A Great Day

Hi, how are you?

I think it's been a little while since I've posted, but I just feel as though I need to post this... Well, when I eventually finish writing it... Started this all on Thursday 28th of May 2015!

Some "young lad" with wall pictures!

Much as I know some of my friends aren't "fans" of The Beatles and their solo exploits, it is well known that I am a big big fan, having been brought up with their music essentially.

Both of my parents are fans, and played their music a fair bit.  I used to have an extensive collection on vinyl, which I regret basically getting rid of for money to pay stay off with!  One of my very few actual regrets that I am trying to rectify at an expense I might add!

"Golden Ticket" - not really gold, but...

I always had this silly pie in the sky dream of meeting them, but actually most of all Paul.

John Lennon died soon after my tenth birthday, so that would never have been likely really.

When I was eleven years old I was already trying to write songs in a way, but only in a lyrical sense.  I wrote a set I lyrics that I remember were called In The War, but I remember nothing else. I sent them by post to MPL (McCartney's own company) addresses to Paul himself, along with a letter explaining that I was eleven years old, etc.  I got back a postcard back from George Martin (producer for The Beatles) saying that Paul was writing and recording some new material at that time (the Tug Of War album), and that he thought my lyrics were really good for my age.

My listening for the journey.

A few years later I had an argument with my stepdad, who tore the postcard to shreds, but I forgave him for that many years ago!

For some reason I had never seen any of the ex-Beatles, so when I saw a couple of months ago that Paul was doing some dates here in the UK, I went for it and paid for a ticket (Louise wasn't interested).

Initially I was put off by the cost, but then after a very short while I thought that I should just go for it!

With that in mind I went onto Ticketmaster and paid the price.

Pete Murphy and me (taken by Lynsey)

I discussed it with Louise, and she said that she would rather I stay overnight after the concert, so I rather cheekily thought of a way to see if fellow Fawmer Pete Murphy, who I knew lives close by, might offer to put me up because hotels are expensive.

So this past Wednesday (27th May 2015) I made the journey to Pete's with only the very irritating Google Maps on my iPhone!  I couldn't find my SatNav, so chose that option.

My Converse Trainers - name dropping

Before leaving I made myself a flask of coffee and got some sandwiches.

On the way I stopped at the motorway services (Leicester North I think), where I bought a street map book of Birmingham (and surrounding areas) and some batteries.  I also had coffee and one round of my sandwiches.

When I got to Pete & Lynsey's I was incredibly nervous and excited at the same time.

I'm actually quite shy in a lot of ways, surprisingly I suppose, and I force myself into situations at times to get me over that.  I was also more nervous because I was going to be staying at someone else's house.

Outside the Arena

Luckily Pete & Lynsey are such lovely and fantastic people who, although shy themselves, were also so welcoming and generous.

I got to their house, I think, some time around 2pm perhaps, and was greeted by Pete, who I gave some presents to for his birthday (which was the previous week).  Pete offered me something that he wanted to give to someone who would use it and enjoy it.  A wonderful keyboard instrument that I loved straight away - such a generous gift.  Thank you.

After some chatting, we went out to Sutton Lawn, which is a really nice place.  Then we had some tea at a bar there, with I think Pete & Lynsey having peppermint tea each, and I had Earl Grey (no milk or sugar).  Then we went back to theirs before I got changed into my concert clobber - music related T-Shirt, new light jacket, new designer jeans, and my Converse Ox trainers.  I like those clothes not because they're designers, but because I like them!

Tour Programme

I got to the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham at about 5.45pm, thanks to Pete & Lynsey taking me there as they thought it would be easier that way since they know the area - a good idea.

The doors to the venue opened at 6pm, and as soon as I got in I bought myself a tour programme, and then saw a Paul McCartney jute bag with roses on, which I thought I would have to buy for Louise as a surprise present when I got back home.

I bought that and a t-shirt... Well, how could I not?!?!?!

Inside the Arena

Inside the Arena - pre-show

Then I went in and sat at what I thought was my seat!  My ticket was J126, and I saw seats with row JJ, not realising there was also a separate row J that, an hour later, I found out I should have been sat at!

So, first of all I was sat at JJ126, near to some nice people, two of whom had won the tickets.

While waiting for it all to start, they were playing music from the Rushes album by The Fireman, a collaboration between Paul McCartney and Killing Joke's Youth.

What I could see from my wrong seat of DJ Chris!

The people near me seemed to like it I think.  That album is particular is very surprising, because it's possibly the least McCartney-esque one...  In my opinion.

Support was from DJ Chris, who did great work of mashing up and sampling things from all over Paul's career - I loved hear bits from What's That You're Doing, a great jam based piece by Paul with Stevie Wonder from the 1982 album Tug Of War.

After DJ Chris finished, a group of people turned up and I found out that there was a difference between row J and row JJ.  So, I made my way to row J and wished the people I'd been talking with that they'd enjoy the concert.

Me inside the venue

I went to where I should be, which was possibly a better seat that was closer to the stage.  Not by much though!  I was thankful for the video screens!!!

After this, eventually some video montage footage appeared on the screens either side of the stage alongside a fair bit of music from all over the fifty plus year career he has enjoyed.  A nice montage utilizing great photographic and video footage.

As all of this was happening the excitement and anticipation seemed to be growing in the arena among the crowd of a little under thirteen thousand.

After what seemed like fifteen or so minutes of this, Paul and the band just turned up on stage almost without any fanfare so to speak.

Sir Paul appears and I can
hardly believe it!

They went straight into the fantastic Beatles song Eight Days A Week, and a wonderful version it was!  I could hardly believe what I was seeing!  I know that might sound silly to some, but it's true!

His band are fantastic, which I suppose they would be considering.  Abe Laboriel Jnr is a really good drummer, Brian Ray is a really good rhythm guitarist/bassist (he switches according to what Paul is playing), Rusty Anderson is actually an incredible lead guitarist who occasionally would do stuff that actually surprised me as both a fan of Paul's and as a musician myself.  Then there was the wonderful keyboard player "Wix" Wickens (also playing guitar, accordion, and kazoo at certain points), who has played with Paul since the 1989 album Flowers In The Dirt tour.

I expected the songs to be almost exact carbon copies of the original recordings, but although some were, some most definitely weren't.

I'm so glad they had video screens!

I've written below the full setlist because, quite frankly, this would be more like a biography than a blog!  I enjoyed the whole thing, so I could probably go into detail on every song!

The second song, Save Us, is a favourite of mine from his most recent album New, which came out in October 2013.  A great rocker in a long line of songs that include Get Back, Back In The USSR, etc.

As they were about to start the fifth song, Paul said that it was a song that hadn't been performed live until this leg of his Out There tour.  Then they went into Temporary Secretary, a song from his 1980 McCartney II album.  I love the song, as I did when the album came out when I heard it on my dad's stereo.

From that he did Let Me Roll It from the Band On The Run, which they ended by playing the Jimi Hendrix song Foxy Lady - instrumentally so that Paul could solo over it.  I sort of wish they had tried singing it in fact, even if one of the others sang it.

"Temporary Secretary" - Brian Ray on
acoustic guitar.

After Foxy Lady, Paul changed guitars from his recent Gibson Les Paul purchase to his 1964 purchased Epiphone Casino (right handed, played upside down).  When he did this he said, "if you want to know why we keep changing instruments, it's because we own them and want to show them off!"  This made a large proportion of the audience laugh, myself included.

He then said, "seriously, this is the guitar that was originally played on the next song."  He then went into Paperback Writer, which had some great video footage behind the stage.

I didn't take many photographs because firstly the lighting rendered it impossible, and secondly I was enjoying it so much and didn't want to miss a thing!

After that he played "a song I wrote for Nancy (his present wife)," which was the song My Valentine from the Kisses On The Bottom album (that album title still makes me giggle a little).

"Paperback Writer" - Macca
playing the Epiphone Casino.

Then he said "here's a song for the Wings fans", which was the song Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five from the Band On The Run album.

Maybe I'm Amazed is a song that I think should have been a single.  One of Paul's best ballads in my opinion, and a swine to perform I might add!  The performance was incredible!

I loved the song I've Just Seen A Face from Help!

Hope For The Future, a song that Paul wrote for the computer game Destiny, was incredibly epic and actually surprised me - I sort of knew the song, but this made me think of how well it sits among his great work!

After doing the beautiful And I Love Her, the rest of the band left the stage, and Paul mentioned the civil rights movement in the US during the sixties, and how he wanted to write a song that highlighted the movement, which he did (in a way) in the song he played, Blackbird.

Live And Let Die - WOW!

"How many of you tried to learn that?"  Many of us put our hands up.  I put mine up, but basically I saw some tab once, looked at it , and then put it down saying "nope".  I had only been playing for a short while, so perhaps now I might be able to play it...

Anyway, Paul said that we had played it wrong.

Whilst playing Blackbird, that front part of stage he was on lifted into the air for what was essentially a "Paul on his own" section.

That was completed by the song Paul wrote "as a conversation I wish I had with John."  The song Here Today was originally from the 1982 Tug Of War album, and the performance at Birmingham was beautiful.  I actually thought that his voice now put so much emotion into the piece.  There was a note that was most definitely dropped in tone from the original version, and that plus the aged voice added a wonderful poignancy and a painful beauty to the piece that the forty-something man back in 1982 didn't have.

Brian Ray on bass and Paul on acoustic guitar

The stage then went back to normal...

"Here's one for the kids..."  I almost feel embarrassed by this, but the song All Together Now from the Yellow Submarine album was wonderful.  The video footage behind the stage was wonderful, with animated characters bobbing up and down counting and basically emphasizing the lyrics.  Great video that made me smile so much!!!

I was irritated that I needed the toilet during Eleanor Rigby, but I got back before the song finished!  Yes, I did wash my hands thank you very much!  Great version of the Beatles song too with Paul singing and playing guitar, flanked by Abe and Rusty singing the harmonies.

I really liked Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite, one of John's great songs!  Great work by Wix here on keyboards and kazoo.

This was followed by Paul performing what is apparently a regular song in his set over the last few years, the Beatles song that George wrote, Something.  He started the song on ukulele, which made it's way to the full band piece.  It was incredibly emotional, especially with the video screen montage of George photographs and video footage, with some wonderful pictures of George and Paul together over the years.

Live And Let Die was incredible!!!  An amazingly big sound from a five-piece band.  The video footage, lighting, flames, and fireworks literally left me open mouthed in awe!!! 

After the singalong fun of Hey Jude, the band came back on for the first encore that was made up of the three wonderful songs Another Girl (from Help), Hi Hi Hi (Wings single), and I Saw Her Standing There.  Great!!

Band waving flags, with drummer Abe Laboriel
carrying a pirate flag! Hahaha

They then came back on for a second encore where Paul joked "we have to finish soon."

The last five songs were wonderful, Yesterday, Helter Skelter (wow), and then the Abbey Road medley of Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, and The End.

Wonderful!!!  Paul was up there for approximately two hours and forty-five minutes, during which he went through 40 songs (41 if you include Foxy Lady).  Amazing!

I found my phone battery only had about ten percent left on it, so I texted Pete to let him know the concert had finished.

I tried to get together with some people who had gone from a Paul McCartney group on Facebook group, but we didn't meet up unfortunately.

As an aside, while I think about it, there were two things I'd thought about prior to the event...

The first was that because it was Birmingham and fellow Wings member Denny Laine was from there originally, it would have been great to see him go up on stage as a surprise guest, but I actually don't think that will ever happen, unfortunately.

The second was that I'd posted up a few times messages to Paul that I could join him onstage to play, and in fact I'm surprised he didn't get the security to turn me away for all of the messages on Twitter and Instagram!

Neither of those happened, but they didn't need to.

The idea of any ex-Wings members guesting is just my thing of liking to see people still getting on and all of that.

Much as there have been differences in bands I've been in, we are still friends for the most part...

Anyway. I talked with a couple of homeless people outside, who I gave some money to as well as what crisps I had left and some bottled water.  

I got a lift back from Pete and Lynsey, with Lynsey going to bed when we got back.

Me and Pete kept chatting for a whole, and I ate my second pack of sandwiches from earlier, I was hungry!  Other than a few crisps and a Mars bar at the event (plus a snickers bar at Pete's), it was the first thing I'd eaten since the motorway services at about 1pm - almost eleven hours previously!

When I got to bed I rang Louise.  We were missing each other so much!  My throat was shot from singing along.

I woke up at seven in the morning.  I don't go away very much, so I think the strangeness of sleeping somewhere else perhaps unsettled me?  Perhaps!

I heard Pete getting up at about a quarter past eight.  I got myself a bowl of shredded wheat and I think a mug of coffee (I'm not sure now, it might have been tea).

We chatted more, I saw Pete's well kitted out recording/writing area (actually, I think I saw that the day before) - a smaller area than I expected, but a lot of great stuff has been created in there!

I left at about a quarter to one to go home.  Google Maps were telling me to go a certain way, so I followed it...

It eventually rebooted about twenty minutes later, with me already thinking I was going the wrong way.

Sure enough I was!  Thanks Google!

I turned around and eventually drove past the street Pete & Lynsey live at.  I thought of popping in saying "I missed you," but thought that was silly, plus I wanted to get home to my sweetheart.

I carried on, eventually (after an age) getting onto the M6, then getting onto the M1, where I stopped at services again.  I bought some sandwiches, a chocolate, and a large Costa coffee, listening to more of my Paul McCartney related cassettes.

On the way there I got through Red Rose Speedway, Venus & Mars, and some of Wings Greatest Hits.  On the way back I listened to the rest of Greatest Hits, then Tug Of War, Denny Laine's album Japanese Tears, and Paul's album Flaming Pie.

I got back home to Newark at about half past three I think.

I came in with bits, hiding the picture on the jute bag.  "Hold on, who's bag is this I'm carrying my stuff in?"  I turned the bag around to show the image on it, and Louise had such a fantastic smile.  I love that smile.

I was back home! 

Thank you for reading.  Please take care.

June 1st 2015 (44 years, 6 months, and 6 days old).

Full setlist -

Eight Days A Week

Save Us

Can't Buy Me Love

Listen to what the man said

Temporary Secretary

Let me roll it

Foxy Lady

Paperback Writer

My Valentine

1985

The Long & Winding Road

Maybe I'm Amazed

I've just seen a face

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 USSR

Let It Be

Live & Let Die

Hey Jude

ENCORE

Another Girl

Hi hi hi

I saw her standing there

Encore 2

Yesterday

Helter Skelter

Golden Slumbers

Carry That Weight

The End

Thanks to the following for a lot of the photographs herein; 

http://www.brumlive.com/paul-mccartney-birmingham-barclaycard-arena-27th-may-2015/

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/review-paul-mccartney-barclaycard-arena-9343458