While walking out of the Paul McCartney concert at Great American Ballpark last week, my dad overheard a teenage boy with his arm around his mom’s shoulder. He said “thanks for bringing me Mom, this was WAY better than I expected!” While this was a younger kid who probably didn't know The Beatles too well, I have to say I agree with him. I knew seeing Paul McCartney would be awesome, but it wasn't until he took that stage that I realized just how amazing this experience was going to be.
My dad picked me up on his motorcycle and we rode across the beautiful Roebling bridge into downtown Cincinnati. There we were met with thousands of Beatles and Paul McCartney fans shuffling into the Reds Stadium. We still had to buy tickets and made our way to the ticket window where we waited to see if the last pair of “good cheap(er) tickets” sold online or not. Turns out they sold, so we got the best cheap seats that were left (there weren’t many!). Dad and I made our way up the escalator and grabbed food and drinks and made it to our seats (which had an awesome view) just in time to see the Sir Paul McCartney take the stage.
I could instantly feel the energy start to circulate around the stadium. I hate to say this, but I started to understand why so many people (women) used to cry at The Beatles shows. As soon as Sir Paul started to sing Hello, Goodbye, an overwhelming sense of happiness and joy filled my body.
The songs sounded great and the stories that Mr. McCartney added in between songs really made the set phenomenal. One of my favorites was about the song I Will, his story went something like this: While watching the Royal Wedding with his daughter, he told her that he wrote a song called I Will and said to his daughter “ you know Daddy wrote a song called I Will I think it would be cool if people said "I Will" at weddings instead of “I do”, then sure enough, when Prince William and Kate said their vowels, they both said “I Will” instead of “I do”.
The first time I remember hearing The Beatles was on a mixed tape I stole from my dad at age 2-3. The song was actually a cover, the Hippy Hippy Shake. My earliest "real" memories of The Beatles come from my dad playing Here, There and Everywhere on the piano. I also remember listening to Hey Jude and Yesterday on the keyboard they were programmed into that once belonged to my grandpa. I remember hearing stories about The Beatles rise to fame, the intensity of their live show and tragic death of John Lennon. As I got older I started to listen to more of The Beatles archives on my own. I fell in love with the movie/musical Across the Universe and I've enjoyed learning more and more about The Beatles in recent years. (Read about my 6 degrees of separation from the Beatles here).
Hearing 69 year old Paul McCartney play such historical, and influential songs, live... was absolutely amazing. A buzzing energy remained present throughout the entire set and while I shared this experience with some 50,000-60,000 people (Dad, can you give me a more accurate number?)...it was a truly unforgettable night and nothing will ever compare to this concert. Since it's nearly impossible to sum up with this experience with words alone, here are few videos (taken and edited with my iPhone):
Set list:
Set list:
1. Hello, Goodbye
(The Beatles song)
2. Junior's Farm
(Paul McCartney & Wings song)
3. All My Loving
(The Beatles song)
4. Jet
(Paul McCartney & Wings song)
5. Drive My Car
(The Beatles song)
6. Sing the Changes
(The Fireman song)
7. The Night Before
(The Beatles song)
8. Let Me Roll It / Foxy Lady Tease
(Jimi Hendrix cover)
9. Paperback Writer
(The Beatles song)
10. The Long and Winding Road
(The Beatles song)
11. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
(Paul McCartney & Wings song)
12. Let 'Em In
(Wings song)
13. Maybe I'm Amazed
14. I've Just Seen a Face
(The Beatles song)
15. I Will
(The Beatles song)
16. Blackbird
(The Beatles song)
17. Here Today
18. Dance Tonight
19. Mrs. Vandebilt
(Paul McCartney & Wings song)
20. Eleanor Rigby
(The Beatles song)
21. Something (on ukelele)
22. Band on the Run
(Paul McCartney & Wings song)
23. Obla Di Obla Da
(The Beatles song)
24. Back in the USSR
(The Beatles song)
25. I've Got a Feeling
(The Beatles song)
26. A Day in the Life / Give Peace A Chance
27. Let it Be
(The Beatles song)
28. Live and Let Die
(Paul McCartney & Wings song)
29. Hey Jude
(The Beatles song)
30. Encore:
31. Lady Madonna
(The Beatles song)
32. Day Tripper
(The Beatles song)
33. Get Back
(The Beatles song)
34. Encore 2:
35. Yesterday
(The Beatles song)
36. Helter Skelter
(The Beatles song)
37. Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End
(The Beatles song)
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