Former Beatle Paul McCartney made his first-ever appearance in Charlottesville at the John Paul Jones Arena June 23. It was the latest stop on his "Out There" World Tour. Sir Paul just celebrated his 73 birthday the week before and treated the capacity crowd to a nearly three-hour-long concert featuring 39 Beatles, Wings and solo career classics.
McCartney touched on plenty of his most popular songs. There was a considerable range of musicianship displayed, from guitar strumming to piano sliding, from upbeat rhythms that had audience members up and out of their seats, to a thought-provoking performance of "Blackbird" — its inspiration attributed by McCartney to the Civil Rights movement of the 60s — back to a heart-wrenching solo performance for John Lennon if he were "Here Today." Through his choice of songs, Paul catered to all subsets of his fanbase and showcased snippets of each era of his career.
For the more avid McCartney fan, "Out There" also presented many first-time and rare performances of songs he normally doesn't include in his set list. Among these were “Temporary Secretary” from the 1980s, “McCartney II,” “And I Love Her” from “A Hard Day’s Night,” his first solo hit, “Another Girl” from “Help!” and “One After 909,” which Paul himself noted was the first song he wrote with John Lennon. Paul last performed it with the Beatles in January 1969 atop their Apple headquarters in the middle of London filmed for the finale of “Let It Be.” His tour also featured a treat for the rock ’n’ roll gearheads with a myriad of guitars that Paul switched between songs, including the classic Beatles Höfner Bass and his Epiphone Casino, which he told the audience was the very guitar he used in recording the next number, “Paperback Writer.” In addition, his drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray and keyboardist Paul "Wix" Wickens put their best feet forward, remaining in harmony and on point.
For those who have followed the history of the Beatles and Paul McCartney, this concert allowed audience members a more personal lens into an inspirational and legendary artist. Alongside a lively and energetic songbook, the audience was regaled with personal anecdotes from Paul on topics ranging from his early days with the Beatles to his recollection of a 1967 Jimi Hendrix concert in London when he asked if Eric Clapton could come up and tune his guitar. The participatory moments during the show forged a connection between the band and audience which reaffirms why fans come out and see the artists they were raised on.
McCartney remains one of the few solo musicians in the contemporary music scene with enough popularity and influence to sell out shows at big name venues. This is the kind of concert that that could easily appeal to a middle-aged mathematician from Massachusetts who is sitting next to a professional motorcyclist from Richmond, or a group of corporate colleagues seated behind a band of 15 year-old teenagers. There is something to be said about the universality Sir Paul creates.
Seeing McCartney these days reminds us of his 50-year musical legacy and the sense of community that is created through that shared legacy. He reminds us of optimism in "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," that sorrow is a naturally occurring human emotion in "Let It Be" and the joy of shared experience in the crowd sing-along of “Hey Jude.” He concluded the concert with the appropriate Beatles song "The End," with arms outstretched, exhausted and singing, “and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
If that is so, Sir Paul has succeeded in making quite a lot of it.
Read More
Early Visions at The Fralin facilitates creativity through artistic mentorship
By Delaney Coppola | YesterdayThe 10 week-long after-school program brings together children from the Boys and Girls Club of Central Virginia with University student-artistic mentors.
Around the world in three stories — recommendations from Language House residents
By Gretel Brown | 2 days agoThese works of international fiction — all originally written in languages other than English and set in countries other than the United States — are the perfect getaway for students looking to put the semester behind them.
The Filmmakers Society is the heart of student filmmaking on Grounds
By Zachary Geller | 3 days agoThe Filmmakers Society, or FMS, is the University’s only filmmaking-based Contracted Independent Organization.
