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Paul McCartney To Make First-Ever Utah Appearance In Rio Tinto Stadium

May 17, 2010 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, UT (Monday, May 17, 2010) - In a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for music fans and concert enthusiasts across the Wasatch Front, the legendary Paul McCartney has announced a performance date at Utah's state-of-the-art Rio Tinto Stadium for Tuesday, July 13th on his ‘Up and Coming' 2010 tour. Keeping with his headline-making special concerts over the last few years, the tour will see the iconic star and his band play unique venues, places and locations; new cities he's never played and familiar markets he's not visited for a while.

The July 13th concert date in the stunning Rio Tinto Stadium setting will be McCartney's first-ever performance in the great State of Utah.

On Monday, May 24 at 10 AM, tickets go on sale to the general public via www.RioTintoStadium.com or (888) 477-5849. The American Express Early On-Sale opportunity kicks off Thursday, May 20, at 10 AM through Sunday, May 23 at 10 PM, an online time window designated exclusively for AMEX card holders. Real Salt Lake season ticket holders will receive specific information regarding their process.

"We are ecstatic to welcome one of music's most revered talents, the incomparable Paul McCartney, to Rio Tinto Stadium for his first-ever appearance in Utah," said Dave Checketts, Chairman and Founder of SCP Worldwide, LLC, co-owner of Rio Tinto Stadium and Real Salt Lake (MLS). "We are proud of what we delivered a summer ago to the people of Utah with some spectacular acts, and now our state's finest music venue, Rio Tinto Stadium, will host another true icon in what is sure to be a history-making performance, allowing fans of every generation - from across the region - to see and hear music that changed the world."

McCartney's live shows have reached a new level of legendary status in recent years, garnering unprecedented reviews from fans and critics alike wherever he goes. He's pushed boundaries, performed to millions and made global news with monumental shows, including performances in Moscow's Red Square, outside the Coliseum in Rome, performing live into a NASA space station, the largest outdoor show ever in the Ukraine, his first visit to Tel Aviv and last year his ‘Summer 09' tour began in earnest with an already legendary inaugural run of shows at New York's CitiField Stadium, on the site of the former Shea Stadium where The Beatles played the 1965 concert that set the precedent for the modern-day stadium rock show. Critics hailed the CitiField performances, seen by over 100,000 people, as the concert experience of a lifetime. Those performances were immortalized on last year's RIAA gold-certified multi-disc CD/DVD ‘Good Evening New York City'.

The ‘Up and Coming' 2010 tour, which kicked off in late March, are Paul's first U.S. shows since his five-week ‘Summer Live ‘09′ tour last year, which was prefaced by a triumphant sold-out headline set at the 2009 Coachella festival and a surprise performance for CBS' Late Show with David Letterman on the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater (inside which The Beatles made TV history decades ago) that drew throngs packing Broadway from Columbus Circle to Times Square.

Garnering rave reviews, the new McCartney show features a typically diverse set list, drawing on 2 hours-plus worth of selections spanning the catalogues of The Beatles, Wings and Paul's solo career, including tracks from The Fireman's 2008 album ‘Electric Arguments' and potentially some songs never-before-played-on-U.S.-soil added to the set list.

Click here to see rehearsal footage from the ‘Up and Coming' 2010 tour on the official Paul McCartney YouTube Channel.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Paul McCartney Live in 2010

"When McCartney did an American mini-tour last spring and summer, fans (and, at the Coachella Festival, some curious acolytes) were astonished by shows that stretched out to the two-and-a-half hour mark. Returning to U.S. shores with a slightly revamped revue that he's dubbed the "Up and Coming Tour," McCartney now has an even longer set list that brings his concerts up to a plentiful two hours and 45 minutes. In other words, Rosalita ain't got nothing on Eleanor Rigby."

-- ROLLINGSTONE.COM

"In concert, however, even at 67 years old, McCartney is more like Superman. Watching him perform 40 vocally demanding songs over nearly three hours Saturday night... one could only wonder: How does he do it?"

-- THE MIAMI HERALD

"McCartney still sounds terrific, with a voice flexible enough to turn on a dime from raucous to honey sweet in a set that hit all the obvious targets ("Let It Be," "The Long and Winding Road," "Hey Jude," "Get Back," "Yesterday") as well as a few surprises."

--THE FORT LAUDERDALE SUN SENTINEL

"It's hard to think of much in the pop music world more impressive than a 67-year-old musician holding forth for nearly three hours, outdoors on a chilly March night, while delivering some three dozen songs, the least of which would be a career highlight for almost any other artist."

-- THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Visit www.paulmccartney.com for further tour and show information or visit www.RioTintoStadium.com.

About Rio Tinto Stadium

Rio Tinto Stadium is a state-of-the-art, sports and entertainment facility in Utah, providing a stunning new home for world-class events, one with breathtaking views of both the Oquirrh and Wasatch Mountain ranges. Rio Tinto Stadium opened its doors for the first time on Thursday, October 9, 2008, with Real Salt Lake Major League Soccer action televised before an international audience.

The Stadium is a new class of venue in the Intermountain West, attracting events that would not otherwise visit Utah, bolstering the state's reputation as an international sports and entertainment destination. The diversity of events attracted to Rio Tinto Stadium brings significant media attention, positively impacts tourism efforts and creates numerous job opportunities on both permanent and seasonal bases. In March, 2008, the Stadium was recognized by Forbes.com as one of "10 New Super-Stadiums" in development worldwide.

Located in Sandy, Utah, at the heart of the Wasatch Front, Rio Tinto Stadium is conveniently accessed from major transportation arteries Interstate-15 as well State Street, between 9000 South and 9400 South. The venue resides just 15 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City and 25 minutes from SLC International Airport. The venue seats 20,000+ people for various sporting events, including Real Salt Lake games, with capacity rising to 25,000 for concerts and other events. Stadium amenities include 32 luxury suites, a 2,000-square foot Stadium Club, 1,000 club seats, five locker rooms, a 60-foot Video Board, and ribbon LED boards on both the east and west fascia.

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