LIVE AND LET DIE

Buffalo News October 16, 2011

Kishman kills in McCartney tribute show BY GARAUD MACTAGGART

All tribute bands are basically specialized cover bands. The only real difference between the former and the latter lies

in how the material performed is chosen.

Cover bands generally spread their allegiances among oldies and more current tunes while tribute bands focus on older

material by one artist or group. Cover bands play weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs; tribute bands have Broadway shows,

play Vegas and, as in the case of Saturday night in the BPO’s Paul McCartney-centered program “Live and Let Die,” frequently pair off with orchestras.

As tribute shows go, “Live and Let Die” is a pretty decent retrospective. Tony Kishman, the surrogate McCartney for

the evening, could physically and vocally pass for Sir Paul in many instances, although Kishman plays the bass right-

handed and McCartney is a lefty. “Live and Let Die” conductor Martin Herman has created orchestral arrangements that were fairly representative of the sonic backdrops used by the Beatles and in McCartney’s solo work while

Kishman’s other musical associates — guitarists John Merjave and Jim Owen along with drummer Chris Camilleri —

handled their roles with precision.

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra handled their backup chores well and some of the players were recognized by

Kishman at the end of the songs they soloed in. For instance, Sal Andolino got props for his soprano sax riffing in the

Wings-era “Listen to What the Man Said” while Alex Jokipii’s trumpet was spotlighted for his work in the Beatles’ classic “Penny Lane.”

Kishman was definitely the focus of the concert, however. It was a tribute to Paul McCartney after all and Kishman

was, for all intents and purposes, the lead actor on the stage while everyone else was in a supporting role.

Songs from the Beatles catalog, like “Hello Goodbye,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “When I’m 64” and “Get Back” were done well enough and so, too, were McCartney’s post-Beatles classics “Jet” and “Silly Love Songs.” “Bluebird,” one of the

lesser-known tunes from the “Band on the Run” sessions, was a welcome surprise entry in the set list.

Overall, it was a good, enjoyable night’s worth of pop entertainment and a decent, more economical likeness of a McCartney show.

Concert Review

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

“Live and Let Die,”a Paul McCartney tribute with vocalist Tony Kishman and conductor Martin Herman. Part of the

Pops Series. Saturday evening in Kleinhans Music Hall.

LIVE AND LET DIE Atlantic News Telegraph • May 25, 2011

Take Hart: A weekend of culture in Omaha BY JENNIFER HART My husband would definitely call it “culture overload,” but this past weekend at the Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha, we were so thrilled to begin the weekend on Friday night with “The Oak Ridge Boys” live with the fabulous Omaha Symphony.

William Lee Golden and Duane Allen have been a part of the group since the middle 60’s, Richard Sterban and Joe Bonsall since the early 70’s. They came onto the stage in suits, yes, dressy suits and two of them with ties.

Golden has a beard that stretches down almost to his belt, with hair nearly as long in the back. Both are pure white. Wow, can he ever sing.

If you recall, Richard Sterban is that unbelievable bass and the best way to remember him are with his solo lines of “Elvira”.

We had a graduation party to attend before we left for Omaha on Friday night. Following a quick stop there, my husband said, “Would you consider skipping the concert?”

I said, “Never.”

The Omaha Symphony celebrated 90 years in March at the Joslyn Art Museum. Warren Buffet made a surprise appearance and went on stage and played his ukulele and sang “Happy Birthday” to Richard Holland.

There were several orchestras in Omaha prior to the 1920’s but once the Omaha Symphony was established in 1921, our program stated, “It had aspirations for higher levels of musical artistry and talent.”

The Great Depression caused a suspension of operations in 1932, but the symphony played short seasons beginning with the one in 1936/1937. During WWII, the symphony was again forced to close when the conductor and other musicians enlisted.

After the War, Henry Doorly of the Omaha World Herald, the Associated Retailers of Omaha and the Omaha Junior League rebuilt the orchestra as a full symphony. It performed its first concert on February 10, 1947.

The 2005/2006 season found the orchestra in its new home, the beautiful Holland Performing Arts Center. The Oak Ridge Boys were the first outside group to perform on the new stage and they recalled the fond memories they had from that special event.

It has been the 3rd time the group has played in Omaha and the audience welcomed them back with warmth and continued applause.

The symphony orchestra did about a 45-minute prelude featuring famous movie themes and a medley of various familiar songs.

The Oak Ridge Boys came onto the stage singing, “The Boys are Back” and truly, during their time on stage, which was about 90 minutes, they played all of our favorites. My husband wasn’t bored for a single minute. Their songs definitely touched our hearts with the past, the present and the future. More than once, my husband squeezed my hand

Live and Let Die Atlantic News Telegraph • May 25, 2011 page 2 of 3 and twirled my wedding ring, but I knew when they began singing, “Thank God for Kids,” he would reach in his back pocket for his handkerchief and he did. I didn’t whisper a word, but he wasn’t the only one wiping the tears from his eyes, as the beloved group sang,

“Thank God for kids, there’s magic for awhile

A special kind of sunshine in a smile

Do you ever stop to think or wonder why

The nearest thing to heaven is a child.

And when you get down on your knees tonight,

Thank the Lord for his guiding light,

And may they turn out right,

Thank God for kids.”

On the way home, my husband was excited about the show and he loved it, when I casually reminded him we would be returning the next night, after we attended another graduation party.

He said, “I don’t think so. This is just too much culture for me. I may forget what sports are. Remind me. Who are the Huskers?”

I said, “You won’t forget the Huskers, besides we can’t miss tomorrow night. It’s the “Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney.”

He sighed heavily and said, “It won’t be Paul.” I said, “I realize that, but it will be the Beatles music I am nuts about. You are too. Admit it.”

He said, “All right. We’ll go, but that’s it for awhile.” I said, “You are so right.”

He laughed and said, “Only because the season is over now until fall, right?”

I said, “Right.”

Actor, singer, and recording artist, Tony Kishman starred for six years in both the national and international tours of Broadway’s smash hit, “Beatlemania.” Believe it or not, he looks exactly like Paul McCartney looked when we first remembered hearing “I love you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.” The band and backup singers were absolutely unbelievable. The drummer was wild and crazy and would have made Ringo Starr proud. And so many guitars and piano, this group could play them all.

They sang for two solid hours, with the Omaha Symphony joining the fun. They sang every Beatle song I could think of, except “Hey Jude”. At the first standing ovation, I said to my husband, “I just know they are coming back to sing, ‘Hey Jude.’ They have to sing, ‘Hey Jude’.

They came back on the stage with the crowd going wild. I was now convinced this guy was my idea of the real Paul McCartney and he sat down at the piano and sang “Hey Jude”.

“Hey Jude” was written by Paul McCartney in 1968, while he was driving to see John Lennon’s wife and their son, Julian, because a divorce was in the works. Paul felt badly about the divorce and wanted to comfort Julian. The song was originally going to be called “Hey, Jules,” for Julian, but Paul thought “Jude” sounded better and was easier to sing. Twenty years later, Julian was told the song was written for him. Julian had spent a lot of time as a child with Paul, more so he felt, than with his Dad.

Live and Let Die Atlantic News Telegraph • May 25, 2011 page 3 of 3 The group announced that the show we were about to see was the same show that they performed with the symphony orchestra in Berlin. They have toured concert halls throughout the U.S. and Europe.

And what did my husband say on our walk to the car, “Wow! I think that’s the best concert we’ve ever been to. How could you ask for anything more?”

In the elevator of the parking lot, another couple was making their way to their car and the husband said to us, “We have tickets to see the real Paul McCartney next month in Vegas but I don’t know if he can top the evening we had tonight.”

The elevator door opened, the couple disappeared and my husband said, “Don’t even think about it. I am not going to Vegas.”

Take Hart

LIVE AND LET DIE

Omaha World-Herald May 22, 2011

'Beatlemania' star does Sir Paul proud BY TODD VON KAMPEN

Omaha Symphony concertgoers have been able this past month to compare the different approaches of pop music “tribute

acts”: Stay faithful to the music while performing as yourself, or simulate both the original recordings and performers as

closely as possible.

Tony Kishman, who originated the Paul McCartney role in the “Beatlemania” stage show, has a well-deserved reputation for

evoking Sir Paul. A near-capacity Holland Performing Arts Center warmly appreciated the visual and aural resemblance as

Kishman and his backup band joined the symphony and resident conductor Ernest Richardson for a tour of McCartney’s

career Saturday night.

In concerts paying homage to the Eagles on April 16 and Frank Sinatra last weekend, the guest stars weren’t attempting the

musical equivalent of Hal Holbrook’s acclaimed portrayal of Mark Twain. By contrast, “Live and Let Die: The Music of

Paul McCartney,” which draws from Sir Paul’s 1970s solo and Wings hits as well as his Beatles catalog, is a logical sequel to

“Beatlemania.”

Which approach works better? Well, Steve Lippia, last weekend’s guest star, doesn’t have to compete with the living Sinatra.

With the real McCartney still performing worldwide — including in Omaha in recent years — even a spot-on tribute

performer is bound to fall just a tad short in charisma.

That said, the audience responded well to Kishman’s emulation of McCartney’s energy and his similarly broad range of

musical talent.

Sir Paul most famously plays electric bass, but as Kishman and the symphony illustrated, his classic recording of

“Yesterday” used only a simple acoustic guitar with cello backup. “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be” and “The Long and Winding

Road,” meanwhile, draw much of their power from the piano.

Attentive fans could closely follow the evolution of McCartney’s composing style through the polished performances of

Kishman, guitarist/keyboardist Jim Owen (not a bad Beatle lookalike himself), electric guitarist John Brosnan and drummer

Chris Camilieri.

As the Beatles moved on from their early standard-rock sound (illustrated Saturday by “I Saw Her Standing There” and

“Can’t Buy Me Love”), McCartney showed an affinity for carefree, delightfully silly songs nodding to his British upbringing

(“Penny Lane,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” and “When I’m Sixty-Four”).

The unforgettable late-Beatles anthems noted earlier, however, pointed the way toward “Band on the Run” (sadly truncated

to one verse Saturday), “Silly Love Songs,” “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” and “Live and Let Die.” These typically boasted

complex musical layers surrounding a standard classic-rock core.

When called upon, Richardson and the symphony skillfully amplified the extent to which these songs defined 1970s pop-

rock in America. They also reminded the Holland audience of the importance of the orchestra in many classic Beatles

recordings as well as McCartney’s solo work.

As Kishman pointed out toward the end of the show, performing publicly with an orchestra was “something that Paul

McCartney and the Beatles never got to do live.”

Had the Fab Four done so, perhaps it would have sounded much like what Omahans were treated to Saturday. It’s a

delightful “what-if” to ponder.

LIVE AND LET DIE

Ear Candy Mag February 28, 2011

Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney

Tony Kishman as "Paul" with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

February 11, 2011 at Atlanta Symphony Hall at Woodruff Arts Center

I'm a sucker when it comes to Beatles tribute bands - and I've seen many over the years, some good and some bad. When I heard about "Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra" I was so

there. "Live and Let Die" features a four piece band with Tony Kishman as "Paul", accompanied by a full symphony

orchestra. The goal is to present the music of McCartney as close to every detail of the record - so, for instance, you get "The Long and Winding Road" with REAL strings, not synths. And, with the current exorbitant prices to see Sir Paul

live, this is the chance to hear his music live without having to sell a kidney for tickets!

The first half of the show featured only the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra playing interpretations of McCartney's songs,

with a healthy dose from his whole career, not just the "hits". Starting off with "Eleanor Rigby", you got a whole orchestra, instead of just the string quartet heard on the original. This was followed by "Blackbird", which had a very

interesting arrangement of what was originally just an acoustic guitar and vocal song, complete with "blackbird noises".

Next was "A Leaf", from Paul's second classical album, "Working Classical". Hearing one of Paul's classical pieces live made me wish I could hear the entirety of one of his classical pieces live!

The conductor introduced the next selection as, "featuring our cello section. We've renamed the song...wait for it...Cello

Submarine." I was pleasantly surprised as their version of "Yellow Submarine" even included sound effects, mimicking the record! The next songs were introduced as, "four songs for Linda (McCartney) that Paul said were inspired by her":

"Warm And Beautiful" (one of my favorite McCartney songs!), "Golden Earth Girl", "Calico Skies", and "My Love".

The orchestra segment ended with a rousing version of "Lady Madonna".

The second half of the show opened with a symphonic version of the "A Day In The Life" orchestra buildup into a truncated version of "Band On The Run"(the rest of the songs in the program would be the complete versions),

followed by "Hello Goodbye". Tony Kishman was the only one in "Paul costume", with black pants, white shirt and

vest (and I believe Beatle boots if I saw them correctly from my seat). Unfortunately, the lead guitar's sound level was way too low on the first two, but luckily was corrected for the rest of the show.

Next, confusion on the stage! "Paul" said, "this next song is from Sgt. Pepper", started to play a note then said, "we'll

do this one" - playing "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey". It was sublime hearing all the strings just like the record, but it was weird not hearing a Linda vocal (female vocal harmony) on the song. "Paul" joked, "now one from Sgt Pepper,

we're determined to do this song", leading to "When I'm 64". Tony Kishman has all the stage mannerisms of the real

Paul, especially the interaction with the audience! The next two songs played were Wings songs: "Jet" and "Silly Love

Songs". It was great hearing REAL horns on "Silly" just like Wings' 1976 tour!

A Beatles standard, "I Saw her Standing There" was next and the audience came in both times on the "woooo". The

song had GREAT on-the-spot lead guitar by John Merjavie! Then another Beatles song, as the audience heard the

familiar acoustic guitar intro to "Yesterday". But, Tony started singing the words to Barry Manilow's "Feelings", saying "just making sure your paying attention". As the audience was still laughing, he began the correct version of

"Yesterday".

Live and Let Die

Ear Candy Mag February 28, 2011

page 2 of 2

The next four songs had me in Beatles heaven, starting with "The Long and winding Road". It was fantastic hearing the

song with a full orchestra, but without choirs. Then "Live and Let Die", which HAS to be heard with a full orchestra! I

was blown away by "Let It Be" and the Phil-Spector-version guitar solo! John Merjavie did a fantastic job on all the leads this evening, not flubbing one note to my critical ear. As part of the Abbey Road medley started with "Golden

Slumbers", and I was wondering if the would play all the way through to "The End"? Well, it was definitely a highlight

as "Carry That Weight" and then, "The End" was played complete with the Chris Camilleri's impressive Ringo drum

solo and two dueling guitar solos (instead of 3 like on the record) by John Merjavie and Jim owen!

This was a hard song to follow and I would have been happy if the show stopped here - but after leaving the stage, the

band returned playing, "Hey Jude". This version was complete with audience interaction of "everybody sing with us",

then "just the ladies", then "just the fellas", then "just the people over 30", "now everybody". Finally, "Can't Buy Me Love" had everybody up on their feet, singing along.

Overall, it was a fantastic show, and Tony Kishman is easily the best "Paul" I have seen. And full orchestra is the only

way to hear some of the classic songs, so a splendid time was guaranteed for all!

LIVE AND LET DIE

Ear Candy Mag February 1, 2011

Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney Tony Kishman as

"Paul" with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra February 11, 2011 at

Atlanta Symphony Hall at Woodruff Arts Center BY RONNIE

I'm a sucker when it comes to Beatles tribute bands - and I've seen many over the years, some good and some bad.

When I heard about "Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra" I was so

there. "Live and Let Die" features a four piece band with Tony Kishman as "Paul", accompanied by a full symphony orchestra. The goal is to present the music of McCartney as close to every detail of the record - so, for instance, you get

"The Long and Winding Road" with REAL strings, not synths. And, with the current exorbitant prices to see Sir Paul

live, this is the chance to hear his music live without having to sell a kidney for tickets!

The first half of the show featured only the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra playing interpretations of McCartney's songs, with a healthy dose from his whole career, not just the "hits". Starting off with "Eleanor Rigby", you got a whole

orchestra, instead of just the string quartet heard on the original. This was followed by "Blackbird", which had a very

interesting arrangement of what was originally just an acoustic guitar and vocal song, complete with "blackbird noises". Next was "A Leaf", from Paul's second classical album, "Working Classical". Hearing one of Paul's classical pieces

live made me wish I could hear the entirety of one of his classical pieces live!

The conductor introduced the next selection as, "featuring our cello section. We've renamed the song...wait for it...Cello

Submarine." I was pleasantly surprised as their version of "Yellow Submarine" even included sound effects, mimicking the record! The next songs were introduced as, "four songs for Linda (McCartney) that Paul said were inspired by her":

"Warm And Beautiful" (one of my favorite McCartney songs!), "Golden Earth Girl", "Calico Skies", and "My Love".

The orchestra segment ended with a rousing version of "Lady Madonna".

The second half of the show opened with a symphonic version of the "A Day In The Life" orchestra buildup into a

truncated version of "Band On The Run"(the rest of the songs in the program would be the complete versions),

followed by "Hello Goodbye". Tony Kishman was the only one in "Paul costume", with black pants, white shirt and vest (and I believe Beatle boots if I saw them correctly from my seat). Unfortunately, the lead guitar's sound level was

way too low on the first two, but luckily was corrected for the rest of the show.

Next, confusion on the stage! "Paul" said, "this next song is from Sgt. Pepper", started to play a note then said, "we'll

do this one" - playing "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey". It was sublime hearing all the strings just like the record, but it was weird not hearing a Linda vocal (female vocal harmony) on the song. "Paul" joked, "now one from Sgt Pepper,

we're determined to do this song", leading to "When I'm 64". Tony Kishman has all the stage mannerisms of the real

Paul, especially the interaction with the audience! The next two songs played were Wings songs: "Jet" and "Silly Love Songs". It was great hearing REAL horns on "Silly" just like Wings' 1976 tour!

A Beatles standard, "I Saw her Standing There" was next and the audience came in both times on the "woooo". The

song had GREAT on-the-spot lead guitar by John Merjavie! Then another Beatles song, as the audience heard the familiar acoustic guitar intro to "Yesterday". But, Tony started singing the words to Barry Manilow's "Feelings", saying

Live and Let Die

Ear Candy Mag February 1, 2011

page 2 of 2

"just making sure your paying attention". As the audience was still laughing, he began the correct version of

"Yesterday".

The next four songs had me in Beatles heaven, starting with "The Long and winding Road". It was fantastic hearing the song with a full orchestra, but without choirs. Then "Live and Let Die", which HAS to be heard with a full orchestra! I

was blown away by "Let It Be" and the Phil-Spector-version guitar solo! John Merjavie did a fantastic job on all the

leads this evening, not flubbing one note to my critical ear. As part of the Abbey Road medley started with "Golden

Slumbers", and I was wondering if the would play all the way through to "The End"? Well, it was definitely a highlight as "Carry That Weight" and then, "The End" was played complete with the Chris Camilleri's impressive Ringo drum

solo and two dueling guitar solos (instead of 3 like on the record) by John Merjavie and Jim owen!

This was a hard song to follow and I would have been happy if the show stopped here - but after leaving the stage, the band returned playing, "Hey Jude". This version was complete with audience interaction of "everybody sing with us",

then "just the ladies", then "just the fellas", then "just the people over 30", "now everybody". Finally, "Can't Buy Me

Love" had everybody up on their feet, singing along.

Overall, it was a fantastic show, and Tony Kishman is easily the best "Paul" I have seen. And full orchestra is the only

way to hear some of the classic songs, so a splendid time was guaranteed for all!

LIVE & LET DIE

Seattle Examiner September 18, 2010

Tony Kishman and Seattle Symphony channel Paul McCartney,

9/16 BY GILLIAN GAAR

The Seattle Symphony has a rare opportunity to rock out this weekend, courtesy of Tony Kishman, a Beatle impersonator

who began by playing Paul McCartney in a touring version of Beatlemania. With the help of conductor Martin Herman,

Kishman has put together a show entitled "Live And Let Die: A Symphonic Tribute To The Music Of Paul McCartney."

After a brief intro with a snatch of the instrumental sweep in “A Day In The Life,” the show began with “Band on the Run,”

with Kishman‟s voice heard booming through the speakers, though he wasn‟t yet on stage. After a verse, he strode on to

applause, simply attired in black. He was accompanied by Jim Owen and John Brosnan on guitars and backing vocals, and

Chris Camilleri on drums, in front of a glass partition separating the musicians from the symphony.

There were some sound problems on Thursday night, with the guitars sounding muffled, and the band musicians were

slightly off during “Mull of Kintyre.” The musicians also did a number of songs without utilizing the symphony, which

would seem to defeat the purpose of the exercise. This was partly due to the set list being tailored for mass appeal; no

digging in the McCartney songbook post-1977 (and indeed, much of the audience seemed unfamiliar with “Kintyre,” a

massive hit for McCartney everywhere else but the US).

Still, it was thrilling to hear real strings accompanying songs like “Eleanor Rigby.” Sir Paul does the song himself in concert,

with longtime keyboardist Wix Wickens providing an excellent synth approximation of strings, but, like CGI special effects,

it‟s close but no cigar — no match for the real thing. There were also some nice touches, like “Penny Lane” having the

trumpet ending used on the promo single but not on the official release. And Kishman has a pleasing voice, light but also

capable of roughing it up a little bit, and with the capability of hitting those high notes on songs like “Uncle Albert.”

Kishman had fun with audience, at one point building up to what was obviously going to be “Yesterday” and playing a

snatch of “Feelings” instead. At times his stage patter was nearly as pat as Sir Paul‟s, with the obligatory “Thank you,

Seattle, you‟re beautiful!” type comments, while a reference to the Seahawks was seemingly designed to appeal to local

sensibilities (and missing the fact that on Thursday it was the Seattle Storm who were playing a championship game that very

night). The audience ran the gamut from children to grandparents, but Kishman managed to get them relaxed during Act

Two, jokingly asking, “Do we have any screamers out there?” and urging people to clap and sing along, so by the show‟s end

they were noticeably more relaxed. And enthusiastic enough to drag him back for an encore, with another singalong on “Hey

Jude,” and everyone standing up to boogie a little bit on “Back in the USSR.”

As a clever way of introducing a more mainstream audience to the delights of classical instrumentation, the evening was a

big success.

The show runs through September 19. www.seattlesymphony.org www.liveandletdieshow.com

Set list Act One: “Band on the Run,” “Hello Goodbye,” “All My Loving,” “When I‟m Sixty-Four,” “Silly Love Songs,”

“Penny Lane,” “Here Comes The Sun” (John Brosnan), “Eleanor Rigby,” “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” “The Long and

Winding Road,” “Live and Let Die” Act Two: “Jet,” “Bluebird,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Yesterday,” “Mull of Kintyre,” “I

Am The Walrus” (Jim Owen), “Get Back,” “Maybe I‟m Amazed”/“My Love”/“Let „Em In,” “Golden Slumbers.” Encore:

“Hey Jude,” “Back in the USSR”

Live and Let Die Regina Leader-Post • April 15, 2010

Kishman set to live and let die BY CHRISTOPHER TESSMER While musician Tony Kishman was slugging his way through the music industry, he happened to find his way to an illustrious career as a tribute artist.

According to Kishman, born and raised in Arizona, it was gigging with his rock band that led him to his star-turning engagement as a Paul McCartney tribute artist.

"I used to be in a top-40 band," he says, "and we would play '60s and '70s rock, and one time someone came up to me and told me that I looked like Paul McCartney. I didn't think anything of it, and it was in one ear and out the other. As more people told me the same thing, I thought it would be interesting to do a Wings song. I didn't really want to do a Beatles song, so we did 'Beware My Love,' which is one of those songs that only a few people can sing -- it's really tough vocally.

"After the song, people in the audience were saying that I sounded and looked just like him. I didn't really think a lot of it at the time until Beatlemania came out and I thought it was weird that there was a show built on imitating the Beatles. I didn't think much of it until someone called me from Los Angeles and said that they had heard that I do a great McCartney and they talked me into coming to Los Angeles and auditioning for that show. That's essentially how I got started in the imitating-McCartney business, because they liked me for that show and we toured the world.

"That was years ago, and now we've put together a McCartney tribute, because he has such a catalogue -- he has over 22 studio albums and plenty of hits. We couldn't cover everything this guy has done in a Beatle band. We decided to put together a tribute to McCartney doing Beatles, Wings and his solo material, and we did the show in Berlin, where it was such a massive hit that we wanted to bring it to North America."

Fortunately for fans of Sir Paul, Kishman will be hitting the stage of the Conexus Arts Centre with the Regina Symphony Orchestra on Monday in the tribute show Live And Let Die.

The show promises to be a highlight for symphony patrons and music fans alike, as Kishman honed his craft with turns in Beatlemania, a stint in legendary British rock group Wishbone Ash, and a fairly successful solo career before creating the Live and Let Die show.

"I've done Paul McCartney shows before," Kishman says, "with just a small band. But this is a big thing -- this is more with all the garnishing of what's on the records. That's the fun part of it -- everything that is played in the recording is live in the show. That's the beauty of it.

"I've done this a few different ways," he continues, "but I really wanted to do this with an orchestra -- up there by myself as Paul McCartney -- and do a tribute to this man's music. It's really what I feel like doing now. You just make a decision and go with it, and the response has been something else. I think the fact that Paul is doing his last live tour this year -- he likely won't be doing many more live performances, so that'll bring more interest to what I'm doing as well."

Live and Let Die Regina Leader-Post • April 15, 2010 page 2 of 2 While Kishman has a few surprises up his sleeves for Monday's show, there are a few things he did let slip. Unlike the actual Sir Paul, Kishman's McCartney plays a bit more of an eclectic set list, including offerings from the Beatles, Wings, and the knighted musician's solo recordings. Included in the set is "Uncle Albert," which the tribute artist states has never been played live by the real deal.

Kishman suggests that the real fun is that it's going to be a night of "everything McCartney."

"The night will be as if Paul McCartney is on stage with an orchestra, and what would he do? It's going to be like a live Paul McCartney concert with all the live background vocals, instrumentation and music on the records recreated live in concert.

"It's going to be fun. The energy will be there, as will the excitement. Just based on what we did in Berlin -- and they didn't speak English, there was so much energy, even more so than in a Beatle tribute.

"That's what I really like about it."