McCartney revealed that he suffers from a paralysing case of stage fright, which nearly cost him his place in the Beatles in the mid 1960s.
The music legend confessed that he often feels ill and stressed before a show. He’s even wondered if the road to stardom was really worth the personal turmoil that he goes through.
McCartney’s fear isn’t limited to performances. He has also been frozen by fear when attending various awards ceremonies. He explained, "They used to have a thing called the NME Poll Winners Party, where the owner of the NME would get us, the Stones, all the top acts, to come and perform for nothing!"
The former Beatle also recalls being stuck on the steps of Wembley Town Hall, frozen in fear and believing that he was ready to quit the business.
However, after so many years in the music world, McCartney seems to have tamed his fears. "I’m not so bad now. I know I’ve got a really good band, which helps," he said.
Earlier this week, McCartney was awarded with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the US Library of Congress. He will accept his award this spring at a special ceremony at the White House.