Paul McCartney

For my friends who have been reading my facebook updates, I promise this is the last I'll do on the Paul McCartney concert (unless you ask me about it of course!). So, I saw Paul McCartney play Halifax this past weekend. It was incredible!
I really couldn't believe that he'd play this side of Canada for his one and only Canadian concert date this year. I mean, it's so rare he plays live anymore that I didn't think I'd actually ever see him.
When the show was first announced it took me about half a second to decide that I was going. I then emailed my mom and told her I was getting a her a ticket so she better organise her vacation to NB around the concert date. My mom is the one who introduced me to McCartney and the Beatles (Dad played me Jimmy Buffet). I pretty much grew up on that music, Beatles, Wings, or McCartney solo, it's all good. She first saw McCartney when she was 14 and the Beatles were playing Vancouver.
So Saturday morning we set out on the most beautiful day summer has to offer so far and did the 4 hour drive to Halifax. We made good time and found out that there was a shuttle being offered to the concert site, just a 15 minute walk away from our hotel. Perfect!
We got to the site (the Halifax Commons) just after 2:30, with promise of the gates being opened at 3 (well, they didn't until 3:30, but no matter). At about 10 past 3, we heard and saw a motor brigade coming up the road, sirens and lights and black SUV's and who had his head out the window waving to all? Sir Paul himself - that was so cool, totally perked up the crowd.
The opening acts were fine, I especially enjoyed Joel Plaskett Emergency. He's great fun.
But there was nothing like the show itself! Everything just went up in quality and showmanship and effects and sound, just fabulous.

This was the playlist:

Drive My Car
Jet
Only Mama Knows
Flaming Pie
Got To Get You Into My Llife
Let Me Roll It / Foxy Lady
Highway
All My Loving
Long And Winding Road
My Love
Blackbird
Here Today
Dance Tonight
Calico Skies
Mrs Vanderbilt
Eleanor Rigby
Sing The Changes
Band On The Run
Back In The USSR
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 (feat. 78th Highlanders Pipe Band from Halifax)
I Saw Her Standing There
-
Yesterday
Helter Skelter
Get Back
Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band / The End

I mean could you pick it better? I was thinking about that. You have a repetoire like his and it's 50 years of music and history of music. Really I had only 2 I really, really wanted to hear and the rest I'd be fine with (Let it Be and Live and Let Die) - he played them and back to back and Live and Let Die was the coolest performance I'd ever seen! With fireworks!

I did manage to take some very shaky video. I'm going to post it in order here to give you some idea of the show. I had about 18 minutes of video on my camera so this was the best I could do. A couple more things before the video. First I don't think I've ever seen someone play to a crowd and make such a large gathering feel so intimate. There were 50/60 000 people there. He was really funny. After the hoopla of Live and Let Die, he kind of clutched at his heart and shook his head as if to say, I'm getting too old for this :o) All in good fun of course. He also pulled a girl up onstage who had distracted him with her sign of : Paul please sign my arm so I can have it tatooed. He did - I hope she follows through (my mom said she would). Finally, can he ever rock it! Guitar, piano - no matter. Just so impressive!