FIRST OFF . . .

British rock star Paul McCartney started his first world tour in 13 years on Tuesday, dusting off Beatles classics in a concert in the Norwegian town of Drammen, near Oslo. Relaxed and joking, McCartney and his band--which includes his wife Linda on keyboards--played for more than two hours to a sell-out crowd of 6,000. Of McCartney’s 27-song concert, more than a dozen were Beatles tunes, including “Hey, Jude,” “Yesterday,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Let It Be” and “Back in the U.S.S.R.” The remaining songs were from McCartney’s solo career, including several from his new album, “Flowers in the Dirt.” Dressed in a casual gray suit and open-necked white shirt, McCartney, 47, switched from the bass to keyboards and guitar. A convert to the “green” cause, he is using the tour to help raise awareness of ecological issues. “We have an opportunity to save the planet. Let’s do it tonight,” he told the audience. McCartney begins the U.S. leg of his tour with five shows at the Forum in Inglewood on Nov. 23-24 and 27-29.