Before we get to our usual bits, here’s what the music news beast will be chewing on for most of today.

Paul McCartney announced the “Good Evening Europe Tour 2009” on his official site, which kicks off in Hamburg, Germany (where the Beatles cut their teeth 49 years ago) this December. “This is my chance to bring our current show home to where it all began,” McCartney says. “Starting in Hamburg, ending in London and rocking everywhere in between. I’m very much looking forward to ending the year on a high.” For more info and exact tour dates go here.

A children’s book written by Paul McCartney, Geoff Dunbar, and Philip Ardagh is being made into an animated feature film and the ex-Beatle has signed on to write “a score of original songs” for the project. Variety reports the film, High in the Clouds, will be directed by Lion King director Rob Minkoff and adapted by Edward Scissorhands co-writer Caroline Thompson.

“The book, about a squirrel’s quest to find an animal sanctuary, marks McCartney’s largest involvement in an animated pic since the Beatles frontman was part of 1968’s Yellow Submarine,” Variety’s Michael Fleming wrote.

It looks like McCartney’s not going to let Jack White be the only one working on a dozen projects at once this year. As previously reported, if MGMT or Bob Dylan ever find his phone number, McCartney wants to work with them as well.

You’d think Paul McCartney would have better ways to set up collaborations than to tease the media, but he’s been fueling his own musical rumors lately and now he’s using the press to just flat out ask famous musicians to call him. Who needs a phone when you’ve got a constant news cycle to relay messages?

“I’d like to work on some more dancey stuff with MGMT,” McCartney told Zoe Griffin (via NME). “But it has to happen organically. We need to talk about it. I can’t call them. If they called me, I’d say, ‘How did you get my number?’ But I’d do it.”

Then there’s the big rumor that Bob Dylan and McCartney are set to record together this summer in Malibu, where they both own houses. This story started a while back when McCartney mentioned Dylan as someone he’d love to work with, which isn’t really news because he’s been saying things like that for years. Some tabloids, however, ran with it and made up a bunch of stuff about Ringo being involved, etc., but McCartney has now debunked the story, adding, “I did say I wanted to work with Bob but that was ages ago and he hasn’t been in touch. I can’t contact him. That’s not cool. Hey Bob, what’s happening? Where’s the party, man?”

Maybe Paul forgot to tell everyone whom the text was from when he sent out his new cell phone number. The ex-Beatle should just start a Twitter and call it a day.

Paul McCartney isn’t quite as laissez-faire about illegal filesharing as he was last year. Speaking to BBC Newsbeat before his brilliant headlining set at Coachella, McCartney reacted to the conviction of the four founders of The Pirate Bay. “If you get on a bus you’ve got to pay,” he said. “And I think it’s fair, you should pay your ticket.”  His main concern with the issue is that newer bands sometimes have huge success that they can’t sustain and he feels they should be able to support their families on their royalties regardless of their future in music.

Only four months ago, however, McCartney seemed a little blissfully uninformed on the subject. “It’s weird for me,” he said at a press conference (via Skope). “I’m not from that.  I’m from going into a shop and buying a 45. We’ve come through vinyl, tapes and CDs – it’s all the same, except people don’t pay for it [now].  I don’t mind.  It works out.”

It’s nice to see that McCartney is humble enough to understand the plight of struggling bands, considering he’s been one of the biggest stars in the world for over forty years, but it’s clear we have yet to find a new working model for said bands. I think we may have a shortage of huge new rock stars for a while, but good music isn’t going anywhere.

When Paul McCartney takes the stage, he packs an arsenal of hit original and cover songs that could burn the house down with ease. The ex-Beatle’s headlining show at Coachella Friday night fell on the 11th anniversary of his wife Linda’s death, so he dedicated the show to her and then went nuclear.

McCartney played 20 Beatles songs, including “The End,” John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance,” “Something” on an ukulele given to him by George Harrison, Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” and “Live and Let Die” accompanied by a fireworks show. Usually, things like fireworks mean you can start making your way back to the car, but he followed that one up with “Hey Jude,” and two encores. 35 songs in total. 2.5 hours.

Obamamania may be over, kids, but Beatlemania’s back. For the complete set list, click here, and check out P4K’s YouTube compilation from Coachella on Friday here.