Go Paul...Go Paul...

My mother was a “bobby soxer” growing up.  Go ahead, Google it.  It’s there. When she was in public school in the 1940’s, she saw Frank Sinatra perform and she screamed. She was a lifelong fan. For six decades, she connected with Frank’s music…even went to Las Vegas to hear him perform.  He sang well into his 80’s.  He was truly a star…but he didn’t write his own music.

Since the 60’s, I’ve seen Paul McCartney perform live in every decade. He’s going into number six right now and I love his music more than ever.  He’s played with a number of groups over the years starting with one before Wings, called the Beatles…and even a couple of lesser known ones before that.  He is a testament to loving what you do. In interview after interview, he says that he just has to make music.  It’s in his heart and soul.

Now "Sir Paul", he has written or co-written over 500 songs in his career.  Many of us know the words to a number of those songs and they have significant meaning to happenings in our lives.  What an impact this man and his music have made on three generations.

He performed last Friday in Seattle on his “Out There” tour and sold out more than 45,000 seats in Safeco Field. The critics were unanimous in their praise of the concert…over 40 songs and two encores with former members of Nirvana in 3 hours of musical heaven for the crowd. It was a herculean effort on Sir Paul’s part and left no one wanting…except to go home, pull the playlist and listen to it all again from your collection.

When Councilwoman Jean Godden was a newspaper columnist, she found me in line at the Tower Records on Mercer just before midnight waiting for the first Anthology recording to come out.  I have purchased every album of McCartney’s, whether Beatles, Wings or other, on the day it was released. She wrote a piece about my penchant for Beatles music and admitted that she had the “fever” too.

Jane and I went on one of our first dates to see the Beatles on their 60’s concert tour of the US. (Yes, we did dress differently for a concert in those days.) It was a true happening.  We saw the premieres of all the Beatles movies together and knew the words to all the songs before we went into the theater.

The ultimate for me was the McCartney and Wings concert at the Kingdome in 1990. I was promoting many events that were hosted by the Kingdome in those days and was very close to the entire staff. On the afternoon of the day before the concert, my good friend, Carol Keaton, who was the go-to person for media, called to ask me a favor. Would I be able to help her get Paul and Linda to the right places at the right times for the next day or so? WOULD I????!!!! It was a dream come true.

I could make a movie about my day with Paul and Linda. (Thank you, Carol.) Most importantly, let me say what a loving, courteous and caring couple they were. Never flustered. Never condescending. Always gracious. It’s not often that you meet the “real thing” in the music business but they were it.

 

Early on, I told Paul that I was a very biased fan of his and the Beatles music. And when I told him I had bought every album on release day, he looked at me with that quizzical-but-sly expression we’ve all seen before and said, “So you’re the one.”  We both laughed.

Sir Paul McCartney is going strong at 71.  He is musical phenom. There is not much music out there that I don’t like but I love McCartney’s music. It makes me smile and laugh and feel good. That’s what it’s all about.  Even Frank Sinatra did an album of Beatles music. Go Paul! Add another decade to the record.