Standing outside the new Shea; my first foray into the hallowed grounds of New York baseball has absolutely nothing to do with a ball game.  Instead of seeing Mets hats, jerseys and drunken fans, I find myself surrounded by people of all ages donning ‘Let it Be” and “Abbey Road” t-shirts.  Yes, tonight, like phoenixes  rising in tandem from the ashes, Pual McCartney and Shea stadium consecrate new ground with old favorites and I’m there to bear witness.  Nestling into my upper deck seats among baby boomers and, well….just babies, I realize that I’ve been in NYC for nearly two days without indulging in the finest cusine the city has to offer:  Nathans hot dogs.  So, edging my way through the clamoring crowds I eagerly shell out early $20 for what my seem to be only a hot dog, fries and a beer, or as I prefer to call it:  baseball stadium bliss.   Anyway, the stage now set and my hunger satied; I’m ready for music. 

 Opening band, The Script, hailing from Dublin has the unfortunate position of opening for a living legend.  Nobody really wants to hear them or could care less about their songs, and ;uckily for them, I don’t think anybody was paying much attention.  Personally, I was unimpressed.  With a muddled, bass-heavy sound pumping out uninteresting songs, The Script fell very short.  Even their claim to fame song, “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,” generated no more than scattered (probably pity) applause or less than general boredom.  Ending with a cliche homage to McCartney, The Script limped off stage, after which the real excitement began to build.

As showtime moved closer and closee, the sense of anticipation became palpable; with each passing moment Shea came more alive and we moved one moment closer to Sir Paul.  Finally, emerging from backstage, spotlight fixed upon him, Paul drew every eye and breath in the house; basking in the screams of thousands of fans as if it were 1965 again.  Without wasting any time, the group dove into “Drive My Car,” a Rubber Soul classic that set the stage for an amazing evening.  And, although the rest of the band and sound seemed a bit “arena-rocked” up, they stayed true enough to the originals to please everybody.  Once starting, the show never lost steam or feeling, moveing seamlessly between Beatles hits, like ”Something” and ” Blackbird.” and songs off McCartney’s latest solo album.  The highest moment for me came at the end of the set, with “Let it Be,” followed by a (literally) explosive ”Live and Let Die,” and finally “Hey Jude.”  This piano tour de force left absolutely nothing to be desired and supplied nearly everything to talk about on the ride home.  But, with seemingly no effort at all, Paul gave two amazing encores, all the while maintaining the swagger, demeanor and cool of a rocker nearly one quarter his age.  Clearly, the man has a feeling.  It seemed as if the music would never end, and I didn’t want it to, but with as many screams as he came on with, McCartney made his final curtain call after two and a half hours of brilliant music and showmanship.  I can think of no better way to christen this new field than with the man who helped breathe undying life into its predecessor nearly 45 years ago. 

A++++

Set List:

“Drive My Car”
“Jet”
“Only Mama Knows”
“Flaming Pie”
“Got To Get You Into My Life”
“Let Me Roll It”
“Highway”
“The Long and Winding Road”
“My Love”
“Blackbird”
“Here Today”
“Dance Tonight”
“Calico Skies”
“Mrs. Vanderbilt”
“Eleanor Rigby”
“Sing the Changes ”
“Band on the Run”
“Back in the U.S.S.R.”
“I’m Down”
“Something”
“I’ve Got a Feeling”
“Paperback Writer”
“A Day in the Life”/”Give Peace a Chance”
“Let It Be”
“Live and Let Die”
“Hey Jude”

Encores
“Day Tripper”
“Lady Madonna”
“I Saw Her Standing There (with Billy Joel)
“Yesterday”
“Helter Skelter”
“Get Back”
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”/”The End”