Sir Paul

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Geo: 33.5924, -101.856

It's been around twenty years since we have been to Lubbock so it is time for a return visit and attending the Paul McCartney Out There concert is the perfect excuse.

But before we got to Lubbock today, we stopped to visit and have lunch with some of our favorite people. Kay, Ron and Deborah took the time to have lunch with us at Leal's Restaurant in Muleshoe. We got to catch up on the latest news from that arm of the family and we got to see Kay and Ron's beautiful home. We should get together more often.

We made it to the hotel in Lubbock by 4:30, and, rather than trying to fit in time to go out for dinner, we enjoyed the free meal at the hotel. The pulled pork was much better than I expected.

Since we had Will Call tickets to pick up, we left for the short 15-minute drive to the United Spirit Arena by 6:30 thinking that would be early enough for the 8:00 start. And we did have plenty of time to park, get the tickets, wait in line to buy t-shirts, take the shirts back to the car, and still have to wait in line to get in. While we were waiting, one of the employees with a bullhorn came out with an announcement from Paul. He apologized for being late, but was held up with air traffic problems making him late arriving to Lubbock. He was doing the sound check and would let people in as soon as he finished. As it turned out, the concert started about an hour late. People were patient while waiting; I didn't see anyone too upset. Fortunately, it was a beautiful evening to stand outside as the sun set in West Texas.

When I bought the tickets, I only had the option of Will Call. They would not mail tickets farther than 250 miles from the venue. It was easy to pick them up once we found the right ticket window. The line was short and the clerk found our tickets based on the email from them that I had printed.

The concert was fabulous! There was no warm-up band. Paul and his four-member band played the entire three hours. They included Beatles songs, Wings songs, and newer stuff, too. I have included here below the blurb about the concert from the ticketing agency.

The concert was originally scheduled for a Saturday night in June which would have been very easy for us to get to. Unfortunately, Sir Paul became ill and cancelled several concerts. The Lubbock concert was rescheduled for a Thursday night in October, which meant that we had to take time off work to go, but we were not going to miss it. We had great seats--on the floor, seventh row from the front and right on one of the center aisles. Just a great view. Most of the people around stood for most of the concert, but every time Paul sat down at the grand piano, most of the audience sat, too. There were from two to six people, one of them a little more than slightly drunk, standing in the aisle beside Philip, which was a little annoying, but they didn't get out of hand. I am surprised that no one from Security told them to go back to their seats. That would have been nice.

I took lots of photos and a few videos. The videos are shaky. I would start off holding the camera just right, but then watch the live show rather than watching through the camera. Sometimes, I lost focus on the primary scene. But they are not too bad.

It just amazes me that that 72-year-old man can still keep performing on the level that he did. His voice broke a few times, but mostly it was fine and a few times it was absolutely beautiful and clear.

People were singing along throughout the night, but Paul invited people to sing on two songs. I had not heard of one of them before. It was based on a phrase he and his childhood friends would chant during a game. He taught the audience the chorus, and we sang along like we'd known it forever. "Queenie eye, Queenie eye who's got the ball? I haven't got it, it isn't in my pocket. O-U-T spells out." Something like that.

The night was just so much fun. I am so very glad that we decided to go.

Here is the set they played:
1. “Eight Days a Week” (Beatles).
2. “Save Us” (McCartney's “New”😉.
3. “All My Loving” (Beatles).
4. “Listen to What the Man Said” (Wings).
5. “Let Me Roll It” (Wings' song), segues into Jimi Hendrix music.
6. “Paperback Writer” (Beatles).
7. “My Valentine” (McCartney's “Kisses on the Bottom”😉.
8. “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” (Wings).
9. “The Long and Winding Road” (Beatles).
10. “Maybe I'm Amazed” (McCartney's “McCartney”😉.
11. “I've Just Seen a Face” (Beatles).
12. “It's So Easy” (Buddy Holly and the Crickets).
13. “We Can Work It Out” (Beatles).
14. “Another Day” (McCartney's “Ram” bonus track).
15. “And I Love Her” (Beatles).
16. “Blackbird” (Beatles).
17. “Here Today” (McCartney's “Tug of War”😉.
18. “New” (McCartney's “New”😉.
19. “Queenie Eye” (McCartney's “New”😉.
20. “Lady Madonna” (Beatles).
21. “All Together Now” (Beatles).
22. “Lovely Rita” (Beatles).
23. “Everybody Out There” (McCartney's “New”😉.
24. “Eleanor Rigby” (Beatles).
25. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” (Beatles).
26. “Something” (Beatles).
27. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” (Beatles).
28. “Band on the Run” (Wings).
29. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” (Beatles).
30. “Let It Be” (Beatles).
31. “Live and Let Die” (Wings).
32. “Hey Jude” (Beatles).
Encore # 1
33. “Day Tripper” (Beatles).
34. “Hi Hi Hi” (Wings).
35. “Get Back” (Beatles).
Encore # 2
36. “Yesterday” (Beatles).
37. “Helter Skelter” (Beatles).
38. “Golden Slumbers” (Beatles).
39. “Carry That Weight” (Beatles).
40. “The End” (Beatles).

This is the statement about the concert from the ticket vendor, Select-A Seat.

"PAUL McCARTNEY RE-SCHEDULED TO OCTOBER 2nd

'I'm sorry but it's going to be a few more
weeks before we get rocking in America again. I'm feeling great but
taking my docs' advice to take it easy for just a few more days. Look
forward to seeing you all soon.'-Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney has confirmed that he will, however reluctantly, heed medical advice to rest up just a bit longer to fully recuperate from the virus that forced the postponement of his recent
dates in Japan and Korea.

The Out There world tour will now resume July 5 in Albany, NY, and the June 14-26 shows in Lubbock, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Nashville and Louisville have been rescheduled to October. Tickets for the original June dates will been honored for the new dates detailed below.

The Out There tour, as always, features music from the most beloved catalog in popular music, as Paul performs songs spanning his entire career--as a solo artist, member of Wings and of course as a Beatle. The set list will also include material from Paul's most recent studio album NEW, a global hit upon its release last year.

The McCartney live experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity; in just three hours some of the greatest moments from the last 50 years of music are relived; music which for many has shaped the very soundtrack of their lives. The last decade has seen Paul and his band perform in a staggeringly impressive range of venues and locations, including outside the Coliseum in Rome, in Moscow's Red Square, Buckingham Palace, at the White House, a free show in Mexico to over 400,000 people, and even broadcast live into Space! Featuring Paul's band of the last 10+ years--Paul "Wix" Wickens (keyboards), Brian Ray (bass/guitar), Rusty Anderson (guitar) and Abe Laboriel Jr (drums)--the show never disappoints.

The tour also uses state of the art technology and production to ensure the entire audience has the best possible experience. With massive screens, lasers, fireworks, unique video content and, of course, the best songs in the world, a Paul McCartney show is so much more than just an ordinary concert. Paul's shows attract a multi generational audience from different backgrounds all brought together by his music.

October 2 - United Spirit Arena, Lubbock, TX (re-scheduled from June 14)"

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