Paul McCartney rules…
Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by annie in Notebook, Uncategorized
Best… Concert… Ever.
So I’m recovering from last night’s Paul McCartney concert. I’m still in shock. We waited over 45 minutes just to get in the front door of the arena. Definitely gave me a healthy respect for those of you who go to our shows and slug it out. Just as I squeezed through the entrance, the sky opened up and drenched the crowd still shoving it’s way in.
Then the tornado sirens started going off. Not good.
Totally worth it though.
This was Paul’s first time playing Nashville and the guys in the Sugarband pooled their resources and called in favors to get me a ticket. 10th row. That’s right. Kenny Chesney was in the 4th row. How he got better seats than me I’ll never know. Emmy Lou Harris was sitting next to us. I hope I didn’t scare her.
Cause I was rockin’…
Any time they played a Beatles song I went completely berserk. Jumping up and down, flailing around. The waterworks started during Paul’s tribute to John, “Here Today.”
“And if I say, I really loved you
and was glad you came along
then you were here today
for you were in my song.”
Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! (Sound of me crying)
Then the George tribute. Paul rocked the ukulele on “Something.” Unbelievable. Pictures of George flashed in the background. It didn’t help that he looks EXACTLY like my little brother Austin. It was too much to bear.
What the hell? (Austin’s on the right in case you couldn’t tell them apart.)
Baaaaaaahhhaahhhaaa waaaaahhhaaaahh! (Uncontrollable sobbing)
I didn’t take a single picture. I was too overwhelmed. But my friend Kenny Corbett took over 300 pictures. Most of the ones of me look like this…
At one point, a woman in the audience held up a sign that read “Paul, I have your Hofner bass tattooed on my back. Will you sign it?”
Paul said, “What the heck, get her up here.” This poor woman was shaking and sobbing in front of 20,000 people. She turned around and sure enough, right below her neck was an 6 inch miniature of Paul’s bass. She asked if he would sign underneath so she can tattoo over his signature. This poor creature was a complete wreck. It was truly an amazing moment. I was half screaming, half crying, along with everybody else. Good God.
Check it:
Um, amazing.
When they kicked off the final encore, I disintegrated. When they went into The End medley, I was toast. I jumped up and down for the entire guitar solo, which lasted about 4 minutes. I could barely walk when it was over.
And it ended like this:
All I could say was “Thank you.” I just kept screaming “Thank you!” Throughout the evening, I realized how much the Beatles have defined my entire life. Every chapter of my childhood is marked by whatever Beatles record I was absorbed in at the time. I remember jumping on my mom’s bed, age 7, singing along with the movie Hard Day’s Night and having the realization that I was singing harmony for the first time. Age 11, I was (still) playing Barbies and wearing out Magical Mystery Tour. At 13 I took a disastrous ski trip with Camp Ozark and sat in the back of the bus listening to Abbey Road, shivering and crying. (This ski trip would make a great blog actually.) I was a camp counselor at age 14 and would sit on the swing set listening to the White Album on cassette during my breaks. At 15 I weened myself off of falling asleep to the television by coming full circle and falling asleep to Hard Day’s Night on my CD player.
The Beatles are, in my opinion, the greatest band in the history of Rock and Roll. And I’m so grateful that I got close to greatness last night. Thank you Kenny and Sugarband for this amazing gift. I know that some of you out there consider Sugarland to be the soundtrack of your life and I’d like to state that I’m honored to be a part of their show. I hope to do my best every night to take people to a place of wonder and leave them with a heart filled with gratitude for the gift of music.
Thank you Paul! You’ve changed my life!
17 Responses to “Paul McCartney rules…”
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Gena Miller
28. Jul, 2010
Annie, you deserved to be there… Music has been your life and your family’s life forever and what better way to celebrate than to be in the audience of a legend performing. You are so right, we all get “hooked” on a band and love them with all of our heart. At 55, I have done so with Sugarland and I don’t even know how or why? You guys just touched me musically back in 2003 and I have been on the band wagon ever since… Thanks for sharing your experience about the concert and again, you deserved to be there!
Beth Smith
08. Aug, 2010
Hey Annie,
I know EXACTLY how you feel. I too was at the Sir Paul concert in Nashville. Not in quite as great a seat as you, but good enough! Since I’m in my early 60’s, the Beatles were really a big part of my teen music experience. I missed seeing Elvis in person but I was not about to miss Sir Paul. It was truly a concert for a lifetime. I also got to take in YOUR wonderful concert last Thursday night in Alpharetta. I have the priviledge of working at the same school with Carla Temple, Jennifer’s mom, and she had hooked us up with Meet/Greet tickets which we MISSED due to the wretched traffic situation at the Verizon venue. So dissapointed! It was still a wonderful night of great music. In fact, I want to be you in my next life! Don’t want to be so “front and center” like Jen but do love that harmony! I hope you are having as much fun doing those shows as it appears you are. We all love, love, love what Sugarland produces. Thank you for sharing your wonderful talents with all us fans!
Robert Moura
24. Dec, 2010
Hi, Annie!
It´s so great! Beautiful words, I watched his shows this year in Brazil and I totally understand what you mean. Magic!
Tal
24. Jan, 2011
Hi Annie. I was in Paul’s concert in Israel,and it was his first concert here too. I went the day after to the hotel when he was leaving and took a picture of him and he was close to me. I could almost touch him! It was about two years ago. On May or June I will go to London and Liverpool to see the Beatles places!
Bye from Israel.
Tal.
Ian
12. Feb, 2011
Completely agree with you. I saw Macca play one of his small Christmas shows at the end of last year; pretty much the same set & show that he was touring and you saw but in the 1500 capacity Hammersmith Apollo in London (not sure if you’ve visited there on your travels).
Totally amazing and intimate show. I was jumping around and singing like a loon, loved every second. Most surprising they ran the full stadium pyrotechnics for live and let die in the small venue… the smoke took about five mintues to clear and repeatedly set off the fire alarms!
Amusingly he talked about a gig in the states where someone wanted an autograph to get tattoo’d, so kind of strange that I randomly stumbled on you mentioning you were at that show!
The man is still rocking and amazing.
PS – you guys were also awesome on the Graham Norton show in the UK last night… can’t get your song out of my head, too catchy! Hope you enjoyed your stay in our little country.
Ricky Z
28. Oct, 2011
Annie…you ARE the BOMB!!! I too am a musician, a drummer of over 40 years. I was at a Best Buy store today and I heard this song playing on a stereo system. It caught my ear…a totally cool, driving, walking bass line! I was in heaven. If I wasn’t a drummer, I’d be a bassist. Period. And I’m a sucker for a walking bass! ( probably the result of playing too many years of swing band).
I knew it was a country music song, with a female fronting the band, rocking a unique voice. Hmmm…who are they? She singing something about Mississippi…and up to no good?? Obviously, I researched it out and presto!! Sugarland with Annie on the bass! I’m hooked!
I too saw Paul McCartney in concert! It was at UC Berkley College in northern California several years ago. Linda was still with him (and us). I love the Beatles, and ELO too!
Well, I’m just rambling on here…maybe someday I’ll make a Sugarland concert! Keep rockin’ and walkin’ that Fender bass!!
Roberta
26. Dec, 2011
That’s a smart answer to a dfifuiclt question.