I Saw Him Standing There

I have always been a Beatles fan. Ever since I can remember, their music and personalities have filled my life with joy.... Now, I am a second generation fan. I wasn't alive to see them on that famous night in February 1964 on the Ed Sullivan Show. But, I have read enough about them to know what an impact that appearance made. The country was still reeling from JFK's assassination a few months earlier. The months preceding had been filled with grim mourning. America, and the world, needed to hear something joyful and beautiful. America needed a tonic. Little would anyone have thought that it would be four young men from Liverpool, England... You know about them and their impact, I don't need to tell you the story. We all have our Beatle moments. So, since I never saw them live as a group, the mission for me was to see them solo. A madman stopped John before he began touring again-- before his death in 1980, John was sketching out a worldwide tour--- and, George lost his battle with life's bitter enemy, cancer. That left Ringo and Paul. Ringo I did see at the late, and still sorely missed venue called Poplar Creek. This was in 1992. Ringo was smart. He knows he isn't the musical force the others were. So, he filled his band with All Star musicians like Joe Walsh, Todd Rundgren, Dr John. It was a most enjoyable show... That left Paul to see. My time came to see him in October 2005. I took my sister Lisa to see him with me, being a huge Beatle fan herself [ and, like a lot of girls, her first crush was Paul]. Paul charged me an arm and a leg to see him-- close to 400 bucks for two tickets. I didn't flinch, though. We were seeing history and we were going to be in the same room as Paul Fuckin McCartney!!!!.. He played the United Center. I saw him the second night of a two night stand. A woman I work with, Debbie, had seen the first show. When I saw her at work, I said '' Don't tell me anything about the show, I just wanna know that I am going to be blown away.'' Debbie smiled and said, ''You will never forget it.''.. Lisa and I got to the UC early. We were like teenagers. Our seats were upper deck, but, looking straight at the stage. Soon, the lights went down and a short film started. It was Paul narrating his life over pictures. He talked about his childhood, musical awakenings, meeting the other three Beatles, Linda, etc. The biggest hand came when the John and George pictures were shown. Then the film faded to black and  we all heard the music begin... The curtain parted as Paul kicked into ''Magical Mystery Tour''. There was a collective gasp of joy from the audience. THERE HE IS!!!! From the first few notes he played he had us. His voice was strong. The band was killer. And, for the next couple of hours, Paul took us into a special world... Music is like that. Something awakens in your brain and body that is so pure and rewarding. We all feel it. Now , when you have a body of work like he does, it takes you even higher into nirvana.... The set list included all the favorites: Beatles and Wings tunes. What was most extraordinary was the audience reaction to them. I been to many concerts and seen all different responses, but, this was different. People smiled. People cried. People danced. People remembered. People created new memories. There was an emotion that was universal. We knew every song and sang with every lyric. Mostly, though, the feeling was of gratitude for this man-- and, his three friends-- for being in our lives all these years. Many people are famous, this man is History. I told Lisa that we will never be in the same room again with someone so historical.... Another strength that Paul has that many other musicians don't have is his charm. He was truly funny and engaging. He sometimes told us stories about the songs. The most poignant ones were the songs for three people who meant so much to him and are gone: Linda, John, and George. He played a song for each of them, and, through those songs he must have been  telling them he loved and missed them... In terms of which songs went over the best, my vote would be ''Band On The Run'' and ''Hey, Jude''. Once again, Paul conducted us into singing along with him. These two songs, maybe, because they are so easy to sing to, nearly brought the ceiling down. We were like a rock choir voicing our joy... We called him back for a few encores. Of course, that is standard in any concert, but, we needed to see him for just a little bit longer. In a gentle way, he belongs to us. Or, as his old pal John sang, ''I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together''. He played. We listened... and, then he was gone.... This weekend he is playing Wrigley Field. For a couple of days I tried to get tickets. I could have paid a lot again to see him, but, I didn't. My good friend Jeanine is going to see him with her son Brandon--- in a sweet example of love for his mother, she is his ''date''. I told her they will have a great time. And, they will. Paul will create memories for them like he did for Lisa and me. Paul was given that rare gift of making music. He has shared that gift with all of us that will last forever.... Thank you , Paul.