Paul Portland 10/18/02 and Tacoma 10/19/02

Is 10% a big number? Well, probably not but, in future years, when I look back on 2002, I'll remember that I was fortunate enough to see 10% of Paul McCartney's US concerts that year. Considering the pricey seats, and the fact that I don't make alot of money (under 40k, for you nosey folks), AND the fact that he didn't perform withing 400 miles of my home (Boise), I think I did as good as I possibly could. I was there for the opening nights in Oakland & San Jose, there for a mid-tour gig in Denver, and there for my final weekend blast in Portland & Tacoma.

After an absolutely gorgeous drive through the fall colors in Eastern Oregon, I was floored by the final 90 or so miles as I headed into Portland--the drive paralleling the Columbia River (I-84) has to be one of the most beautiful stretches of highway in the US. I found my hotel, a mere 4 blocks from Portland's Rose Garden, and headed over in hopes of hearing the soundcheck or chatting with some fans or something. The complex surrounding the venue was huge, especially to someone who'd never been there before. I quickly surmised that I had NO IDEA where Paul's vehicle would come in from, so I gave up on that quickly.

I had managed to purchase a single 18th row Floor seat off ebay with less than 48 hours till showtime for $110 (incl. fedex delivery to my hotel) for a $250 seat; this was my best seat of the tour--all the others were the $125 seats. I didn't see very many "obvious fans" hanging around, so I decided to go watch the scalpers in action. It was a complete sellout, with no seats available at the box office, but it was definitely a "buyer's market" outside the gig. It was really obvious that the high price of tix was going to make it impossible for the scalpers to turn much of a profit. They talked, with great frustration, about how there weren't any seats at the box office, but hardly anyone was looking for seats. A full two hours before showtime, I watched a guy ask how much 5th row seats were going for, and the scalper (a pro) said he'd take "face value" for them (!!). The fan wanted a better deal. Everyday folks with extra "nosebleed" seats were selling them for considerably below face value, and the scalpers would only pay $10 to take them off their hands! It was a fascinating thing to watch--very educational--and it might influence how I buy next time Paul comes around (insert crossed fingers here).

Paul must've arrived fairly late for the gig, because doors were significantly late in opening--it was probably close to 7:15, rather than the 6pm stated on the tix, or the 6:30 announcement that was playing at the venue. Just about every radio station in town had a booth there, and at least one was giving away multiple copies of "Wingspan" or those "gift cards" for the upcoming double live disc. The trivia questions were pathetically easy. I walked up to a group of 20-25 who were trying to win, and apparently you needed to get 3 correct answers to win something. A few people had already got two correct, but I managed to get 3 of the next 4 and walk away with a "Back in the US" gift card (samples: "What sort of diet does Paul follow?," "Who is Paul currently (sic) engaged to?," "What was the name of Paul's first wife?"). I missed "what year was Paul inducted into the HOF as a Beatle" but nailed "What song was a huge hit for Paul in the US, but not in other countries?"

Standing in line on the way in, it was amusing to talk to the folks around me in line. The couple behind me had driven quite a ways, but were pretty clueless about Paul.

"So I hear he has a new album out--is it called 'House of Blues?'" Uh, no, that's the promoter of the show. His latest is called "Driving Rain" "Well, he's kind of a blues singer, wouldn't you say?" Uhhh....

Inside the venue, more nice people and more confused memories about Paul. The folks on my left talked about his 1990 Kingdome show but said he didn't play many Beatle songs. "Yes he did," I politely corrected them. "No, he focused more on his solo work." When I told 'em I could start rattling off a setlist if they gave me a couple of minutes, they decided to believe me (the next night I had similar conversations with folks who'd seen him in '76, "but he didn't play any Beatle songs." Yeah, he did, I said, and eventually they agreed, but they were convinced he did "hey jude" back then!!). Meanwhile, the guy on my right asked about how I'd wound up with a single seat, since he was there solo, as well. It turned out we'd both got ours off of ebay, and actually bid on the same auctions. Hearing this, a guy 3 rows in front of us turned around, cause he'd bid on "our" auctions too--it was pretty funny. Back to the nice couple on my left. They had been talking with an Asian woman outside. It turned out her son was in the "Preshow" and she'd been given two comp front row seats. She only needed one, and had turned in the other to the box office (DAMN!).

The horses galloped, the crowd cheered, and most looked on in utter confusion for the next 15-20 minutes of the preshow. The woman with the ship on her head had a dress that lighted up--I didn't recall that from the Spring and, oddly, it didn't light up in Tacoma the next night. The video screen switched from the Hindu-esque "elephant" image to a live shot of the contortionist in the box when she was brought on. I guess too many people (myself included) hadn't really noticed her in the spring. The see-thru box certainly helped on that front. I thought the Preshow was virtually identical to what I'd seen in Oakland, fwiw...

I'm sure all the ladies on the list have accurately described the "butt shots" and "trouser descriptions" so, if you don't mind, I'll skip that bit. He looked like he'd put on several pounds since Oakland, but was in fine voice, aside from his Portland take on "Loving Flame" which he had trouble with--interestingly, he sang the song quite differently the following night.

The Portland crowd was totally into the show, at least on the floor. Alcohol was only allowed in the beer garden area, so there were no sloshing drunks moving past throughout the show. In fact, very few people left their seats, even during the new songs (I was watching for it). The venue was also completely packed. When the lights were bright, I looked up into the farthest corners of the stadium, and it looked like every single seat was filled. As someone else mentioned, the floor seemed to either sit or stand in unison. I don't think we took our seats for the first time until "loving flame" and we were on our feat for most of the acoustic set, too.

A few "song-specific" observations. In the Spring shows, I was particularly impressed with how much better the live arrangement of Driving Rain was vs. the studio version. The intro was better, IMO, and the ending was just sublime with how they harmonized "dri-ving rain" on the final note. I notice now, though, that Paul's extending the final syllable so its' the "dri-ving ray-ay-ayn" in a more shouted, rather than a quieter tone. It sounded better before. Consult your bootlegs, if necessary. We got the "Marie Callendars" story in Tacoma, but not Portland. Both "Lonely Road" & "Loving Flame" had the videos play. One thing I'm positive about was that the video for "Lonely Road" that played in the Spring was "bimbo-free" just showing empty desert highway shots. This one had bimbos aplenty with cleavage that I would've remembered seeing last time! I thought the revised video was a poor choice, though I'm generally quite favorably disposed towards that sort of thing 8-) --it seemed like Paul was trying too hard to do a video that would seem "current."

"Loving Flame" had an interesting turn of phrase that I'm 98% sure I noted. Maybe Heather was in a bad mood or something, because I'm sure Paul switched pronouns and sang "*I* could be the one to chase *your* blues away" at one point in the song. I meant to watch for this in Tacoma the following night but missed it, if it happened again. Again, I thought this video was silly (on Leno last spring), and it would've been better omitted. "Work it Out" was much better than in the spring, however. Instead of singing "there's no ti-yi-yi-yi-yime" as he did earlier in the year, this missed the "y" sounds and wound up "ti-i-i-i-ime" both nights. A much smoother performance, and no goofs, either!

"Here Today" was perfect both nights (you could practically hear a pin drop), though Paul didn't seem as emotionally invested as earlier in the tour. Those first couple nights, I thought he might break down, but it didn't seem to be even a remote possibility this weekend. His story about the New Orleans masseuse found him adopting a very strong N'awlins accent ("Ah'd lahk ya to barn a hole in mah eyez with yar eyez") both nights, which I also hadn't heard. "Michelle" was a big hit with my friend the following night in Tacoma, and he doesn't like the song that much!! But the scenery of the Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, and various street scenes worked well. I still missed "Mother Nature's Son" though. For some reason I was expecting Michelle earlier in the acoustic set, and for a moment or two I was afraid he'd skipped it! I didn't realize it was the last acoustic one before "Band On the Run." During "Maybe I'm Amazed," I enjoyed watching the video screens. Simple golden circles intertwined as Paul belted out a great version. Does anybody think those could be symbolic of wedding bands?

The nice couple next to me were on their feet for "Let Em In," of all things. It was nice to hear, but would be one of the first I'd cut from the set, if given a choice. I guess everyone has their favorite Paul tune. "She's Leaving Home" was suberb. Paul strummed an occasional bass note, but mainly used his left hand to mimic "turning the backdoor key" and so forth. Wix commented that it's one of the most complex string arrangements in a pop song, and he's thrilled to be doing it. (The next night, Wix' intro was great. He said that "you start out making music, and if you're lucky, you get a recording contract. If you're really lucky, you get a hit. Then you have to decide where to put the hit. Do you put it at the start of the show, to get people excited? Or do you save it to the end? Well, we have the same problem on this tour (laughter). Do we put it before this hit? Or between those three hits?" It was very funny!).

Anyway, it's probably the most complex vocal harmony Paul has attempted with any of his bands, and it was perfect. It looked like he & Abe tackle the highest notes, and it was very entertaining watching Abe. He drops down about 10 inches and opens his mouth wider than would seem possible for the highest "home" notes. Though I agree with those who think he overplays somewhat, it's great watching his drumming attack, when you can tear your eyes off of Paul. "Live and Let Die" was suitably beefed up for this tour. The "firepots" at the end heated me up 18 rows back. I can only imagine how hot they are up front. And to whomever mentioned it, I don't think Paul was "upset" either night--he's just a better actor than we all thought!

Unlike most times I've seen Paul, I really thought he was INTO "Hey Jude" in Portland. Perhaps the fact that the crowd was on their feet so much got him pumped, or perhaps I just was in a good frame of mind. But he seemed to pour more energy into this performance than usual. Again, it was probably my imagination, but it seemed like the guitar solos on "the end" were longer than in the spring. Since both nights were my first nights on the floor, I enjoyed being directly under the confetti shower.

What else can I say? Merchandising booths were few and far between and absolutely packed with people. Ticket prices could probably be half what they are, because I'm sure Paul would make up the difference with more booths, *IF* they were appropriately staffed. Portland ran out of most of the extra large shirts (any design) and programs (though one last box was brought out about 50 minutes after showtime).

There were also large numbers of people that simply gave up waiting when they saw how slowly the lines were moving. There are an astounding number of shirts for this leg, though alot were a little TOO red, white & blue for my particular tastes (I heard a few Canadians commenting on this in Tacoma, as well). I'll detail the differences in programs later today, if no one else has done so... A few other thoughts about Tacoma. Paul did an interview with KZOK (the "classic rock" station) on the way to the venue. It was much longer than I expected (about 20 minutes) and covered a lot of topics, though nothing too new. Paul talked about writing Lonely Road in India ("somewhere old"), but said not all of his songs were based on personal experience. He talked about working with John, and the only time they really had trouble finishing a song ("golden rings" took a long time to become "drive my car" apparently). He also was quizzed about what song he'd played most in his career (he started to say "yesterday" then rightly figured that he didn't do it for most of his Beatles gigs, so he gave up and told the radio station to figure it out (my guess is "Saw Her Standing There")). He talked about vegetarianism and Heather did a little pitch for her stuff, too.

My friend and I had, at this point, driven past the Tacoma Dome. We were on a fairly deserted road waiting to find out the location of this station's "pre-show party"--where they were giving away 2nd row seats--when I saw, coming from the other direction, 3-5 motorcycle cops with lights flashing and three limos trailing. I frantically rolled down my windown and waved my Driving Rain LP cover in their direction as they passed. It's as close as I got to a Paul encounter!

The mindblowing thing to me about Tacoma was how many empty seats there were!!! It's probably among the oldest venues he's played this year and has a somewhat unusual seating configuration. Unlike most venues that have had seats all the way around, it's broken down more into quadrants, with no seating in some spots. So, unlike other shows where folks were seated parallel and slightly behind the stage, this wouldn't have had those types of seats. A seating chart is here: http://www.tacomadome.org/Seating/ARENA_new.jpg

The chart makes it look like the far upper area, opposite the stage, is WAYYY far from the lower area, when in fact it's setup like a normal venue. I've been to other shows there in years past and seen those seats in use. However, for Paul's show, sections 1B, 2B, & 3B were completely empty, and the seats were covered. Additionally, sections 5B and 19B were mostly empty and a good portion of the rear of the floor didn't even have seats set up. I think the final row on the floor was row 48 or 50, and there was easily room for another 20-25 rows behind that. There were no obstructions to prevent these from being sold, so I assume it was just the high price of tix that kept people away. Considering all the Canadians that came down for the show (multiple Maple Leaf flags were being waved up front), I can't believe how light the attendance was.

Preview articles:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/91667_paul18.shtml

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=mccartney18&date=20021018&query=mccartney

http://www.oregonlive.com/music/oregonian/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/entertainment/1034855742231700.xml (very good, this one)

http://www.oregonlive.com/music/oregonian/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/entertainment/1034855806231702.xml

http://www.tribnet.com/entertainment/story/1908220p-2022171c.html

Review articles:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/92081_mccartney20ww.shtml (look for the link to photos, too!)

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=mccartney20&date=20021020&query=mccartney

http://www.tribnet.com/entertainment/story/1994290p-2096012c.html