Maybe I’m Amazed
What came first, my fascination with Paul McCartney and Wings or The Beatles? I really can’t be sure. Since I was pretty young when the Beatles first took America by storm, my recollection of what got me turned onto their music was listening to my brother Rodney sing and play Paul McCartney songs on his guitar. All I know is I’ve been a fan for almost as long as I can remember and The Beatles have been and always will be my favorite band and Paul McCartney is my favorite singer of all time.
There’s something about Paul McCartney that has kept me infatuated with him all these years — he truly is the most talented musician ever. When John and I had the opportunity to see him in concert for the first time at the Rosemont Horizon Arena in Chicago in 1989, we scraped together every nickle we had and made the trip. Who knew how many more chances we’d have to see him and how much longer he would be performing? Trust me, it was worth every cent to see him. The show was outstanding! To say we were blown away would be an understatement.
We know the answers now to how long Paul would be touring and how many times we’d get to see him. It’s pretty incredible that 26 years later he’s still going strong and hasn’t skipped a beat. Earlier this month, on October 13, John and I had the pleasure to see Paul McCartney and his band perform for the sixth time! What made this even more special for us is we got to take our three daughters and our son-in-law (plus a friend of our daughter’s) to Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio to see his latest tour, Out There. This was the fulfillment of a dream I’ve had ever since we introduced our children to The Beatles (i.e. at birth). We know we’ve raised them right because all four of them are avid Paul McCartney fans. Our son and his wife weren’t able to join us but had the chance to catch Paul’s tour in the summer of 2014 when he performed at Miller Park in Milwaukee.
Words really can’t describe what an awesome concert it was. The energy was electric, Paul sang for three hours straight and had two outstanding encores. It was so neat watching the looks on the kids’ (technically young adults’) faces when Paul rocked out on some of the greatest hits of all time. When he played Maybe I’m Amazed in tribute to his late wife Linda McCartney, one of my favorite songs, I had tears in my eyes. It was so moving, as was his tribute to the late George Harrison (playing Something on the ukulele) and John Lennon (If You Were Here Today).
Experiences like these are what life is all about and I’m so happy we got to be with most of our family for this concert. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have Nick and Emily with us. Hopefully next time! Or if Paul keeps going as strong as he is now (could it be the Kangen Water?) maybe we’ll be attending his concerts with our grandkids someday!
Check out the set list below and you’ll see why this concert was so outstanding! John and I had a 12-hour drive home around Upper Michigan admiring the beautiful fall colors and we rocked it out listening to Paul McCartney, The Beatles, and Wings albums the whole way home. Life doesn’t get much better than this!
Eight Days a Week
Save Us
Got to Get You Into My Life
One After 909
Temporary Secretary
Let me Roll It
Paperback Writer
My Valentine
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
The Long and Winding Road
Maybe I’m Amazed
I’ve Just Seen a Face
FourFiveSeconds
We Can Work it Out
Another Day
Hope for the Future
And I Love Her
Blackbird
Here Today
New
Queenie Eye
Lady Madonna
All Together Now
Lovely Rita
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
Another Girl
Hi, Hi, Hi
Can’t Buy Me Love
SECOND ENCORE
Yesterday
Helter Skelter
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End
