Washington, DC, National's Park, July 12th 2013 - ARCHIVE
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Michelley:
Sorry if I'm writing too much, but there was so much to like about this show. OK, one more bit of criticism: Paul still needs a good haircut. And I miss his cute suspenders. I think he does too. He spent a lot of time, pulling up his pants. But the long jacket and black jeans ensemble is excellent.
I noted the sometimes awkward tucking of shirt and pulling of pants. . I also noted that Paul seemed to have an especially itchy scalp...probably the humidity! It was my first Paul show. It was sooooo fun!
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yankeefan7:
Did a bunch of people leave early?
I often have to guide concert goers that Paul does not finish on Hey Jude. I understand why they form that opinion as Paul has been featured leading multicast versions of that song to close many a charitable TV event. So when they hear and join that song it's inevitable they assume it's the end of the show. They all look astonished when I call out "Don't leave yet, he's only just starting " I've "saved" a few from that basic mistake. Martin
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Michelley:
There's a bit of a controversy emerging about tonight's show. This group of DC at-risk kids called "Guitars Not Guns" is claiming that they were supposed to play before Paul's show tonight but that "McCartney's camp pulled the plug for security reasons." There are some people on Twitter calling Paul "heartless" because these are at-risk minority kids who play guitars and have been practicing for this opportunity. And Paul's camp didn't explain what they meant by "security risks." I think the obvious reason McCartney's team pulled the plug is probably because of the possible rain/thunderstorms. You can't really have kids on a stage with a bunch of electrical equipment in those conditions, can you? But it's definitely getting him some really negative buzz on Twitter and in a couple of short stories. The parents claim they had to buy their own tickets to see the show and now their kids aren't even performing. So they probably are lobbying to get their money back. It's not clear what really happened here. But there are some disappointed kids and families. Not a very good way to start things off. Someone on Paul's team dropped the ball here.
http://dcist.com/2013/07/dc_youth_orchestra_was_never_schedu.php
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calicoskych2001:
Michelley:
There's a bit of a controversy emerging about tonight's show. This group of DC at-risk kids called "Guitars Not Guns" is claiming that they were supposed to play before Paul's show tonight but that "McCartney's camp pulled the plug for security reasons." There are some people on Twitter calling Paul "heartless" because these are at-risk minority kids who play guitars and have been practicing for this opportunity. And Paul's camp didn't explain what they meant by "security risks."
http://dcist.com/2013/07/dc_youth_orchestra_was_never_schedu.php
Yep, I saw that. Amazing that this whole "controversy" was manufactured on Twitter by a guy with wrong information. But then that's Twitter. :
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Thank you for posting the Washington Post' s review link. I posted it on Facebook so that my Liverpool friends could read it.
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yankeefan7:
paulfan11:
Awesome concert! Just got home a bit ago, concert didn't end until after 11:30. Will post more tomorrow when I'm more coherent.
Did a bunch of people leave early? I was at Nationals game in May and they put on scoreboard that last Metro train was leaving at 11:20 from that station.
The last metro train last night thankfully didn't leave until almost 3AM I believe since it was a Friday night. I noticed a few people around me starting to leave after the first encore. Not many thankfully but some of these folks were in the first few rows!
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It was a fantastic show, but my only problem now is that nothing can top Bonnaroo and nothing can match that energy for me. I was on the floor, section 4 row 13 (this is what happens when you know the head promoter) and that area was filled with the signs (which were all on the ground with shoe-prints after the show.) The gates were opened late, VERY LATE but that is because soundcheck went on late. The gates, once opened, still had signs on them that read "Soundcheck In Progress." Once we got in, we knew about the floor wristbands so we got those first. That is one of the best decisions of the night because half an hour later, the line was wrapped from 1st base foul line, to the 3rd base foul line. I bought all of the shirts that weren't at Bonnaroo and some for friends. I was glad this time because I had a decent phone charge because I didn't wait in a pit line for almost 13 hours. For most of the time between gates open and showtime, there was a decent amount of rainfall (right between a drizzle and pouring rain.) Paul pretty much stepped on stage and ceased the rainfall for the rest of the evening. As the setlist goes on, people really start getting into the music, but then "Band On The Run." The crowd came out of their shell on that one and it was the biggest sing-a-long up to that point. Now, we are at a point in the show where everyone knows every word and the energy elevates. A funny piece of the show is seeing the reaction of people during Live and Let Die (and some people sitting jumped out of their seats.) The sing-a-long in Hey Jude was a bit weak compared to the other two I've seen, but it is nevertheless a religious experience. At this point, I look to my left and right and I see a huge flow-pattern of people going to the exit. Paul comes back for the first encore and people who can't get back to their seats are all crowded in the standing room only sections. The crowd continues to dwindle and by the time the confetti comes on, half of the place is empty. We walked outside only to find an overcrowded subway entrance (which I'm sure was a huge fire hazard) and a long taxi line, so we decided to walk a bit, but a bit grew and before we knew it, we walked 3 miles to our hotel. The energy after that show just did not stop.
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The concert last night was amazing! Got to the stadium and waited for a bit for Paul to arrive and met/chatted with some great folks. Didn't catch any names, so if any of you are here on the board, HI! My friend arrived while we were still waiting (Paul was late as usual ) but after a while we decided to just go get our wristbands at the tail gate party and also got our merchandise. We didn't stick around the tailgate party, we ended up going to another gate to listen to soundcheck. Soundcheck with Paul started very late, not sure if he was delayed in getting in again due to weather or was just late for other reasons. It was wonderful to hear Penny Lane live! I think we were finally let into the gates around 7:30, wasn't really paying attention to what time it was. Our seats were in the 7th row in section 4. Never been that close before and as I got up to the row, I couldn't believe how close they were, that we would be that close to the stage! I'm not sure what some folks were going on about regarding the gap between the stage and first row, to me it didn't seem that big and even in 7th row, we were still quite close! There was a little rain shower before the concert started, but thankfully that was it for the whole concert. What can I say about the concert? AMAZING! Paul had his usual great energy last night and the set list was great. Enjoyed hearing a few new songs I hadn't heard when I last saw him 2 years ago. Paul didn't read my sign out loud, but we could see him reading it, then he nodded his head after. I got some pictures during the show as well, but I haven't put them on the computer yet. There was also a bit of drama with a sort of creepy man in the row in front of us, who eventually got hauled out by 4 security guys, but I won't go into details about that now. Today is my last day in DC, and I've really enjoyed my time here!
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Here's why I'm never going to buy an eticket again: First, the rainfall and such at the pre-show tailgate wasn't horrible because I knew that I would soon be in the stadium and enjoying a chance to walk around the Nationals Stadium, and being a big baseball fanatic, I was excited as I'd never been. So I waited dutifully in line for about 30 minutes to get to the front area where I could scan the eticket I'd bought from someone on the forum, get a water, use the ladies room, then explore and take pictures. Then, things got weird. The ticket wouldn't scan. We tried it repeatedly. At two different scanners. Wouldn't work. I was directed to claw my way through the crowd behind me, walk 1/2way around the stadium, and try the Center Field Gate instead. Okay, I thought. A bit irritating, but I'll still have time to get in, take a quick look around, hand out the signs, and enjoy the pre-show DJ and slideshow with music. So, another 30-45 minutes I wait after making my way around the stadium. I get to the front of the line again, and again, like cllockwork, the ticket won't scan. They asked me, after trying several times, to claw my way through yet another crowd and get in a third line, this time at Ticket Services. By this time, it's 8 p.m. I'd driven over 8 hours in total, eaten nothing since breakfast, not handed out one of the 400 signs I'd made, and was getting nervous about getting into the stadium, period. 40 minutes and a long line later, I find myself nervously realizing that the slideshow is nearing its conclusion and I still have two more lines to get through. I run by a guy selling water, exact change in one hand, and transfer the money to him while grabbing a water bottle like a marathon runner, bob and weave my way into the restroom and out in record time, wait another 10 minutes in the line to get to the field seats, drop my things off on my seat and head to the front rows to hand out signs. This is all around 8:50 p.m. The woman in the second row who I thrust a handful of signs to looks at me and says, "No thanks" after I quickly explain the plan. At this point I felt like grabbing her by her lapels and shaking the crap out of her. "Do you KNOW what I've been through today, lady!" I almost yell at her. Instead I smile and say, "Do you think you could pass them along in case others want to?" She hesitates then finally does just that. I next move to the front row only to have security tell me that I can't pass out signs to people. "Who told you, you could do this?" I was asked by the head guard. "Well, I did," I reply, smiling. Nope. No dice. Back to my seat I go so I can collect my thoughts for 30 seconds to decompress. Then, the show starts. That was my fun yesterday. I humbly apologize for not getting signs to people OR getting to connect with ANYONE yesterday. Now I know: never buy an eticket. Ever. Again. However, I got some great photos.
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Do you know how many tours I've waited for him to do the leg kick in "Band On The Run" again? I've wanted THIS photo for so long, and last night I finally got it.
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walliebaby:
http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1001616_10151735652781181_1985357082_n.jpg Do you know how many tours I've waited for him to do the leg kick in "Band On The Run" again? I've wanted THIS photo for so long, and last night I finally got it.
Whoa, brilliant shot!
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As always, great photos, Jen. Did enough signs get out for the "drink it all in" ??