Paul McCartney Concert! ---AMAZING.
PAUL MCCARTNEY WAS
THE EPITOME OF
AMAZING
The way my day started, I went to meet Keith & Tong at the commons at 3:00, when the gates opened. I was surprised and glad to see that Laura was accompanying them as well. We ended up waiting for what could have been an hour longer than the ticket promised to get in. Then we waited about an hour & a half for the opening bands to play, most of which were bland though I heard a couple of really good tunes. The people were already starting to flood in and everywhere, & I was beginning to really get the full impact of how rowdy this crowd was going to be. The masses of people covered the entire grounds of the Commons in swarms. I thanked myself for deciding against a VIP ticket, because looking at them up close I could see how far from the stage the bleachers were. That, and the fact that you can't rock out to amazing music if you are seated. I can't imagine paying an extra 200 bucks to force myself to sit. (or for some stupid after party where people naively hope to meet Paul McCartney)
Since we had a long wait ahead of us, we planned to use the bathrooms right before Paul was about to come onstage, and then try to force our way through the crowds. Prior to the bathroom trip I had a couple of Smirnoff coolers with Tong & had a nice little chat in the grass with her, and so I was hoping and praying that I didn't need to piss anymore, especially during the Paul McCartney performance. Of course, waiting to get to the front of the stage was a bad idea, especially with a crowd of this massive size (about 60 000) . Keith & Laura didn't like the idea of fighting their way through the crowd and began to get frustrated with me... at which point I stopped and reminded them that I had already said I am going, and that they don't have to. I wasn't going to let them stop me from getting the best experience out of this. After all, I had paid 136$ to see it. I can however understand why someone who isn't as pushy as me might get uncomfortable with that situation<3 I'm not mad gaiz~ I told Tong she doesn't have to, but she was so pumped. She was like, I want to! I want to! Lets do this. So we pushed through a lot of crazy people, for about 15 minutes, looking for small breaks in the crowd and what not. I came up to one woman, who wouldnt move aside at all. So I politely said excuse me, could I get through? And she says... "...where're ya headed?" So, instead of saying "I'm trying to get closer to the stage while you chill back here" I told her, "I'm looking for my friend Kyla". So she looks, and yells out "KYYYYYLLAAAAAA. KYYYYYLLLAAAA. WHERE ARE YOU." to be a smart ass. So I mustered up a pretty dirty glare for a quick moment, (or perhaps I should say the most dead cold expression I could give) and she said "I'm just pulling your chain" and moved aside. Though I dont think my glare intimidated her (I'm pretty unintimidating) , I think she just knew how annoying she was being.
We came to a part in the crowd where there was absolutely no way to get ahead or even sideways. We were pretty close, not right up at the stage front, but when Paul came on we were close enough to see all of his facial features and whatnot. So it was worth it for the clarity. We tried getting closer quite a few times but realized we were quite literally trapped where we were. It didn't matter once Paul McCartney came onstage, though, because though sometimes a few heads were in the way, what we saw was absolutely astounding. He began with a booming & upbeat "Drive My Car" performance, and the whole crowd could be heard singing "BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP YEAH!" in unison. He told us a few things about the songs, before he played them. For instance, he explained that "Here Today" was written for John, in the style of an imaginary conversation he would have with Lennon if he were here today. I'd always wondered if it was for John, but it sounded more like a song about a passing lover, so I wasn't sure. "Everyone give it up for Lennon!" And of course everyone was eager to comply. The performance was so heartfelt, I wondered if I would cry but I didn't, must have been the adrenaline still coursing through me. I cry too easily and at the wrong times anyway, so that is a good thing. He did a tribute to George by playing "Something" , starting on what I think was like... a ukelele? Dear God I dont know but it was great. It started off quiet and with only him playing the first verse, and then the band all broke out into the sweetest sound ever. The guitarist tore through that oh so distinct and briliant riff, and the crowd once again was singing along... "You're asking me will my love grow, I dont know I dont know". He said that blackbird was written when there were a lot of civil rights issues going on in America, and that he thought of a lone black girl struggling through the times. I joked to Tong that the song was about me (lame, I know) & enjoyed the opportunity to mellow out a bit after rocking so hard. I had an odd moment during the encore with "I Saw Her Standing There" in which the moment before they started playing I immediatly knew what they were about to play. I can't explain it, my whole body went into it. I dont think I'm like, telepathic, its probably something subliminal that clued me in, but I was sincerely baffled...it was a bit like how Dejavu feels. (on further thought, I think its because he played one note on the guitar, and I mustve been able to tell from the tuning or something. You know, cause they have a million different guitars for all the different types of tuning/sound so they dont have to do that onstage...I must've recognized the tone of the guitar in "I Saw Her Standing There" from the one note...Which if thats the case would be effing awesome) It was an odd but wicked feeling! From the minute the stick hit the drums I was enveloped in the music.
At the end of what I think was Calico Skies (But my memory could be skewed) he stops and says, "You know I'm trying to remember the chords, and the words and pay attention and have it all come together, but its hard when Im looking over and I notice this sign that says, 'Paul, will you sign my arm so I can get it tatooed?' So I'm trying to ignore it but its hard! Oh well, it can't be helped then, come on up" And the girl is in hysterics, some 15 year old looking girl, and she hugs Paul, and would barely leg him go, and you can see her mouthing OH MY GOD OH MY GOD on the large screens as she goes and hugs all of the band members. Tong comments, "Lucky bitch!" jokingly, (we were both jealous lmfao~) and Paul signs the girls arm. She leaves the stage and he says "You'd better go get that done now!" and they strike up another tune.
He played "A Day in the Life", one of my absolute favourite Beatles songs (about the top three) and segwayed into "Give Peace a Chance". It was absolutely beautiful, and Tong managed to capture a pretty good picture of the crowds response to the performance.
The most memorable part of the whole night was when he played "Live & Let Die", the rising climax of the song after the ballad section is astounding enough on its own, but as he said the first "Live & let die" lyric, The stage exploded with a BANG as red smoke & fireworks sprayed from the stage, and above the stage fireworks burst in the sky, so loud I though I'd been shot at first. I was bewildered and so pumped up from it at the same time, so I started the old traditional throw-your-fist-in-the-air-to-the-beat-&-jump-up-and-down-while-dancing-badly maneuver. The fireworks went off at each crescendo, and the crowd went absolutely batty. Though it wasn't that warm outside, the mere energy from the masses was keeping my skin hot. That, and the fact that you could actually feel the heat form the fireworks melting over the crowd. My throat hurt from screaming, my neck hurt from cracking, my calved & feet hurt from standing up and down on my tip toes for such a long time, my ears were going numb from the noise the crowd was making, let alone the music booming over everyone's heads, and yet none of it mattered, I could barely feel the pain until quiet intervals when I could relax. Even then, it hardly phased me.
Afterwards, the crowd was in a complete frenzy, and Paul could be seen being his naturally quirky self relaxing at the piano waving one arm, mouthing "noooo, no no no no" as though trying to quell the crazy audience. Of course, the crowd only got louder~ Finally after the noise died down, he said, "I'm going to play this next one, you can all sing along if you like" And the minute he sang the first line, "Hey Jude" The crowd was back at its peak cheering mode again. Then you could hear the thousands and thousands of voices singing along to the lyrics of one of the most classic songs of our time. it was such a wonderful experience singing along with so many people at once, all waving their arms in unison, "Na, na na na na na, hey Juuuuuuuuuude" & he walked to center stage and said, "Just the men now!" while striking a macho pose. Then, "Just the ladies!" Though at this point I think my voicebox was broken I was still singing along. "Ladies again!" And on and on with it until the song ebbed out~
He came back for an encore after leaving, and played four songs, beginning with "Day Tripper", which Paul McCartney hasn't performed for 43 years. A source Keith linked me up to elaborates: "But also, Paul sang for the very first time a song never performed before, by him or by any other ex-Beatle. Paul sang Day Tripper for the first time since the historic Candlestick Park concert of August 1966." - maccablog.com
There must be something about Halifax that would make him choose to bring a song such as this back to life from the Beatles days, and I feel very privileged to have witnessed it so close.
After about four songs, he left again, but the crowd wouldn't have any of it. Were were still no breaks in the crowd, barely anyone was leaving, and everyone there was in demand of a second encore. To my delight he came back out and played another set of four. But when he struck up Helter Skelter I think everyone had a heart attack from the mere excitement of rocking out so hard. It ending with a brilliant medley, beginning with Sargeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Reprise and going into "The End" It was so completely epic though, the way it was all mashed up, the tempo rising and falling and the experimental rock sound jumping in a million directions. Paul at his age can still rock as hard as he ever could, playing a damn good guitar & ending on a rather dramatic note. The crowd once again was cheering as though they hadn't been doing so for around 3 hours. He looked at the crowd and said, "Now believe it or not I -do- have to go home eventually" and while the crowd booed, he says "Yeah, but you all have to go home eventually too, think about that huh? " And then the crowd continued to cheer~ The liveliness of Halifax is something to marvel at, and I would not be surprised if Paul came back again. Though all performers shout out to the city they're performing in, if you'd have seen the reception given there to the band that night, you wouldn't have any choice but to believe there was at least some truth in the praises given. "Thank you Halifax, you're such a great audience! You really make us feel special" And this was said a few times throughout the concert~ Its not much of a surprise though, many artists report being surprised by Halifax's energy while performing here for the first time. We usually draw the artists right back in. You could see it was as much of an experience for the band as it was for the audience, and I think that's whats most important for the world of music. Its a trade off, and it shouldn't be any other way. The collaborative effort of Halifax giving 200% energy is a sweet spectacle.
In conclusion, it was worth every penny. I left the concert with my head still reeling despite my body wanting to give out. I didn't get to sleep last night until 9:00am, I was too amped the whole time after. I woke up this morning still thinking about how awesome it is (& with "Jet" still stuck in my head... it was stuck in my head for hours before the concert, and after the concert, and now even after I wake up? :0). As Keith said to me, "The only thing I regret is that nothing can top this" which I have to wholeheartedly agree with. No matter how astounded I get during a concert I usually leave pretty apathetically. The event doesn't hit me in any lasting way, for some reason. (Though I find its not just concerts I have this problem with, I go through life like this) But with this concert, I actually had some sort of altering experience. I wasn't expecting to have such a rush the whole time, and some parts of the concert really just hit me in such a prfound way. Even the simplest of parts, like when he played "I've Got a Feeling", and you could hear the people singing along with the lyrics,
Everybody had a hard year.
Everybody had a good time
Everybody had a wet dream
Everybody saw the sunshine
Oh yeah, Oh yeah Oh Yeah
Everybody had a good year
Everybody let their hair down
Everybody pulled their socks up
Everybody put their foot down
It just really makes me feeling something, and I got to live in the afterglow of the concert until 9:00am~
Watching this, you really understand how this man could be considered the most successful composer of all time. This is geniune music, and he's been making it for decades. Its raw talent, to be able to make such a large abundance of absolute classics, none of which are mediocre. Even my favourite band, the White Stripes wouldn't be able to impress me more.
Anyhow, anyone who didn't get a ticket missed out of the event of their lives. This concert was enough to turn anyone into a hardcore fan. The people who said they weren't interested would have changed their minds I'm sure if they could even experience a small bit of that night. And I'm so glad I got to spend it with Tong, Keith & Laura, though me & Tong got seperated from them me and Tong still had an absolutely rockin' night!
&, thats a wrap.
I leave you with the set-list for the night
Setlist
Drive My Car
Jet
Only Mama Knows
Flaming Pie
Got To Get You Into My Life
Let Me Roll It (w/ Foxy Lady outro)
Highway
All My Loving
The Long And Winding Road
My Love
Blackbird
Here Today
Dance Tonight
Calico Skies
Mrs. Vandebilt
Eleanor Rigby
Sing The Changes
Band On The Run
Back In The U.S.S.R.
Something
I’ve Got A Feeling
Paperback Writer
A Day In The Life/Give Peace A Chance
Let It Be
Live And Let Die
Hey Jude
Day Tripper
Lady Madonna
Mull Of Kintyre
I Saw Her Standing There
Yesterday
Helter Skelter
Get Back
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
The End