Departing From A Pandemic--Briefly
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, Nov 26th, 2012 at 10:01 AM (16291 Views)
So last night, along with 40,000+ of my fellow Canadians, I watched Paul McCartney rock the fuck out of a small Vancouver stadium. 70 years old... he's a fossil for certain and the majority of his catalogue was recorded long before I rocketed out of my dad's balls--and mercifully didn't end up on my mom's chest or face! It was an amazing night that didn't seem to end. The THREE HOUR set broke down like this:
- Magical Mystery Tour
(The Beatles song)- Junior's Farm
(Wings song)- All My Loving
(The Beatles song)- Jet
(Wings song)- Drive My Car
(The Beatles song)- Sing the Changes
(The Fireman song)- The Night Before
(The Beatles song)- Let Me Roll It
(Wings song) ("Foxy Lady" snippet)- Paperback Writer
(The Beatles song)- The Long and Winding Road
(The Beatles song)- Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
(Wings song)- My Valentine
- Maybe I'm Amazed
- I've Just Seen A Face
(The Beatles song)- And I Love Her
(The Beatles song)- Blackbird
(The Beatles song)- Here Today
- Dance Tonight
- Mrs. Vandebilt
(Wings song)- Eleanor Rigby
(The Beatles song)- Something
(The Beatles song) (Paul on ukulele)- Band on the Run
(Wings song)- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
(The Beatles song)- Back in the U.S.S.R.
(The Beatles song)- I've Got a Feeling
(The Beatles song)- A Day in the Life
(The Beatles song) ("Give Peace a Chance" snippet)- Let It Be
(The Beatles song)- Live and Let Die
(Wings song)- Hey Jude
(The Beatles song- Encore:
- Lady Madonna
(The Beatles song)- Day Tripper
(The Beatles song)- Get Back
(The Beatles song)- Encore 2:
- Yesterday
(The Beatles song)- Mull of Kintyre
(Wings song) (with the Delta Police Pipe &… more)- Helter Skelter
(The Beatles song)- Golden Slumbers
(The Beatles song)- Carry That Weight
(The Beatles song)- The End
The vibe in the building was fucking amazing. Every face I saw was light up like it was Christmas morning. I even saw tears more than a few times. People were dancing all over the place. For me the moment that made the night was singing Eleanor Ribgy with the other 40,000 present. It was my favourite song when I was growing up, and remains my all-time favourite Beatles song. It was a true bucket list moment, and when the crowd sang Give Peace A Chance I almost cried along with the two women sitting in front of me. There is something overwhelming about hearing that many people singing in unison.
Never been the world's biggest Paul McCartney fan, nor the world's biggest Beatles fan... but that show was really incredible. Just to be in an atmosphere that is that positive really makes you feel just a little bit better about being on the planet. There were pyrotechnics during Live and Let Die that you were certain would bring down the house, but the show just kept going and going. There were moments when it was just Paul on the stage along with an acoustic guitar and the rest of the building to back him up, particularly during Blackbird--which was so beautiful to see and hear.
I've been to a lot of concerts over the years, from small venues to big, outdoor festivals to coffee bar acoustic sets. I've seen a lot of amazing musicians play, but by far the most positive, lifting environment I've ever experienced was last night's show. I wanted to hug everyone in that building, and I wish I could have stayed in that space forever.
Thanks Paul, and thank you Vancouver for making that night so welcoming and amazing. I love you all for it.
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