Paul Is Alive: 10 Quick Thoughts Upon Seeing Paul McCartney With My Dad
1. My first musical memory is riding around in my dad’s car listening to cassette tapes. In a reflection of the times and my parents’ effort to keep things kid-friendly, most of them were contemporary Christian pop albums like this or this or even this. But there was also Abbey Road. I remember “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” in particular because children always gravitate toward the goofiest music, and because I found it shocking that such a cheery little ditty was actually the story of a blunt-object serial killer. My dad and I have watched our tastes diverge and intersect many times in the ensuing years, but the Beatles and Paul McCartney in particular were always our common ground. (Ours and billions of other people’s, but still.) So it was special to see McCartney together Sunday night in Cincinnati, especially from the kind of incredible seats you imagine when you begin dreaming of yourself as a professional music critic. My dad’s smile when we rolled up to floor seats about 10 rows back was thrill enough for the night.
2. You will not be surprised to learn that a Paul McCartney concert was great, but let me emphasize the greatness: Before this night, I cannot remember attending a performance that lasted three hours without ever getting boring — and that includes a previous McCartney concert with my family in 2005. From just after 8PM to just before 11, Macca and his longtime band did not let up save for the briefest of pre-encore departures. The vast majority of their work was enthralling, and the rest was still pretty sweet.
By: Chris Deville
Source: Stereogum
