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| Photo by Coral Schmidt |
Tonight for Wednesday Review I am going to talk about the Paul McCartney concert I saw at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on August 13, 2016. As I have said before, since Paul McCartney can do no wrong in my eyes, it isn't fair for me to "review" a Paul concert. I am a Beatles fan. I love Paul McCartney--obviously you do too and you will most likely agree with me, that his concerts are awesome.
I was able to again see Paul arrive at the venue and saw him quickly (the fastest ever!) drive by and wave to the extremely small group of fans gathered around. Why was it such a small group? Well, a big group had gathered and then some guy texted his buddy who worked security inside the stadium and asked if McCartney had arrived yet. His friend texted back that Paul was inside. The news quickly spread and a lot of fans dispersed. However, a few of us "Fans on the Run" loyals were suspicious of that news, because we saw police setting up more barricades, and so we waited about 15 more minutes and low and behold---here he came! I got nervous and only snapped a photo of a police guard, but luckily my mom got a decent shot of the moment.
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| Photo by Coral Schmidt |
My opinion is that Paul's voice sounded much stronger than it had in April in Little Rock. "Maybe I'm Amazed" was still rough and I still think needs to be cut from his set, but other songs such as "You won't see me" were spot on and sounded great. However, the audience in Little Rock was much, much better than the audience in St. Louis. If it wasn't a Beatles song, the St. Louis crowd didn't like it---and I should point out if it wasn't a Beatles song that they knew. The guy behind me kept a running commentary for me to know what he thought of each song. He would often say things like "Finally a Beatles song!" I know "In spite of all the danger" is a Quarry Men song, but it is on a Beatles' album, so I thought it should be considered a Beatles song. And rude of all was after Paul was explaining how he had written "Here Today" as a conversation with John that he never had, people decided en mass to take a potty break during the song in tribute to John Lennon. How disrespectful. But it is their loss, because I personally had an amazing time!
People told me over and over that I would not enjoy seeing Paul at a stadium and while stadium concerts sure have their issues, I am going to let you know why I think all fans should experience Paul McCartney in a stadium setting---at least once!
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| Photo by Sara Schmidt |
5. It is an outdoor concert. There is just something fun about seeing a concert outdoors at night. The atmosphere is different. And as long as you have decent weather and a nice breeze, it can be a great experience. Paul McCartney under the stars--you can't beat that!
4. Live and Let Die If you have ever experienced a Paul McCartney concert since 1976, you will know that the song "Live and Let Die" is a sight to be seen. The pyrotechnics is amazing. Well if you see Paul at a stadium, it is ten times bigger than it is in an arena! The fireworks go off and the fire is blazing. Photos and video does not do it it justice. Really--it is something you have to be there and experience yourself!
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| Photo by Sara Schmidt |
3. The Sound. The Beatles had a terrible experience with the sound system in large stadiums in the 1960's. Thankfully times have changed and the sound system has improved greatly over the years. I thought the whole concert sounded better in the stadium than in an arena. There was a bit of an echo and I liked that as well.
2. You get to hear the soundcheck for FREE. With an outdoor venue, it is easy to hear what is going on in the stadium on the outside of the venue. I saw on the news that many people that weren't able to get tickets to the concert, stood outside and listened to it and some were standing in the right spot to even be able to see the big screens. Well---I did the same thing, but with the soundcheck. I couldn't see anything, but I heard the entire soundcheck while sitting at the 3rd base entrance. I got to hear songs like "On my way to work" and "Let 'em in" that I wouldn't have heard otherwise. Sure being at the soundcheck is awesome, but hearing it was the next best thing.
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| Photo by Sara Schmidt |
Yes, there are a LOT of reasons why arena shows are better than stadium shows. But stadium shows are worth a try--at least once!