McCartney at Petco: Your Ticket to Ride

Music fans heading to Petco Park on Sunday for Paul McCartney have plenty of transportation options

Beatlemania is back: As you may have heard, Paul McCartney is set to invade San Diego on Sunday, Sept. 28 and even though a sold-out Petco Park can handle more than 45,000 ticketed guests, there may be a long and winding road ahead for attendees.

Thankfully, for all the day trippers coming together for Sir Paul's first San Diego performance since 1976, the city has stepped up its public transportation options for those trying to get there -- and get back. After all, no one wants a repeat of the Aug. 14 fiasco getting to Candlestick Park in San Francisco for McCartney's show -- when folks were stranded in traffic for so long that some missed the show entirely.

To avoid that unfortunate chain of events, the city’s Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has increased the number of trains heading to and from downtown, and is offering a mobile ticketing option to make sure the expected extra traffic moves as smoothly as possible.

For smartphone users, the official MTS ticketing app is a sure time-saver. Show-goers can download the mTicket app for free here, and can purchase and store Trolley passes on their phones prior to even arriving at the transit station. Users also have the ability to store multiple mTickets on one phone – making it even more ideal for families or groups of friends traveling together.Talk about a true 'ticket to ride'!

All three Trolley lines (Green Line, Blue Line, and Orange Line) provide direct service to Petco Park. Blue and Orange Line passengers should disembark at the 12th & Imperial Transit Center, while Green Line trains stop inside the Gaslamp Quarter – mere steps away from the stadium itself. Those particular trains will be running every 15 minutes prior to the concert, which is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. For a full schedule of trains, times and stops – visit the official San Diego MTS website or download the mTicket app.

As for getting home, MTS has also scheduled additional service for concertgoers. The show is set to end at 11 p.m. and late-night trains will run for all three lines.

The Green Line is set to depart from the Gaslamp Quarter Trolley Station at the following times:

  • 11:08 p.m. to SDSU (regular service)
  • 11:17 p.m. to Qualcomm (this trip will run later if the concert ends after its scheduled end time)
  • 11:23 p.m. to Santee
  • 11:32 p.m. to Qualcomm Stadium
  • 11:38 p.m. to Santee (this run normally terminates at SDSU but has been extended to Santee)
  • 11:53 p.m. to Santee

The Blue Line is set to depart from 12th & Imperial Transit Center to San Ysidro at 11:00 p.m., 11:30 p.m. and midnight. The Orange Line Trolley will depart the 12th & Imperial Transit Center approximately 20 minutes after the end of the concert.

Additionally, for North County residents, the Coaster train will be offering an extra northbound trip, which will depart downtown's Santa Fe Depot at midnight. Prior to the show, southbound Coaster trips are set to depart the Oceanside Transit Center at 1:50 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. Roundtrip Coaster fare and roundtrip Trolley fare are included in the $12 RegionPlus Day Pass available at ticketing machines on Coaster platforms.

With the undisputed concert of the year on the horizon, attendees have plenty to look forward to. McCartney’s most recent Out There show dates set lists have drawn from all eras of his catalog but notable Beatles selections such as “Eleanor Rigby,” “Eight Days a Week,” “Lady Madonna,” “All My Loving,” “Paperback Writer,” “Blackbird,” “Hey Jude” and “Let It Be” seem to all be show staples.

The legendary singer/songwriter has been treating fans to three hours of material on this tour -- complete with fireworks. According to prior show reviews, McCartney typically offers up song explanations and humorous stage banter throughout the set, while the sound quality overall has received consistently high praise.

With transportation worries alleviated, attendees can come together, breathe easy and enjoy the show.
 

Dustin Lothspeich plays in Old Tiger, Chess Wars and Boy King. Follow his updates on Twitter or contact him directly.

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