I was five years old when The Beatles first came into my life. It was December, 1963, and everyone, even five year-olds like me, was still in shock over the Kennedy assassination. Suddenly, the radio was filled with the sounds of this new group from England. Songs like "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You", "All My Loving" and "I Saw Her Standing There" were being played constantly. My cousin bought the first album "Meet The Beatles" and I bought the follow-up, "The Beatles Second Album" and we played those two records to death.
Beatlemania was unlike anything that had happened before or since. In February of 1964, like millions of American kids, I sat in my living room with my parents on a Sunday night and watched The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. I was mesmerized. I got every album and 45 I could lay my hands on, not to mention plastic Beatle guitars, wigs, and trading cards. When the movie of "A Hard Day's Night" came to my local drive-in that summer, my parents took us to see the movie. I will never forget the cars filled with screaming teenage girls on either side of us. I was six years old, and a hard-core Beatles fan.
As I got older, my musical tastes branched out to embrace other groups, but The Beatles were always number one. I idolized John Lennon, but I truly loved them all. Their music was, and still is, simply incredible. When the band broke up in 1970, I was pretty devestated, but I understood that it was inevitable. I continued to be a fan of their solo work, but I was underwhelmed by Paul's initial output. I was not a great fan of Wings, but they got better as they got along, and by the time they released their seminal live album, "Wings over America," I had grown to appreciate them.
My first live rock concert was, no coincidence, George Harrison in 1974. It probably was not that great, musically, but there he was in the flesh, a real live Beatle. He sang "In My Life" and dedicated it to John, Paul, and Ringo. And he did a great job with "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," although Eric Clapton was not there to assist with the guitar, as he does on the White Album.
I regret that I never got to see John in concert prior to his murder. And I will always remember being angry at Paul's seemingly nonchalant reaction to his former partner's death. Paul has always maintained that he was in shock at the time and was actually devestated by John's murder. I was willing to concede him that, but I was still annoyed by the mediocre pop drivel he was putting out. Songs like "Silly Love Songs", "Say Say Say", and "Ebony and Ivory" were pretty bad, although I have to admit a perverse fondness for "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey."
I got the opportunity to see Paul in 1990 on a brutally hot summer night in Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Paul was quite good, his backing band was adequate, and he did do about 7 or 8 Beatle songs. I was satisfied in having seen another Beatle, but I was not, in any way, ovewhelmed.
So, when my wife told me that she wanted to go to the McCartney concert in Glendale this spring, which would launch Paul's latest tour, I was not particularly excited about it. She wanted to take our kids and give them an opportunity to see a Beatle, so I agreed. I was expecting a good show, but not anything great. Turns out, I was 100 per cent wrong.
These days, Paul McCartney is 67 years old. Having lived through personal tragedies and a tumultuous public life, he looks absolutely fantastic and could pass for 40. He would have satisfied his audience if he played a nostalgiac, 90 minute greatest hits show. But that was not Paul's intent on this particular night in Arizona. No, Paul wanted to prove that he is still a rocker, and still vital, and still able to blow an audience away. Boy, did he ever!
He rocked the house for three hours and 40 songs. He played 23 Beatles songs, including the hits you would expect ("Hey Jude", "Yesterday", "Let it Be", "Get Back"), as well as many songs we never expected ("Got to Get You into My Life", "I'm Looking Through You", "Day Tripper", "Paperback Writer", "Lady Madonna", "Two of Us", "I've Got a Feeling"). He played a rollicking version of "Back in the USSR", an absolutely blistering version of "Helter Skelter", and a wonderfully emotional version of "A Day in the Life." That was certainly one I never expected to hear live. He paid tribute to John with a stunning version of "Give Peace a Chance" and George with a magnificent version of "Something."
He played 8 Wings songs, starting the show with "Venus and Mars/Rock Show", followed by "Jet." He played two of my favorite Wings songs, "Let Me Roll It" and "Letting Go." He played an energetic and powerful version of "Live and Let Die", with pyrotechnics which left the audience buzzing. And he played some new songs, which instead of being pop trifles, were actually rocking, bluesy triumphs. His back-up band was outstanding, and Paul was simply dynamic, his amazing vocal gifts as brilliant as ever. He demonstrated his versatility by playing bass, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, ukelele, and piano. He played with a passion and purpose that I thought he had lost many years ago. He played with joy on his face, and he seemed to relish every minute of it. Oh, and did I mention that he rocked the house for three freaking hours? It was absolutely "Springsteenesque".
I have been to well over a hundred rock concerts in my lifetime. I have seen The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Police, U2, Billy Joel, Bob Seger, Elton John, The Kinks, The Grateful Dead, and, of course, The Boss no less than 12 times. Until now, I have always maintained that the first time I saw Springsteen, in 1975, at my college, was the greatest concert I have ever seen. That show rocked my world, and changed me musically forever. I never thought anyone would be able to knock Springsteen off that pedastel.
Until now. Five days later, I am still buzzing about it. Paul McCartney's concert at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona, last Sunday night was the greatest concert I have ever seen. Who wouldda thunk it?
