Paul McCartney Left Confused After Watching Bob Dylan Perform: “I Would Like To Hear It. And I Paid”

Thanks to a career that started during the late 1950s, Bob Dylan accumulated more than a few hit songs. There was “Hurricane,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Forever Young,” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Having enough classic songs to fill an entire concert, the hitmaker couldn’t cover every song in his discography. And when traveling to see Dylan in concert, apparently, Paul McCartney wasn’t satisfied with how few hit songs he performed. 

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Appearing on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, McCartney recalled what it was like to go see Dylan in concert. Like most, the icon was thrilled to get the chance to see Dylan live. But he quickly learned how few songs from the singer he knew. “I’ve been to see a couple of Bob’s shows and honestly, I couldn’t tell what song he was doing.”  

Considering himself a Dylan fan, McCartney hoped that the icon would highlight classics like “Mr. Tambourine Man.” But as the night went on, the song never came. “Now, that’s a bit much, because I know his stuff. And I get it if he doesn’t want to do Mr. Tambourine Man – maybe he’s fed up with it. But I would like to hear it. And I paid.” 

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The Part Of Stardom Paul McCartney Wants No Part Of

The idea that McCartney wanted to hear signature songs from his favorite artist seemed to hark back to his childhood. “I remember as a kid saving up – a paper round and everything – to go to a Bill Haley concert. I knew what I wanted. I wanted him to do his hits. And if he got all clever on me, I’d let him indulge himself.” 

While McCartney was mindful of giving fans what they paid for, he drew a line when it came to taking a picture. Although most celebrities will pause for a moment, the singer refused. And the reasoning, “So if I meet someone, they’re reaching for their phone, and I say: ‘I’m sorry, I don’t do pictures.’ And that is radical these days. I told that to Oprah – I’m name-dropping now – and she said: ‘You don’t do pictures?’ I said: ‘No.’ She said: ‘Why?’ I said: ‘I don’t want to.’ It’s as simple as that.” 

McCartney added another reason he stopped taking photos was due to fans making him feel like a prop. Wanting to share a genuine connection with the people, the legendary singer insisted he would rather spend a few moments talking with a fan than posing for a quick picture destined for social media. 

(Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)