Paul McCartney Rocks!
I have never been to a Beatles concert. This is obvious to some, but I'm too young to have been to a concert unless my mother dragged my toddler self to one and I was too young to remember. I never had the priviledge of seeing Wings play. They didn't tour to where I lived in Canada. Paul McCartney was never near me when he toured the US solo.
Until now. Last night I was one of the priviledged thousands (18,117 to be exact) to pile into the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Sir McCartney did not disappoint. Could he? Let's be honest, he's a Beatle, he can afford stellar musicians to be a part of his band. He can afford the best sets, venues, instruments, crew, etc. There is no technical reason for one of his shows to ever flop. None. And this was a great show. He reminisced about the Beatles and Wings without living in the past. He shared highlights about songs and events in his career. He spoke to us as though we were in his livingroom enjoying a cup of tea. And he sang. God did he sing.
Classics like Hey Jude and Let It Be along with some of the more pop centered songs from the early days of the phenomenon that was the Beatles. He covered pieces from his new album - one I will purchase this weekend as soon as I figure out how I can do both groceries and a new CD. He say some excellent Wings and solo songs like I Will, Live & Let Die, Good Day Sunshine, Eleanor Rigby, Band on the Run, Maybe I'm Amazed, Back In The USSR and so many more. There were over 37 songs in all, each one better than the last.
"Magical Mystery Tour" ('67)
"Flaming Pie" ('97)
"Jet" ('73)
"I'll Get You" ('63)
"Drive My Car" ('65)
"Till There Was You" (a standard, recorded '63)
"Let Me Roll It" ('73)
"Got To Get You Into My Life" ('66)
"Fine Line" ('05)
"Maybe I'm Amazed" ('70)
"The Long and Winding Road" ('70)
"In Spite of all the Danger" (the Quarrymen, '58)
"I Will" ('68)
"Jenny Wren" ('05)
"For No One" ('66)
"Fixing A Hole" ('67)
"English Tea" ('05)
"I'll Follow The Sun" ('64)
"Follow Me" ('05)
"Blackbird" ('68)
"Eleanor Rigby" ('66)
"Too Many People" ('71)
"She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" ('69)
"Good Day Sunshine" ('66)
"Band On The Run" ('73)
"Penny Lane" ('67)
"I've Got A Feeling" ('70)
"Back In The USSR" ('68)
"Hey Jude" ('68)
"Live and Let Die" ('73)
"Yesterday" ('65)
"Get Back" ('70)
"Helter Skelter" ('68)
"Please Please Me" ('63)
"Let It Be" ('70)
"Sgt Pepper/The End" ('69)
For a man in his early 60's, Paul showed a stamina and energy level that I'm sure fed the crowd. Not only was the actual show over 2 hours, he came out for three encoures of 2-3 songs each. It was amazing! Here is a man who loves his fans, loves his music and is totally at home on the stage. No showboating, no preaching or politics, just pure and fun entertainment.
We left for home around midnight and had to crawl out of bed this morning for work. I'm bleary-eyed but still riding the PM high! I just hope he continues to put out music and tour and that I continue to be able to attend. And I wish that it was still last night and that I was at the Xcel immersed in the moment.