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This summer, Paul McCartney will headline both the Isle of Wight festival and Hard Rock Calling Festival in Hyde Park, London. MCartney will also perform his first concerts in Scotland and Wales for two decades when he appears at Hampden Park, Glasgow and the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on Sunday 20th June and Saturday 26th June, respectively.

Hard Rock Calling Festival

Hard Rock Calling (formerly Hyde Park Calling) is an annual music festival held in Hyde Park, London. It is in its fifth year and there is a fantastic line up of artists over the three days (Fri 25th June to Sun 27th June), including:

• Friday 25th June - Pearl Jam, Ben Harper, Wolfmother and The Gaslight Anthem
• Saturday 26th June - Aerosmith, Stereophonics, Skunk Anansie and Keane
• Sunday 27th June - The Darkness, Paul McCartney and Simon and Garfunkel.

Paul McCartney briefly appeared at last year’s Hard Rock Calling Festival when he joined headliner Neil Young on stage during his cover of The Beatles’ “Day in the Life.”

Hard Rock Calling 2009 - Neil Young & Paul McCartney: “A Day in the Life”

Isle of Wight Festival

The Isle of Wight Festival was originally held from 1968 to 1970, but was revived in 2002 and has become a highlight of the festival season. The most legendary event was in 1970 when over 600,000 people witnessed a line up including Jimi Hendrix; The Who; The Doors; Miles Davis; Ten Years After; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Joni Mitchell; The Moody Blues; Donovan; Free; Chicago; Leonard Cohen and Jethro Tull.

Other artists confirmed for the 2010 Isle of Wight Festival include Jay-Z, Florence and the Machine, The Strokes, Blondie, Crowded House, Pink, Spandau Ballet and Suzanne Vega.

Paul McCartney ticket information

The Isle of Wight and Hard Rock Calling Festival appearances will form part of Paul McCartney’s ‘Up and Coming’ tour, which kicks off this month in the US.

‘Up and Coming’ tour - US leg

• Sunday 28th March, 2010 - Jobing.com Arena, Phoenix, Arizona.. Tickets available now - www.ticketmaster.com
• Tuesday 30th March, 2010 - Hollywood Bowl, LA, California. Tickets available now - www.ticketmaster.com
• Wednesday 31st March, 2010 - Hollywood Bowl, LA, California. Tickets available now - www.ticketmaster.com
• Saturday 3rd April, 2010 - Sun Life Stadium, Miami. Tickets available from Tuesday 2 March at 10am - www.ticketmaster.com
• Monday 5th April, 2010 - Coliseo De Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico - ticket info not yet available.

‘Up and Coming’ tour - UK/Ireland leg

• Saturday 12th June – RDS, Dublin. Tickets go on sale Monday 8th March at 9am - www.ticketmaster.ie
• Sunday 13th June – Isle Of Wight Festival. Tickets on sale now -
  www.ticketmaster.co.uk
• Sunday 20th June – Hampden Park, Glasgow. Tickets go on sale Monday 8th March at 9am - www.ticketmaster.co.uk
• Saturday 26th June – Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Tickets go on sale Monday 8th March at 9am - www.ticketmaster.co.uk
• Sunday 27th June – Hyde Park Calling, London. Tickets go on sale at 9am 5 March - www.ticketmaster.co.uk

And for those wondering what to expect from a Paul McCartney show in 2010, here’s Paul performing “I’m Down” last year at New York’s Citi Field.

Neil Young won his first-ever Grammy and Springsteen won his 20th at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards ceremony tonight (31 January). The biggest winner was Beyonce who took away a record six Grammys, including song of the year for “Single Ladies.”

Young won the Grammy for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for ‘Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972),’ and he shared the award with his co-art directors Gary Burden and Jenice Heo.

Gary Burden, Jenice Heo and Neil Young accept the Grammy

Young was also nominated for best solo rock vocal performance, but lost out to Bruce Springsteen, who won for “Working on a Dream.” The other nominees for best solo rock vocal performance were Bob Dylan for “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’, John Fogerty for “Change In The Weather” and Prince for “Dreamer.”

Springsteen has now received 20 Grammy awards and has been honoured at the last eight ceremonies. His first Grammy was best male rock vocal performance for “Dancing in the Dark” in 1985. “Working on a Dream” is the title track of Springsteen’s latest album and has become a popular song in concert.

Bruce Springsteen - “Working on a Dream”

Not suprisingly, this year’s ceremony also saw Michael Jackson honoured with a lifetime achievement award, which was accepted by his children Prince Michael and Paris Jackson. This was preceded by a performance of Jackson’s “Earth Song,” with a recording of Jackson accompanied by live performances from Celine Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson.

Record of the year went to Kings Of Leon for “Use Somebody.”

Neil Young became the 20th recipient of the MusiCares Person of the Year award on Friday night.

The Grammy Week event was held at Los Angeles Convention Center on 29 January, with more than 2,000 people in attendance. The host Jack Black was reportedly in hilarious form as he introduced a lineup of nearly 30 artists performing 20 Neil Young songs. The image (left) shows Neil Young receiving the award from Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the MusiCares Foundation and The Recording Academy.

Highlights of the event included:

• Stephen Stills and Sheryl Crow duetting on “Long May You Run”
• Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin and Lucinda Williams’ performing “Comes A Time”
• John Fogerty, Keith Urban and Booker T.’s tearing up the place with their rendition of “Rockin’ In The Free World.”

Stephen Stills and Sheryl Crow pay tribute to Neil Young

Proceeds from the event go to MusiCares’ Emergency Financial Assistance and Addiction Recovery programs.