Paul Fort Lauderdale reviews (5/21/02)

From Gigi Dixon:

I grew up on The Beatles and I have been a huge fan of theirs since I was 5 years old which was way back in 1964. I am 42 years old now. I am a big fan of Wings also. My mother was from England and I remember going to England as a child and driving my Nana nuts because I always used to play The Beatles music all day long. The Beatles and Elvis were and always will be my favorite entertainers of all times. Sadly, I never got the chance to see The Beatles, Wings or Elvis in concert. So you can imagine how thrilled I was on May 17th when I took my son Dougie for his 17th birthday which was on May 18th to attended Paul's concert at the National Car Rental Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Dougie is a big fan of The Beatles and Paul also, so it was a real thrill for him to see Paul to, but of course not as much a thrill as it was for me, because after 38 years, I was finally going to see one of The Beatles live in concert. Yeah!
I want to say that Paul's performance in no way disappointed me that night which I knew it wouldn't. In my opinion, the long 38 year wait to see him live was well worth it to me. I think Paul not only looked great but he also sounded fantastic. Listening to him sing all of the wonderful Beatles and Wings songs along with all of his recent hits was so wonderful. Hearing all of these great songs brought back some wonderful memories for me of my childhood. I also thoroughly enjoyed his opening act where all of the people came out dressed in different costumes. This was very unusual and unique to see and totally unexpected. But then on the other hand, it is something I could picture one of The Beatles having at their concerts, because, after all, The Beatles surely were unique and one of a kind. They had a style that nobody could touch. In my opinion, there will never be any musical group or singer as great as The Bealtes and Elvis. They were all very unique in their own way and The Beatles all had their own styles that they brought to the band that made the band even more unique. The Beatles were unique not only as a band but also as solo artists. They were the pioneers of Rock And Roll Music.
The stage show that Paul had was the best I have ever seen and the Statue Of Liberty banner from 9-11 with all of the signatures on it that dropped down from the ceiling when he sang his song Freedom was very touching. But I especially loved the old film clips which made the show extra special. The psychedelic film clips that were showing on the screens were so cool and they really brought me back to the Sargaent Pepper era which in my opinion, was one of their best times but the best was seeing the old film clips of The Beatles and Wings along with the film clip that showed Linda and also the old film clips from A Hard Days Night and Magical Mystery Tour. They all really brought back some great memories and they left me with both a happy feeling yet a sad feeling because it only made me wish even more that John and George and Ringo were standing on that stage with Paul along with Linda also. Yes, the Beatles and Wings were both great bands but I also think that Paul's new band is great to. I think they did a pretty good job on all of the songs and at times while listening to the old songs, you could pretty much picture The Beatles or the members of Wings and Linda being up on stage with Paul singing and playing along. I think that Paul blends well with his new band just like he did with The Beatles and Wings. The song I really rocked out to was The End. The band really rocked out on this one and the drummer did a great job on Ringo's drum solo also.
The tribute that Paul did in memory of John was very touching. You could just feel his sincereness when he talked and you could tell that he wished he could have told John that he loved him before he died, you could just feel his pain. I had never heard the song he sang in tribute to John before and I thought it was just beautiful. The tribute he did for George was also touching and funny. Especially when he talked about George giving out ukeles to everyone. And the tribute he did for Linda was just beautiful and very touching. You could tell that he still loves Linda very much and misses her alot because you could see him getting choked up while he sang the song My Love. But then how could he not still love her and miss her as long as they were married. I think they had the greatest love story in history being married all of those years and only being apart once the entire time. Just beautiful! I am sure that John, George and Linda all would have loved these tributes very much. I am also glad to see that Paul's fiance Heather came out to support his show and I wish them very many happy years together just like he had with Linda. I am sure that Linda would be very happy to know that he found someone to love and take care of him like she did.
Hearing Paul also sing the song It's Getting Better live and knowing that he had never sang this song live before was really a treat to. The special effects during the song Live And Let Die were so cool also. They really went with the song well and even seeing the old film clips from the James Bond movie was great to. And lets not forget Paul joking around with the audience. I just loved the stories about the massages he got in Louisiana and Japan LOL. Paul's joking around and his charm is what makes his performances even more special. It just wouldn't be Paul if he wasn't showing that tremendous charm of his and joking around which he loves to do and does so well.
All in all, I think the show was absolutely out of this world! It was the best concert I have ever been to, both for the entertainer, the performance, the music and the stage show. I am now happy to be able to say that I at least got to see one of The Beatles in concert before I die, which thrills me to say the least. I would definitely go back to see Paul in concert again if he was to come here again. He was well worth seeing.
So in closing, I just want to say, Thank You for giving me this opportunity to review this wonderful concert and Thank you to Sir Paul for a very wonderful and memorable night that will live on in my heart, my soul and my mind forever!
Take Care!
Gigi Dixon
Pembroke Pines, Florida

From Wabbitgohop:

This was the first time seeing him and it was visualy stunning and musically great and yet the 60 year old seemed a bit sad, but who could blame him, over the past few years it's been a hull. Still, he shined like the star he his and nobody but Elvis could have toped the warm and powerful delivery between him and the fans.