Paul McCartney has brought his acclaimed ‘Got Back’ tour to South America and is heading to Europe soon. With songs like ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Live and Let Die’, ‘Band on the Run’, ‘Let It Be’ and so many more, the Paul McCartney live experience is everything any music lover could ever want from a rock show: hours of the greatest moments from the last 60 years of music – dozens of songs from Paul’s solo, Wings and of course Beatles catalogues that have formed the soundtracks of our lives.
But have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes and what Paul eats on show days? We caught up with him in Buenos Aires to ask him what fuels him on tour.
Which dish gets you ready to perform on a show day?
“I don’t eat on a show day. The guys in the band do, but I like to eat dinner after the show.
I get on the tour bus, and before we change back into our ‘day clothes’ I have a margarita to drink, which is always very welcome! And I have a cheese and pickle sandwich with the English type of pickle: Branston’s pickle. Americans would think I mean a dill pickle, but no! Those are the two things that are always there, and that I look forward to. It means we’ve done the show and we’re off!
After that I’ll have a proper dinner. Tonight, I’m having a pasta olio – pasta with oil – with little vegetables mixed in. Some broccoli, cauliflower, a bit of carrot, and I think tonight we’re going to have a fake ‘chicken’ patty chopped up into that. So, it’s a pasta with fake ‘chicken’ patty and vegetables. Mmm, this is getting me hungry!”
Do you take any UK food staples with you?
“No! The tour catering is so good, you don’t even need to think about it. And then in the hotels we stay in, they’ve always got a great kitchen with lots of veggie options. Sometimes I will go out to a restaurant, and again they are always very good restaurants with good veggie food, so I’m happily taken care of.”
What’s one of the more memorable meals you’ve had while touring?
“In truth, it’s not a meal, it’s the cheese and pickle sandwich after the show. It’s so basic and simple, but it hits the spot!”
If all this food talk has you craving a sandwich – whether something simple or more gourmet – check out our 14 delicious sarnies for meat free lunches. And explore our recipe library for hundreds more meat free meal ideas!