Wings live: Hull University

The third date of Wings’ first tour was in the West Refectory at Hull University in Kingston upon Hull, England, on 11 February 1972.

We only had eleven songs, which wasn’t enough for an hour. So we’d do long versions and repeat them. And we just lied. Having to repeat ‘Lucille’: ‘It’s a request from so-and-so in the Upper Sixth, science student.’ We just made it up. We came away with these bags of coins, which reminded me of Peter Sellers in Tom Thumb: ‘One for you, two for me…’ We counted them out in the van afterwards.

It was the first show by the band to finish an encore. With a shortage of original material, Wings performed ‘The Mess’, ‘Lucille’, and their forthcoming single ‘Give Ireland Back to the Irish’ twice.

• ‘Lucille’
• ‘Give Ireland Back to the Irish’
• ‘Your Wee Tobacco Box’
• ‘Blue Moon Of Kentucky’
• ‘Seaside Woman’
• ‘Help Me’
• ‘Some People Never Know’
• ‘The Mess’
• ‘Bip Bop’
• ‘Thank You Darling’
• ‘Smile Away’
• ‘My Love’
• ‘The Grand Old Duke Of York’
• ‘Henry’s Blues’
• ‘Wild Life’

• ‘Give Ireland Back to the Irish’
• ‘The Mess (Reprise)’
• ‘Lucille’

After the show Wings stayed at a hotel near Hull’s Pearson Park. The band had a disagreement with the landlord, although accounts vary as to the reason. According to Paul McCartney, it was because “one of the roadies was smoking something”.

Wings guitarist Denny Laine disputed this, saying it was because the band helped themselves to drinks from the bar, although they left money, and did not tidy up their fish and chip wrappers after eating. The landlord was upset at the sight the following morning, and in the ensuing argument McCartney “accidentally on purpose” elbowed him on the nose.

The landlord threatened to call the police, so Wings quickly gathered up their belongings and hit the road before any further trouble could occur.

The Wings University Tour took place in the UK over eleven days in February 1972, and visited Nottingham (9 February), York (10), Hull (11), Newcastle upon Tyne (13), Lancaster (14), Leeds (16), Sheffield (17), Salford (18), Birmingham (21), Swansea (22), and Oxford (23).