Concerts run much longer than they used to, according to Paul McCartney.
Earlier this week, the legendary singer-songwriter appeared on Conan O’Brien’s Needs a Friend podcast and spoke about how he blames Bruce Springsteen for normalizing concerts running over three hours — something The Beatles never did.
“These days, pretty much there’s the main act and there might be a warm-up act,” said McCartney, 81, recalling that in the 1960s, there were “a lot of people on the bill because nobody did long.”
“Now, people will do three or four hours. I blame Bruce Springsteen — I’ve told him so, I said, ‘It’s your fault,'” continued the 18-time Grammy winner, who often performs for nearly three hours himself.
However, that was never The Beatles’ approach. “You can’t now do an hour. We used to do a half hour. That was The Beatles’ thing – half an hour, and we got paid for it,” added McCartney.
He explained that the group’s shows used to be shorter “because there were a lot of people on the bill,” noting that comedians would often open with a four-minute set: “They would do four, and so we thought, ‘Well, half an hour. That’s epic.'”
“That was it. A Beatles show, we were on and off like that,” said McCartney. “It didn’t seem strange.”
Springsteen, 73, has been performing shows that last between three and four hours since 1980’s The River Tour, and it’s become a signature move for The Boss.
More recently, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour marked one of the first times a modern pop star adopted the extended runtime. With over 40 songs in her setlist, the “Cruel Summer” musician plays for about three hours and 15 minutes each show.
Additionally, Beyoncé’s ongoing Renaissance World Tour has featured shows running about two-and-a-half hours with over 30 songs performed.
[via]
