New York, April 05: The surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, performed together on Saturday to raise money to help kids learn a meditation technique the 1960s icons practiced at the height of their fame.McCartney was joined onstage by Starr for a rousing rendition of "With a Little Help From My Friends" at Radio City Music Hall at the Change Begins Within concert for the David Lynch Foundation, which promotes Transcendental Meditation.
The Beatles helped popularize Transcendental Meditation -- described as a simple mental technique to combat stress -- in 1967 when they sought spiritual guidance from an Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
"It started for us when we met the Maharishi in India and it`s going to get bigger and bigger and rule the world," McCartney said after playing his post-Beatles hit "Jet."
McCartney`s set topped an evening that included performances by Starr, Sheryl Crow, Pearl Jam`s Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper and others.
McCartney`s choice of songs included Beatles classics such as "Let it Be," "Lady Madonna" and "Blackbird" and the concert was rife with nostalgia for the two dead Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison.
McCartney and Starr last played together in November 2002 at the Concert for George in London`s Royal Albert Hall after Harrison`s death from cancer at the age of 58.
"I love New York and John loved New York. Let`s hear it for John," McCartney said before playing the plaintive "Here Today," a song he wrote after Lennon`s murder in 1980 and which appeared on his 1982 "Tug of War" album.
Earlier, after playing his hit "It Don`t Come Easy," Starr said, "I wrote that song with George Harrison and you know he would have been here tonight."
Starr also played Beatles favorites "Yellow Submarine" and "Boys."
Folk singer Donovan, who was also in India with the Beatles said, "George is here in spirit."
The highlight of the evening was McCartney introducing Starr, invoking the name of the imaginary singer from Sgt. Pepper`s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Billy Shears," McCartney said as his former drummer walked onstage to join him at the microphone.
Starr remained on stage for an encore, playing drums on a song written by McCartney while in India, "And Remember to be ... Cosmically Conscious," and "I Saw Her Standing There."
Filmmaker David Lynch`s foundation says that since 2005 it has provided scholarships for more than 100,000 at-risk young people, teachers and parents in 30 countries to learn Transcendental Meditation.
The concert was intended to raise money to help 1 million children learn to meditate.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.