing or the spirits of the crowd. An audience estimated at 50,000 to 60,000 people gathered in that city’s Palace Square for Sunday’s show, two days after McCartney turned 62.

It was only his second performance in Russia, following a historic concert last year in Moscow’s Red Square, which was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin. For decades, music of the Beatles topped the list of Western pop music banned by authorities in the former Soviet Union because it was considered corrupt.