I went online looking to buy a Garth Brooks guitar and ended up buying Paul McCartney’s bus!

In October 2019 I was on holiday with time on my hands and we know what happens then !!! I love Garth Brooks and especially the songs If Tomorrow Never Comes, The Dance and of course Friends In Low Places. I wanted a guitar maybe even a Takamine GB7C that he had actually played so registered with a few heritage websites and they started sending musical memorabilia.

Emails arrived in with all kinds of offerings including Hank Locklin’s Gibson that was sold by the time I reached the shop in Nashville. One day out of the clear blue sky out of left field a message arrived in that Paul McCartney’s 1972 Wings Tour Bus was coming up for auction. Wow, all of a sudden I got this rush of colour and music and the memories just flooded back. In my mind’s eye I saw this double-decker bus in all its colourful glory with Paul, Linda, the children; Heather, Mary and Stella McCartney, the band; Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell and Henry McCullough, the wives and girlfriends all enjoying the open top deck, the fresh air, the sunshine as they rode along to a fab Beatles-McCartney soundtrack.

I was 11 in 1962 when The Beatles exploded and loved the music. I was 21 when Paul’s Wings Over Europe Tour happened and it didn’t cross my mind to buy this bus only to check in to the auction a couple of weeks later to see what it went for. Fast forward two weeks checked in and was astonished… not one bid. The bus was in a bad way but surely someone could see past that and see what a treasure it was. So I checked further and when I read the description it didn’t do justice to the bus at all.

I used to buy, do up and sell motors so know how to put together an advert and my head just wouldn’t leave this auction description alone. Like any treasure it should have a provenance. The laptop was open on the table so I started tapping out what should be said about this bus. I’d leave it and go back to it and read it out loud and did that on and off for three days before I was satisfied. When I read it out loud to my great friend Steve Travers of The Miami Showband he said, “Tom, I think you’ve succeeded in selling it to yourself !!! A couple of weeks later the bus was mine. The 1972 Wings Tour Bus Provenance as written at the time

Nearly 4 years on and we are delighted to announce that the bus has been restored back to its glory days McCartney layout and livery. Phase 1 unveiled in November 2022 at The Classic Motor Show at The NEC. Bands played live on the newly imagined and engineered performance area inspired by The Beatles Rooftop Concert and named in honour of its very own superstar The McCartney Stage. Further inspiration has served to bring The McCartney Creative Songwriting Suite.

As for that Garth Brooks guitar… I’m sure Garth would understand that may have to wait a little while longer…
Idea !!! I wonder if Garth would fancy performing on The McCartney Stage?
Or maybe even writing a song in The McCartney Creative Suite?
Now there’s a couple of thoughts !

 

Hear Garth sing Let It Be and Hey Jude – more…