According to Dailymail, Paul McCartney has revealed that he can now perform alongside his late Beatles bandmate John Lennon, thanks to “magic” technology developed by director Peter Jackson for the Get Back documentary. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) trick isolates Lennon’s vocals from famous recordings, allowing them to be played back on stage during McCartney’s performances.
During a performance at the Glastonbury festival in 2022, McCartney sang I’ve Got A Feeling, accompanied by a track of John Lennon’s voice extracted from an old demo tape using AI. The experience is emotional for McCartney, who considers it a special moment to work with his late friend again, even though it involves mechanical trickery.
AI technology has become a fascinating tool for artists, and McCartney acknowledges its importance in the music industry. Peter Jackson’s use of AI in the Get Back documentary allowed them to extract Lennon’s voice and separate it from other instruments, giving them the ability to mix the record as desired.
The bond between McCartney and Lennon remains strong even decades after Lennon’s tragic death in 1980. The AI-assisted performances provide an opportunity for McCartney and fans to connect with the magic of their past collaborations.
‘It’s one of my favourite bits in the show now. Because it was the magic – it was my buddy, who’s been dead a long time, and here he was, back, and I’m working with him again. And even though it’s sort of mechanical trickery, it feels very real.’
When Peter Jackson did the film (The Beatles) Get Back, where it was us making the Let It Be album, he was able to extricate John’s voice from a ropey little bit of cassette and a piano,” he said.
‘He could separate them with AI, he’d tell the machine ‘That’s a voice, this is a guitar, lose the guitar’.
‘We were able to take John’s voice and get it pure through this AI, so then we could mix the record as you would do.’
In addition to his technologically enhanced performances, McCartney is set to embark on a concert tour in Australia, his first Down Under in six years. The tour will take place in October and November, with shows in Adelaide, Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast. McCartney’s return to Australia brings back memories of The Beatles’ first visit to the country in 1964, where they were greeted by a massive crowd of fans in Adelaide.
