McCartney wows French Canadian crowd

QUEBEC CITY, July 21 (UPI) -- Former Beatle Paul McCartney rocked Canada's Quebec City Sunday night where 200,000 mostly French fans celebrated the city's 400th anniversary.

McCartney arrived in the city a day earlier from New York and hastily arranged for giant screens to provide translation of his English, although he spoke a greeting in French at the beginning of the outdoor show, the Globe and Mail reported.

He and his band opened with the Wings song "Jet" and then progressed into a mix of Beatles and Wings songs, the report said.

Two Quebec bands opened for McCartney and sang almost exclusively in English, which rankled separatists, the report said. The concert was held on the historic Plains of Abraham, where the British defeated the French in 1759, which led to sovereignists' complaints in the week running up to the concert, the report said.

However, McCartney arranged for the province's blue and white fleur-de-lis emblem to be displayed on the large monitors during the show, which drew roars of approval, the newspaper said.