Paul McCartney was on hearth Thursday night time when it got here to razzing his pal and fellow music legend Bruce Springsteen.
The previous Beatles singer offered the New Jersey rocker with an Academy Fellowship on the 2024 Ivor Novello Awards in London. The fellowship is the highest honor from England’s Ivors Academy, and Springsteen, born within the USA, is the primary worldwide artist to win it.
“Unlike Bruce’s concerts, I’m going to keep this brief,” McCartney mentioned in his introduction, earlier than blaming Springsteen’s famously lengthy reveals for making multihour performances the norm.
Samir Hussein/WireImage through Getty Pictures
Per a transcript of his speech from New Musical Specific, McCartney added that he couldn’t consider a “more fitting person” to be the primary worldwide fellowship winner, “except maybe Bob Dylan, or Paul Simon, or Billy Joel, or Beyoncé, or Taylor Swift. The list goes on.”
McCartney then mulled over how Springsteen would have slot in with the Fab 4. He concluded, “When it comes to talent, he was definitely in the Top Five.”
The “Silly Love Songs” singer switched to a extra honest mode, calling Springsteen and his spouse, musician Patti Scialfa, “the best hosts” and describing cozy nights by a hearth at their place in New Jersey. However the Liverpudlian couldn’t resist getting in a single final jab at his pal.
“He’s a lovely boy, he’s known as being the American working man you know? But he admits, he’s never worked a day in his life,” McCartney mentioned.
Springsteen appeared to don’t have any downside with the ribbing, and hugged McCartney as he got here out for his acceptance speech. Springsteen’s voice was hoarse after, sure, a three-hour present the night time earlier than.
The efficiency additionally occurred throughout a rainstorm, which the “Thunder Road” singer mentioned solely made him recognize his followers extra.
“We came out last night, and I was like, ‘What is this weather? Driving rain, wind roaring,’” he recalled in his acceptance speech. “But standing in front of me, in the rain, I realized: These are my people.”
