Paul McCartney, 76, played The Cavern Club in Liverpool on Thursday night to an enthusiastic audience. However, despite the ban, many fans used their phones to take photos and videos of the performance by the ex-Beatles singer, leading him to tell them to stop.

McCartney told fans it was putting him off as phones were constantly used in the club. He ended up stopping in the middle of “Twenty Flight Rock” to remind them they had been told not to use their photos, but they were “taking them and taking them,” putting him off his performance.

McCartney went on to tell them to “play by the rules, man!”

McCartney solo performance at the Cavern Club

Paul resumed the song, which was a track by Eddie Cochran he had played to impress fellow Beatle John Lennon in 1957. On completing the song, McCartney went on to explain why phones weren’t allowed, saying he had been at a Prince concert and that the late singer was really serious about that rule. Prince wouldn’t sing if people used their phones. McCartney again stressed that they should put their phones down.

However, as reported by the BBC McCartney also told the audience that it was “pretty amazing” coming back to The Cavern Club after all those years.

He said when they first played there, they had no idea if they would even last, but that they “did OK.”

As mentioned in the YouTube video included below, the venue wasn't the original building of The Cavern Club, which closed in 1973 and was eventually knocked down. However, the bricks were retained and used to rebuild the club as it stands today.

NME quoted their reporter Dan Stubbs as saying in his review of the gig that McCartney’s outburst about the phones felt like a parent scolding their children and that he immediately felt guilty. However, Stubbs stressed that it was a minor blip in what was a “stunning return” to the Cavern Club by McCartney. Part of the concert can be heard in the video included below.

Ex-Beatles rocker speaks to students at LIPA

On Wednesday this week, McCartney visited the performing arts academy, LIPA, to speak to students. The academy was founded by the singer in the former building of his old school. He played an acoustic set for the students. McCartney went on to talk to them about how the Beatles wrote their music. He said their formula was that each song must be “memorable.” Of course, many people can remember the lyrics to many of the Beatles’ hits even today.

McCartney went on to say that the band learned everything by ear and that they hadn’t got around to writing anything down.

While they didn’t do very much recording, they had to write music they could easily remember.

Basically, they believed that if they couldn’t remember the lyrics, how could they expect their fans to remember them? The singer also said none of the bands in The British Invasion knew how to read or write music, as they didn’t really need to.

McCartney on tour

Paul McCartney will be making several appearances during December, as such is his popularity, all concerts are already sold out. On the 12th December he will be playing at Liverpool’s Echo Arena, he will be at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow and on 16th December he will appear at London’s O2 Arena.