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   CLUB SANDWICH 66

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MEET BARRIE MARSHALL

Mark Lewisohn snatches a rare few minutes with the man whose company's name adorns tour posters and concert tickets along with that of a certain Paul McCartney. A man for whom the term "promoter" truly encompasses a multitude of duties... Club Sandwich 66

            We all know that Paul McCartney has one of the century's most recognisable, headline-grabbing names, and that there are rather a lot of people out there eager to see him perform. But, even taking these huge advantages into account, things would be much harder were he not served by a background team dedicated to the cause.
            I thought I'd ask Barrie Marshall about this but I ran up against an immediate problem: it was hard even to locate him behind a veritable phalanx of files, detailing and arranging - to every last possibility and probability - the intricacies of such an enormous undertaking, with 150 people from different cities and countries travelling the world. (A phalanx of files is a new collective noun, by the way, like a herd of cows, a flock of parishioners and a crash of hippopotami. It means: a lot.)
            Together with his wife Jenny and their partner Doris Dixon, Barrie co-owns Marshall Arts, the company which put on the 1989/90 Paul McCartney World Tour and is presently doing the New World Tour. A doddle it isn't. Although MA employs more than 20 highly skilled staff, Jenny, Doris and Barrie burn the candle at both ends: a typical working week is something like 120 hours each and the lamps often shine brightly at MA's North London office until well into the early hours of the morning, seven days a week. "Most of the people I know work hard," says Barrie, modestly. "Certainly Paul McCartney does. We sometimes work two or three days without going to bed. It doesn't qualify you for anything or win you any awards but if what's necessary takes that amount of time then it must be done. Besides, it does wonders for the heart rate!"
            For Barrie Marshall, promoter of Paul McCartney tours, what effort, one wonders, might go into the staging of a single concert? "First MA decides on the venues suitable for Paul - that is, venues prestigious enough to make each show an 'event', then we make a proposal to Paul and to his manager Richard Ogden for their approval. Then I visit the venue a few months upfront, if I haven't already been there in the year or two previously, to make sure that it's still as I remember it, because buildings do change and I have to make sure I can get the production to work there. Then I investigate all the sight lines, the capacity of the venue, the dressing-room facilities and facilities for the public. We co-ordinate all the deals with the suppliers - sound, lighting, etc - and the production, doing all the contract work and negotiations. We partner a local promoter to co-present the shows and together we set about getting the tickets, advertising, posters and financing sorted out, having first liaised about the artwork with Paul and Roger Huggett. Then we discuss with Paul how the shows will be announced and presented, monitor the ticket sales, see that all the personnel and production crew are on hand to do their work, sort out the security, the police arrangements and the traffic."
            Is that all?
            "No. Actually there's a lot more."
            The same age as Paul McCartney, Barrie Marshall has been in the business for almost as long, beginning his career with top 1960s concert impresario - and Beatles UK tour promoter - Arthur Howes. "I met the Beatles a few times, like at the Scotch of St James night-club, but they certainly wouldn't remember me," he says, again modestly. "I ran Arthur's agency for years: my first act was the Kinks, and I presented Otis Redding, the Stax/Volt revue...it was a good time." Barrie set up his own company in 1970, gradually building up to the big time via concerts/tours with Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Brian Adams, George Michael - until reaching the biggest name of them all.
            "Sincerely, it was a real privilege to be asked to promote Paul's 1989/90 World Tour," he admits. "There's no question about it: in my 30 year career it's been the most important thing I've ever done, and I was really thrilled to be involved. It was a great feeling of achievement - and that's the truth."
            [In an industry renowned for it's "bull", Barrie often feels the need to add "and that's the truth" to his comments. But he really needn't: if the man were ever after a reference, hundreds of artists, managers and agents would volunteer without hesitation that he's one of the most honest and nicest people in the business.]
            "From my point of view," Barry continues, "when you get asked to work for Paul McCartney in this capacity, as worldwide co-ordinator and/or promoter, it's really a very special privilege. Everybody else would like to do it. Alright, so it takes up most of my time - as you can see from the files! - but I've built a team here at Marshall Arts specifically geared towards this type of thing, and we can handle it.
            "Promoting Paul McCartney differs from promoting other artists in lots of ways. For a start, he engenders much more interest than anyone else. I don't mean to decry other acts but whenever Paul does a show in a given city the interest there prior to the concert is far greater than it is for anyone else. He attracts people -they'll camp out all day and all night just to see him. They'll do it for some other artists too, but not to the same extent as they do it for Paul."
            That Paul's fans impress Barrie is somehow appropriate, for Paul impresses Barrie too. "His shows are phenomenal," he enthuses. "He could cruise a bit but he never does - he never gives less than 100 per cent, and in his position that's remarkable. Even his soundchecks knock me out - he does an hour, maybe even 90 minutes, every time, which is like doing two shows a day: a 90 minute soundcheck and a show for 2 1/2 hours.
            "Another thing about Paul that amazes me is that when he arrives at a gig he walks from the car straight to the stage, plugs in and starts playing. He gets straight to work, with a cup of tea balanced on an amp. Most artists arrive and go to the dressing-room, but not Paul. There's also a great pleasure in working for Paul because you get a pat on the back; he doesn't ignore people. Linda, too. It's so wrong and so unfair that the public have had the wrong picture of Linda. In my experience (and this is the truth) she's just the nicest, most caring person - she was simply not given a fair crack of the whip by the press. My, how that's changed now, though: everybody in the touring entourage likes her, and when she's introduced on stage she's getting a tremendous reception, much more so than last time.
            "Paul talks to the crew too, and that pleases them no end because they've all worked with artists who've been aloof and acted superior. At the end of the 1989/90 tour, in Chicago, none of the crew wanted it to finish. Not one. And that is unusual - these guys are seasoned pros, they've been around a long time. Sure, some people bitch and moan about a few things on the road, but it's like touring an entire village - 150 people - and you're always going to get that. But, really, everyone was sad to see that tour end."
            Here we discover another reason why Barrie Marshall is particularly proud to be the promoter of Paul McCartney concerts. More proud, that is, than any of his rivals would be - he's a McCartney fan. "Oh yes, I