Tonight, MaccaFest 2005 began with the McCartney show at the United Center. (S and I are also going to the show in Milwaukee, coming up on Sunday.) Here are some thoughts:
- Pretty sure you could call the tour "Nostalgia Tour '05" or "Charming America One City at a Time." Damn, that man is a charming bastard. You just can't hate him for being a ham. You can't.
- "Helter Skelter" was a mis-step. No one wants to see Paul making noise. I think that the song was really just a wall of noise intended to beat the crowd into submission. It worked. All the momentum built in the audience in that one moment just died.
- There is nothing fucking cooler than seeing "Band on the Run." There just isn't. I turned to my friend Tim during the show and said "I'm pretty sure he could just play "Band on the Run" for two hours, and I would love it." I think it's impossible for me to get sick of it. And live, it just rules. The audience adores it, and the concert kicks into high gear when the band plays it.
- I dare anyone to tell me that the moment, at the end of "Hey Jude" when the whole audience is singing, "Na na na na na na naaaaa, na na na, hey jude" is not touching and perfect. It's such a big, good moment. It's like your heart just overflows.
- Also, same feelings during "Let It Be". Just not the singing along.
- The pyrotechnics during "Live and Let Die" were amazing. In fact, the whole stage set-up fucking rocked. I guess when you have millions to spend on lighting and stage, that's what you get. I can't imagine a better show, to the eye. Hearing it was good, but seeing it only made it better.
- It was weird being in the Upper Deck. Good seats, definitely. No complaint there. But the crowd isn't standing and dancing; I think everyone's a little afraid of falling. It would have been nice to dance more, but I can't complain. The seats rocked, in terms of where they were.
- "Eleanor Rigby" was a highlight for me, as well as "I Will". I like the harmonies the other band members provided during ER (as opposed to a few other songs, where the harmonies just don't do the songs justice). And Paul's solo version of "I Will" was lovely. "I Will" is one of those songs that you don't hear much about, but it's always been one of my quiet favorites. I'm pretty sure that no one can beat Sir Paul when it comes to a love song, and "I Will" is a great one.
And one personal thing. I couldn't stop thinking of my cousin's baby, Jude, during "Hey Jude". It's obvious, yes, but I think the baby was named for the song. Somehow, it put things into a different kind of perspective for me. I can't really explain it, except to say that as much as I don't like babies (and kids), it's somehow nice to know that the baby exists. And if people are going to procreate, well, I'm happy that my cousin and his partner are the ones doing it. He's a really great guy, and the baby is adorable. And loved. So loved. It changes the song, it really does.
(MaccaFest 2005 was/is brought to you by the letters J and R, and the number one. Thanks, Poodge.)
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