DAY 2 REVIEW: Paul McCartney does it again!
Edmonton hasn’t seen a spectacle like this since the Oilers were last in the Stanley Cup Finals. The crowd at Rexall Place for Paul McCartney’s second show on Thursday night was perhaps even more boisterous, with a wave going around the arena before the show even started, the noise approaching near deafening levels waiting for the two encores. All you can say is: Wow, what an awesome show.
While the set list wasn’t all that different between Thursday and Wednesday evenings, fans at either show, or even if they attended both, couldn’t have been disappointed. From the catchy melodic classics of the Beatles, like “Back In the USSR” and “Hey Jude,” perhaps the best sing-along song of all time, to memorable Wings tracks like “Jet” and “Band On the Run,” McCartney and his backing band cavorted, cajoled, and consorted with the highly excited crowd. For the Christmas fanatics, McCartney and his backup band were supported by a local choir while performing “Wonderful Christmastime.” It even “snowed” on the floor seats. He even performed a new track written in the last couple of years while on vacation with his new wife Nancy Shevell in Morocco, where it did nothing but rain their entire visit.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the evening was theme song to the James Bond movie “Live And Let Die,” which featured flames jetting into the air, the heat from which could be felt for the first twenty or so rows, along with blinding rockets and fireworks.
The legendary southpaw strutted across the stage, changing guitars seemingly every song, including one that was used on an original recording in the 1960’s. He played a grand piano on the back half of the stage a couple of times, and even performed on an psychedelic upright piano that was wheeled out to center stage that looked like it could’ve been pulled right out of the Magical Mystery Tour.
The crowd wasn’t there to be rowdy, but just to revel in a time that once was, a fact supported by the fewest security personnel seen for a Rexall show in a long time. Some of the fans even dressed up, including a group of four gentlemen dressed as the Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. McCartney also looked like he had a grand time playing to the audience, hamming it up just enough to the crowd’s complete satisfaction. Overall, it was an epic performance by an epic artist. Many times over. With The Beatles. With The Wings. And then a solo career.
Edmonton’s likely never going to find Sir Paul play another show here, but what was witnessed over the last two evenings should give everyone in attendance enough memories to last the rest of their lifetime.
