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Last update - 00:00 25/09/2008 Diehard fans wait for rare glimpse of Sir Paul McCartney By Noya Kohavi , Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Paul McCartney, Israel  "I ditched work to be here," said Yoav, a computer guy and Beatles fan standing Wednesday outside the Dan Tel Aviv Hotel in the hope of catching a rare glimpse of visiting Beatle Sir Paul McCartney. But if he were to catch sight of McCartney, Yoav admits he would be speechless, making do with "a hug, a photo and an autograph." There weren't many fans waiting outside the hotel, although some had expected massive crowds. Instead, two police cars parked outside the entrance as a few photographers tried to convince the elderly security guard to let them in. And some foreign TV crews had a door slammed in their face as a PR woman told them in Hebrew: "We didn't invite you." Advertisement As for the waiting admirers, this was a moment for hardcore fans willing to stand around and wait on a mid-week morning, full of hope yet realistic. Some of them know each other, mainly from music circles: The woman gripping a 1997 photograph of herself and McCartney, for instance, knows the DJ who's also hanging around. Evgeny Roizin, a master's student in materials science, had a camera slung around his neck and was fruitlessly trying to sneak a piece of paper folded into four into the hotel. In the letter, written to McCartney, the 29-year-old fan told of his longtime love for the Beatles, which he shares with his father. He asked McCartney to dedicate the song "Hello Goodbye" to his father during Thursday's concert in Tel Aviv. "Our whole house is decorated with Beatles posters," said Roizin. "I was one of the nuts who went the first night the tickets went on sale to stand on line, and apparently because I was one of the first people to buy, I got amazing tickets in Row 4 of the stands." Roizin wasn't disappointed by the shortage of cheering fans, only by the possibility that he wouldn't get to see Sir Paul in the flesh and blood. But other fans said they were shocked by the small showing. One said it was because "Israel doesn't have a rock culture or a collecting culture." Next to Roizin stood an excited American tourist, her face pressed to the glass doors. She refused to be interviewed because, she said, she didn't want to miss McCartney walking by. When radio disk jockey Yoav Kutner, apparently the supreme Beatles authority in the country, walked out of the hotel dressed in black and wearing dark sunglasses, he said hello to a few of the hardcore fans; this being a small country, he already knows them. One of those fans is Daniel Eliuf, who claims to have the only Beatles tattoo in Israel. He shows off his arm, which announces to the world, in elegant script, "Beatles Forever." Eliuf came prepared with a vinyl McCartney record and a Parker pen. "McCartney is more talented than Lennon, and you can quote me," he said, setting off a debate. Later, he told some broadcast reporters on camera that McCartney is like Mozart. "I had already accepted the fact that I wasn't going to see McCartney in concert," he said. "And then my dream came true." Related articles: Paul McCartney entourage's Tel Aviv hotel bill: NIS 380,000 Paul McCartney to play Tel Aviv 43 years after Israel banned the Beatles McCartney concert won't be televised Bookmark to del.icio.us   A plague on Egypt Report: Iran behind planned terror attacks against targets in Egypt by Hezbollah. Determined diplomacy Obama: U.S. 'strongly supports' two-state solution, vows to continue peace process.   1.   west bank visit first? 04:25  |  alex 25/09/08   2.   On Macca 09:57  |  Clickfool 25/09/08   3.   Clickfool, what a sad person you are 10:38  |  Harvey 25/09/08   4.   Clickfool, what a great name you have ... 13:23  |  AIC 25/09/08   5.   For AIC # 4 16:21  |  Clickfool 25/09/08   6.   # 4 Aic 20:42  |  Larry 25/09/08   7.   To Clickfool 21:12  |  Michael 25/09/08   8.   Daniel Eliuf must be the fool on the hill 01:07  |  eli 27/09/08   9.   Clickfool I Heard A Rumor 10:20  |  Yosemite 28/09/08   10.   #2 Clickfool not that he`ll read it 20:48  |  H 10/04/09

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