The Day Paul McCartney Lost His Audience to Pelé’s Team

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The First Wings Concert and the Competition with Pelé and Santos in 1972

Photo: Helge Heinonen, CC BY 2.0 / Fotopersbureau De Boer, CC0

At the beginning of 1972, Paul McCartney started planning the first concerts with his new band, Wings. The group had released its debut album, Wild Life, in December 1971, featuring standout tracks like Tomorrow.

Following the idea of performing intimate and improvised shows, Paul chose to play at university campuses, a concept he had wanted to explore since the Beatles’ days in 1969. The band’s first show took place in Nottingham on February 9, 1972. The tour then continued through cities such as Newcastle, Tunbridge Wells, Leeds, Sheffield, Salford, and Birmingham, where they played at the University of Birmingham on February 21.

Setlist of Wings’ First Concert

The show featured a mix of classics and new Wings songs, including:

  • Lucille
  • Give Ireland Back to the Irish
  • Blue Moon of Kentucky
  • Seaside Woman
  • Thank You Darling
  • Some People Never Know
  • The Mess
  • Bip Bop
  • Say Darling
  • Smile Away
  • My Love
  • Henry’s Blues
  • Wild Life
  • Long Tall Sally

A Disappointing Audience and the Competition with Pelé

Despite the anticipation for Wings’ live debut, the Birmingham concert had a disappointing turnout, with only around 7,000 attendees. The reason? A major sporting event that attracted thousands of fans: a match between Pelé’s Santos and Aston Villa, held at Villa Park on the same February 21, 1972.

Santos Futebol Clube, which was on an international tour facing major teams, drew 54,473 spectators to the stadium, plus around 6,000 people who remained outside, according to Santos’ archives. The excitement near the hotel where the Brazilian team was staying was intense, comparable to Beatlemania, with fans eager to catch a glimpse of Pelé.

The Match Between Santos and Aston Villa

In the early 1970s, Brazil was a three-time world champion, having defeated Italy 4-1 in the 1970 World Cup final in Mexico. Pelé was at the peak of his career, which explained the enormous fan interest.

In the match, Aston Villa defeated Santos 2-1. McMahon and Graydon scored for the English team, while Edu netted a goal for Santos. However, the game was played under freezing temperatures and a thick fog, which impaired stadium lighting and led to complaints from Pelé.

Interestingly, Santos received about £10,000 for the match—a negligible amount compared to today’s football standards.

Check out the video with a summary of the match:

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