Paul McCartney
Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
05.02.2022
On Monday evening Sir Paul McCartney graced the Seattle Climate Pledge Arena stage with nearly 3 hours of some of the greatest music ever written. āCanāt Buy Me Loveā kicked the night off with an iconic and energetic start.Ā
Between every few songs McCartney would pause to share an amusing comment with the crowd. He read a sign in the audience that said ā125ā (how many times they had seen Paul McCartney live). ā125 times, thatās great and we love it. Butā¦itās a little obsessiveā, remarked McCartney with a sarcastic wit as the crowd laughed. He hasnāt changed since his early days – still an innocent kid at heart who likes to goof around with people.
Known primarily for singing and bass guitar, McCartney jumped on the piano a number of times. The first time to play āMy Valentineā, which he dedicated to his wife who was in the audience that night.
Drummer Abraham Laboriel Jr., positioned just behind McCartney on stage stole the show a few times with his comedic antics. When he did not have a drumming part he danced in the background doing various moves including the Macarena, sprinkler, and Vogue face framing moves.
With hundreds of songs in his discography of music to play,Ā McCartney alternated between The Beatles, Wings, The Quarrymen, and his own solo music. āWe really know when you like a song because it lights up like a beautiful galaxy of stars with all your phonesā, McCartney commented between songs. Followed by, āAnd when we play a new song itās like a silent black hole.ā The crowd erupted into laugher again. āBut that ok, cause we are going to do it anyways – Hereās a new song we have not played on tour yet. Watch out for the Black hole!ā Wink.Ā
McCartney honored his Beatles Bandmates throughout the night. He remixed āSomethingā into a soft and sentimental ukulele tribute to George Harrison. before preforming āHere Todayā he shared that he wrote the song after losing John Lennon. He encouraged the audience to tell people how much you really love them before they are gone.
The set list toggled between nostalgic favorites and exciting fresh new material. The energy and enthusiasm among the crowd was electric. The buzz made iconic songs like āGet Backā and āLive and Let Dieā an even more exhilarating rush – almost as if one was truly experiencing the music it for the first time. Intense crescendos during āLive and Let Dieā erupted into pyrotechnic flames at the edge of the stage – blasting the floor seats with heat (and astonishment!). Clusters of fireworks also exploded above the stage. It is hard to imagine some of these songs were first performed decades ago on small stages with the bandās own sound equipment. The evolution of McCartneyās career is a testament to his ability to add a fresh twist to the classics while continuously creating brand new captivating music (looking at you, āWomen and Wivesā).Ā
When McCartney left the stage after playing for 2 hour and 15 minutes it felt like it would be the end of a remarkable show. However, a few minutes later McCartney returned to the stage while waving a large Ukrainian Flag followed by his band mates with the British flag, American Flag, and the Washington State Flag. They continued to rock out for another half an hour of back to songs from The Beatles catalog of songs including āIāve Got A Feelingā, āHelter Skelterā, and āThe Endā to complete the night.
After nearly 3 hours of incredible music preformed by one of the most talented musicians in history, it is safe to say that Seattle is elated that Paul McCartney āGot Backā.Ā
Review by Allie Leaf
Photos by Logan Westom
Paul McCartney
