Last night, Paul McCartney performed at Fenway Park, and I was lucky enough to be there. Needless to say, the chance to see a Beatle, live, at the greatest ballpark in the world had me very, very excited. While McCartney's solo oeuvre might not get me out of bed in the morning, Beatles tunes are a different story.
The concert did not disappoint. McCartney took the stage at 7:50 and the band broke into "Drive My Car." The first hour tended towards songs from McCartney's solo career, with a smattering of Beatles tunes thrown in. One of the most striking moments of this first half was the song "Here Today," which McCartney wrote upon the death of John Lennon. It's a pretty song, but more powerful than the music was the realization that this man onstage had once, as a young man roughly my age, sat around writing music with John Lennon. Nuts.
Paul McCartney - Here Today (YSI) (filesavr)
As the concert moved into its second half, McCartney began to string Beatles tunes together. While it was fun to hear Paul rock out on songs like "Paperback Writer" and "Back in the U.S.S.R," for me the highlights were the songs more conducive to singing along, like "Let it Be" and "Hey Jude." Every single person, regardless of age, knew every word to each of these songs, and belted out the lyrics with a surprisingly accurate sense of pitch. A chorus of 40,000 voices was lifted during the final "Na na na" section of "Hey Jude" resulting in a remarkable collective experience. Yet it was an experience felt perhaps more deeply by a previous generation, an experience that I was merely tapping into. What music will unify my generation in 40 years? Will we be shaking our replaced hips to Beyonce? What will be our "Hey Jude"?
The Beatles - Hey Jude (YSI) (filesavr)
The answer is, I think, nothing. There will never be another Beatles; John, Paul, George and Ringo just came along at the right time. A similar phenomenon would not have been possible before, and is not possible after. As such, I'm glad to have at least caught a glimpse of the phenomenon last night, and that glimpse left me euphoric. Admittedly, McCartney is getting old and hasn't written a great song in a long, long time, but if you happen to get the opportunity to see him, take it and enjoy it.
Here's one more Beatles track that you probably already have. Paul used it to close his first encore, and it's one of those tracks that always makes me want to dance.
The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There (YSI) (filesavr)
5 comments:
It's such a great question: Who will be our Beatles in 40 years? Something I ask myself all the time about the current world of music and how fast people rise and fall. There is so much music out there and so many people have so many intense opinions about what is good and what sucks...might not ever be something like the Beatles again. This show must have been amazing.
I thought it was clear that Soulja Boy was going to be the Beatles of our generation...
As for "McCartney is getting old and hasn't written a great song in a long, long time," Benjamin, I would point you toward "Jenny Wren," the second single from his 2005 Chaos and Creation In The Backyard. I think that song is wonderful - didn't you send it to me for MP3 Intensity?
So may just a "long time" since he's written a great song, not a "long, long time".
Chris, I don't know the song of which you speak. It may indeed be wonderful. You should send it to me anyhow.
I guess I'd respond that, when it comes to a former Beatle, greatness is relative, and it strikes me as unlikely that "Jenny Wren" would stand up as great in the grand scheme of McCartney. But I may be wrong about that, and furthermore, my relativistic judgment of greatness may be unfair--in which case, touché, salesman.
The fans were in droves those two nights. I am still amazed at even the younger crowds around the park who still listen to him.
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Ben, great comments. I was lucky enough to be 7 when the Beatles stormed the US in 64 so I grew up with them. Their impact on music & the culture is unprecedented and unparalleled. No one could have predicted the enduring popularity of the band and their music, though. And Paul has been instrumental in keeping them & their music alive & fresh for 45 years. I don't think that the group or Paul's impact will be replicated.
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