Pizza parlor owners connected to McCartney song

FARGO, N.D. — The proprietors of a Fargo pizza parlor named after a Beatles song written by Paul McCartney say they can't afford to take time off to attend his concert but would love to cook for the rock star and his entourage.

McCartney's first appearance in North Dakota is scheduled Saturday night at the Fargodome, where a crowd of about 17,000 people is expected for the show. Blackbird Woodfire owners Patty and Casey Absey had planned to contact McCartney's handlers about offering the group free pizza. They didn't get around to it because business at the recently opened restaurant is booming. "We want to go to the concert, but we're kind of busy running a restaurant right now," Patty Absey said. "That sounds kind of lame, but that's just the truth of our situation." Patty Absey said they would be happy to deliver to the Fargodome and noted that the restaurant takes vegan requests, a reference to McCartney's aversion to meat. Absey said she and her husband are longtime Beatles fans who consider the music a family tradition. They selected the song "Blackbird" for their restaurant's name because the song's lyrics — etched into the back wall of the parlor — hit home.