Brit singer/songwriter James McCartney is bringing his second American tour to Tucson, returning to a place that was once home for his famous parents.
On Friday, May 27, McCartney, son of Paul and Linda McCartney, will play a show at Club Congress to promote his weeks-old album “The Blackberry Train.”
It will be his second Congress gig; he played the downtown venue on his only other U.S. tour in 2013.
Linda McCartney attended the University of Arizona, and she and her husband bought a ranch here in 1979. In 1998, she died at the ranch, surrounded by her family including son James and husband Paul, a former member of the Beatles and of Wings, with his wife.
James McCartney kicked off his U.S. tour early this month and will tour through June with stops in Memphis, Dallas and Idaho Falls. And although he has seen his popularity swell at home and abroad, leading to full houses in midsize to larger venues, he is taking the tour to small spaces. It’s a chance to connect on a more personal level with his audiences.
“This tour is going to be very exciting and fun, and the idea behind it is to play in intimate settings, solo. So it’s just me up there,” he said in a written statement. “I love performing live, and it’s great fun. It can be nerve-wracking sometimes, mostly because I get so pumped up for it. Ultimately though, when you look out at the audience and see them connecting with the music you’ve written, it’s all worth it. An amazing and beautiful experience.”
McCartney released “The Blackberry Train” on his own Magybenot label, describing it as having “elements of the avant-garde, psychedelic, and be just a little against the grain.”
“But in the end, it’s about having as much emotion as possible for me, musically and lyrically,” he said in a written statement. “It’s all about the music being cathartic, heartfelt and true.”
