Paul McCartney in Israel

Paul and I arrived in Israel close to each other. More so by time than space. He came on a private jet. I came packed into a 747 with 200 other people. You can fly from London to Tel Aviv directly in about five hours. Shanghai to Tel Aviv is about 18 hours with a connection in Bangkok. He checked into several floors of an overpriced seafront hotel. I went home to my apartment facing the mountains. He made a few tourist stops. I went to sleep.

Then came the sound checks. I was walking through Ganei Yehoshua and I heard Paul tell me to get back. I was confused. This is my park. I live here. And why is he singing his warning? Stop calling me Jo Jo.

There is something surreal about walking through your local park and hearing Paul McCartney sing a few songs with his band. It is not that common to hear from a CD player but far less so to hear it from Paul himself. I would have gone closer to have a look but large men with automatic weapons suggested I not. Still it was a nice little show and I heard it for free. I did not get to see anything but neither did the people who paid for the overpriced seats at the later show itself.