Nurse Nikki's Neon Nightcrawl

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY - T MOBILE AREA FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2019

I was so excited to get the opportunity to see Sir Paul in concert at T-Mobile arena. I have been to see the Knights games and U2 there, but this was my first time actually sitting in a great seat for a concert. It is a fairly smooth process to get into the arena, from line to my seat took 20 minutes for a sold-out show. I did get there early (in line at 6:50pm). Parking however is not easy, nor is uber. Always give yourself plenty of time if you are going to the arena, they close off every entrance and exit to ride share and taxis.

 But enough about that, let’s talk about this show! Being the youngest person in my row was a definite high point for me. I sat next to a great older couple from Vegas who helped me with songs I didn’t recognize (yes, there were a couple!). I was introduced to The Beatles and Wings through my Aunt. My parents were just a tad too old for the Beatlemania, they were more into 50’s doo wop, but my aunt was the right age. When I was young, I would stay at her house and she would play all her Beatles and Wings records, and she loved music as did my folks, so I got a great education in music appreciation early on. I love the Beatles and I love Wings. I was psyched to see how this show would be, and Sir Paul did not disappoint.

 There was no opening band, but a DJ who spun mish mash of other people singing Beatles tunes. Sort of in a “clubby” sort of way. My seatmates weren’t impressed. But the show started relatively on time at 8:15pm. The stage was wonderfully lit, and the beginning showcase had running banners along each side showing photos in a cool arrangement like you were scaling a house- starting with Paul as a baby all the way through current times.

Paul is backed by an amazing band- Brian Ray (lead guitar, bass when Paul is playing guitar, backing vocals), Rusty Anderson (rhythm and lead guitar, high back vocals), Abe Laboriel Jr (drums and backing vocals). and Wix Wickens (keyboards). Of note, Paul has been playing with this arrangement longer than he ever played with The Beatles, and it shows. They are an amazing backing band, having fun and hitting the cues. Joined by a great horn section (trumpet, sax and trombone) who had spots out in the audience at times, this was the cream of the crop of backing players. No one hogs the spotlight, not even Paul to be honest. He talks between songs, just to add a joke or two, to engage the audience, or to tell a little side story about a song or a time. During this 2hr and 40-minute set he played his famed bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, ukulele, and (be still my heart) a mandolin.

 The light show and sound were superb. Choreographed to each song, the lights brought dimension to the constant videos playing behind the band and Paul. I was truly in awe of the videos that were playing as the songs went on. Clips of never seen photos and video outtakes ran during songs, matching that period. I own the multi-disc Beatles anthology and I have never seen these videos and photos. It was cool. Paul interacted with the audience on several occasions, he joked and talked, picked out certain people with funny signs. Maybe it’s an act, but he genuinely seemed like a humble guy. For all his legacy, you would expect a certain amount of arrogance, which some performers with far less legacy exhibit, but Paul did not exhibit anything other than the appearance of a man with more than 5 decades of musicianship under his belt who enjoys what he does. He did a very good job hitting his notes for the most part, especially for a man who just turned 77 on June 18th.

For the encore performance of Helter Skelter he brought out Steven Tyler of Aerosmith to duet, and that was a definite highlight. All in all, the night was incredibly fabulous and all I hoped it would be. The opportunity to see a legend, and a Beatle was a highlight. A definite cross off on my band bucket list !! I apologize for the fuzzy photos, I couldn’t afford the $500 tickets !

The set list. To be honest, I was not able to keep up with writing down all the songs, as I was really just enjoying myself too much to worry. But here is what I can remember. In no particular order:

A Hard Day's Night, Can't Buy Me Love, Letting Go, Who Cares, Come On to Me, Let Me Roll It, I've Got a Feeling, Let "em In, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five, Maybe I'm Amazed, From Me To You, My Valentine, Love Me Do, Blackbird, Lady Madonna, Eleanor Rigby, Something, Ob-La-Di Ob-La Da, Band on the Run, Back in the USSR, Let It Be, Live and Let Die, Hey Jude
Encore: Yesterday, I Saw Her Standing There, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band, Helter Skelter, The End