# Paul McCartney Concert Review



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Happy Birthday to me! My friend Jamie bought me an incredible present, a ticket to the Paul McCartney concert on the actual date of my birthday. So I spent tonight with some thirty thousand strangers all screaming his name.

I have to admit that I think the hardest musician gig right now is the one of opening band for Paul McCartney. A nice Irish band called, I believe, the Scripts did a 45 minute set at CitiField tonight and no one paid attention. We were all there to see Sir Paul. And see him we did. He took the stage at 8:45 pm and didn't leave it until 11:30. He took perhaps a 2 minute break between the "end of the show" and the "encores," but other then that, it was all Paul, all the time. And it was mostly music. He did a little patter, and was quite amusing, but the focus was the music. I'm going to avoid giving the whole set list, if you want it message me and I'll happily share. Let me state that he started the set with Drive My Car, then did Jet. These and a couple more he did on the guitar, then moved to the piano for Long and Winding Road and My Love. He gave the band a break (more on them later) and took the stage solo for Blackbird and Here Today (his memorial to John Lennon). He also did a tribute to George Harrison called Sing the Changes. I had to check the title of that song with Jamie, I heard CBGB [the old club in NYC]. Going into this concert there were songs I had my heart set on hearing, and for the most part, he did them. Two songs he did NOT do that I wish he had were Michelle, and Silly Love Songs. But he did Band on the Run, Back in the USSR, Drive my Car, Eleanor Rigby, Paperback Writer, Let It Be, Live and Let Die (with fireworks! during both of the fast instrumental sections), and "ended" the show with Hey Jude. For his first encore he did Daytripper, Saw Her Standing There and Lady Madonna. For his SECOND encore, he did Yesterday, Helter Skelter, the finale section of Sgt Pepper and In the End.

We were relatively far away, so I couldn't really see Sir Paul, but the video cameras were satisfactory. And the lighting and graphics were fantastic. As I mentioned, they had fireworks during Live and Let Die (both onstage and from above the stage), and during Get You Into My Life, they used graphics from Rock Band-The Beatles. During A Day in the Life, they started with a black and white garden scene on the screen, then as the song went on, it turned color and sprouted flowers and butterflies. During Eleanor Rigby, the graphic was stylized violins which while quite pretty, just reinforced to me the fact that they were using a synthesizer and not live violins. For Helter Skelter, they used a scary roller-coaster shot, and ended the show with a gorgeous sunset shot.

The weather today was iffy. We had pouring rain this morning, and we were worried that it would it be bad during the show, but while it was misting, it didn't get terrible. I could see the rain on the video shots of Paul in the beginning, and it definitely looked like his shirt was getting wet.

As I mentioned, the band was incredible, but I didn't catch any of their names. When Sir Paul is on the stage, he's the only thing you noticed. And he looked quite good and best of all, he seemed to be having a good time. And when the band is happy, the crowd is happy. And I'm still floating!


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Lucky you!  Happy Birthday.

I saw Paul McCartney on the street in NYC a few years ago.  He was my first crush when the Beatles came to the USA for the first time in 1964.


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## koolmnbv (Mar 25, 2009)

Wow that sounded so fun, what a great concert! Im so glad you had a great time, Happy Bday. What a nice friend to get ya such a good gift, you sounded like you enjoyed it!


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

oh I am so envious - what a super bday present - did you feel like you were a teenager again just reliving all the memories from the songs? 

And a belated Happy Birthday!!


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## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

Scarlet,
Sounds like an awesome concert!  DH and I saw him a few years ago in concert (he wasn't yet married - and now he's divorced- that's a few years I guess)  Anyway, I know what you mean when you say you're still floating.  He gives a great performance!  You'll always remember that concert - I'm so glad you got to celebrate your birthday with Paul!   Thanks for sharing with us!


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

<jealous.


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

jealous doesn't even describe it!!!  I have loved Paul since the 5th grade!


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## KindleMom (Dec 11, 2008)

Thanks for posting the review, Scarlet.  I read it this morning and have been singing McCartney and Beatles stuff all day.  The kids have been joining in with me too.    Happy day!


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## sheltiemom (Dec 28, 2008)

Happy birthday!  Thanks for the review.  I have tickets see him in Dallas at the new Cowboys stadium in August and am so excited.


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

sheltiemom said:


> Happy birthday! Thanks for the review. I have tickets see him in Dallas at the new Cowboys stadium in August and am so excited.


In the new stadium? My folks just took a tour of it a few weeks ago.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Thanks for all the good wishes everyone.  It was an incredible night, and I'm still floating.  I've always been more of a Wings era fan then a Beatles era fan, so I felt like I was back in my 20's (which is the last time I saw him live, at Giant Stadium).


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## sheltiemom (Dec 28, 2008)

The McCartney concert in Dallas (actually Arlington) was Wednesday and it was absolutely fantastic!  This review is so on target.  He played without leaving the stage for 2 hours, took a five minute break, and came back for 3 encores.  I don't know how he gets the energy to do that.  I took my 26 and 23 year old sons who are into hard rock and rap and who knows what and they were totally impressed.  The concert was at the new Cowboys stadium and it was really impressive.  My son updated his facebook status while we were there with "cowboys stadium + a beatle = perfect" and he was right!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Glad you and your sons had a great time!


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