What can be said about Paul McCartney that hasn't already been said? I will tell you that the man hasn't aged a bit and at 72 has more energy than people half his age -- that was evident Sunday night at Petco Park at a sold-out performance for more than 42,000 fans by Sir Paul and his band on the Out There Tour.
The almost three hour performance included 39 songs, covering his career with the Beatles, Wings and a smattering of selections from his latest album, "New." Three hours? Seriously, what band does that? The last time he played here was with Wings in 1976 at the San Diego Sports Arena (he did play a private event in Rancho Santa Fe, but that doesn't count).
The show started 30 minutes late at 830 p.m., but once it started, the train did not stop. My only complaint was that the energy of the crowd seemed a little off --- I didn't see enough dancing going on. Luckily we had a Mom with her young son in our row singing and dancing to every song, so that helped. I kind of wanted to lead the crowd in a dance party, but at three hours, maybe people were just pacing themselves. My seat in Field Plaza was pretty good, but we were still farther away than I'd like. Sometimes the closer you are to the stage, the greater the energy of the crowd is around you. I actually bought tickets, which is a rarity for me, since I have access to many of the shows I want to see, but not this one. I had to be there -- the Beatles mean so much to me, I just wish I could have met Sir Paul.
The sound was amazing, which is tough in large outdoor settings, but I could hear every nuance and was over-the-top excited when McCartney played "Helter Skelter," which freakin' rocked! The selection of songs was perfect and offered something for everyone. A favorite moment was when he took off his jacket early in the show and said that would be his only costume change. Also: He shouted out the San Diego Chargers.
It was an amazing show and the crowd watching was great. I loved seeing the mix of generations sharing the music together and wish it happened more often.
SET LIST:
- Eight Days a Week
- Save Us
- All My Loving
- Listen to What the Man Said
- Let Me Roll It (with "Foxy Lady" snippet)
- Paperback Writer
- My Valentine
- Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
- The Long and Winding Road
- Maybe I'm Amazed
- I've Just Seen a Face
- We Can Work It Out
- Another Day
- And I Love Her
- Blackbird
- Here Today
- New
- Queenie Eye
- Lady Madonna
- All Together Now
- Lovely Rita
- Everybody Out There
- Eleanor Rigby
- Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
- Something
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- Band on the Run
- Back in the U.S.S.R.
- Let It Be
- Live and Let Die
- Hey Jude
Encore:
- Day Tripper
- Hi, Hi, Hi
- Get Back
Encore 2:
- Yesterday
- Helter Skelter
- Golden Slumbers
- Carry That Weight
- The End
Tim Pyles, a longtime local who grew up in La Jolla, is the unofficial mayor of local music and hosts the Local 94/9 via FM94/9 every Sunday from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. He also books local acts at the Casbah, hosts the weekly Anti-Monday League, books/hosts the monthly Maryjane's Underground at the House of Blues and is an entertainment writer for Pacific San Diego Magazine. Check out his website thelocalpyle.com and and follow him on Twitter @thelocalpyle. You can reach him directly here pyleste@yahoo.com
