PAUL McCARTNEY IN RED SQUARE

SET FOR RELEASE JUNE 14

DVD FEATURES EMMY® AWARD-WINNING CONCERT IN RED SQUARE; NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN FULL-LENGTH BONUS CONCERT FROM ST. PETERSBURG’S PALACE SQUARE AND RARE BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE; A&E HOME VIDEO RELEASE FEATURES SONGS OF THE BEATLES, WINGS AND McCARTNEY SOLO YEARS.

 
NEW YORK, NY, May, 2005 -- As a member of the Beatles, Paul McCartney helped to launch the British Invasion and bring rock and roll onto the global stage. Though their music was banned and The Beatles were never able to visit the U.S.S.R., their music provided hope and inspiration to a beleaguered people. On May 24th, 2003, McCartney ended decades of anticipation with a landmark concert in Russia, electrifying a crowd of over 100,000 jammed into Moscow’s Red Square. Next month, on June 14th, during the 20th anniversary year of Perestroika, A&E Home Video will release McCartney’s history-making, Emmy® Award-winning concert on DVD. More than just a concert film, PAUL McCARTNEY IN RED SQUARE is a backstage pass to a defining moment in rock and roll history.

  PAUL McCARTNEY IN RED SQUARE captures the historic sights and sounds of the nearly three-hour concert which included more than 30 classic hits from The Beatles, Wings and McCartney’s solo career. There’s ‘Hey Jude,’ ‘Maybe I’m Amazed,’ ‘I Saw Her Standing There,’ ‘Live And Let Die,’ ‘Let It Be,’ ‘Back In The USSR,’ ‘Band On The Run,’ and many, many more. Other DVD bonus features include an interactive menu and guide, as well as previously unreleased concert footage from McCartney’s second trip to Russia, where he performed in St. Petersburg’s Palace Square. Filmed during McCartney’s ’04 Summer Tour,’ fans will be granted their exclusive ticket to see songs never before released including, ‘Helter Skelter,’ ‘Penny Lane,’ and ‘I’ve Got A Feeling.’

  McCartney’s songs and records were once condemned as agents of subversion, but for one very special night, his music blasted open the once-impenetrable Iron Curtain and forever changed Russia’s relationship to Western music. PAUL McCARTNEY IN RED SQUARE is also a remarkable historical document featuring rare, behind-the-scenes footage of the star’s whirlwind tour of Russia, including a private meeting with President Putin, and interviews with important members of Russia’s cultural community, who reveal the importance the Beatles and McCartney played in the development of the former Soviet Union’s future.

  Destined to become an indispensable part of any music fan’s DVD collection, PAUL McCARTNEY IN RED SQUARE has been digitally-remastered for optimal viewing and features several audio options: Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, and DTS Digital 5.1 Surround. The director’s cut of the program will feature 20 minutes of never-before-aired footage, along with extras that include a 10-minute featurette from The History Channel®, song selection, an interactive guide and an archival photo gallery, along with an 8-page, full color booklet. But music fans will thrill to one exclusive and unprecedented extra – a full-length, bonus concert from St. Petersburg! The 50-minute long concert from McCartney’s Russian jaunt is every bit as electrifying as Red Square, and gives home audiences another chance to revel in rock and roll history.

  For those who spent years under an oppressive regime, rock and roll was an escape from the horrors of everyday life. As President Putin proclaimed of the Beatles’ music, “it was like a gulp of freedom…an open window to the world.” Now, as McCartney readies his Fall 2005 tour, don’t miss out on this concert – a seminal event in rock history – and the ultimate collector’s item for music lovers everywhere. PAUL McCARTNEY IN RED SQUARE was directed by Mark Haefeli.