Good grief, those are fabulous photos. Don't know how he/she managed to get such good shots whilst standing (I'm assuming) in an enthusiastic crowd of waving arms and bouncing cellphones. Thanks for posting. oldfogey, the closest any of my three siblings got to the concert was via the long distance cell phone calls I made to them just as it began. This is the case for most people, since the number of fans far exceeds the seats that have, are, or will ever be sold in any number of venues around the world. You folks in the states enjoy the coming weekend - hope you have as good weather as we did.
Latest posts made by halifaxfan
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RE: Halifax, NS - Halifax Common - 11th July 2009 - ARCHIVE
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RE: Halifax, NS - Halifax Common - 11th July 2009 - ARCHIVE
Hello, you asked for impressions of Paul's Halifax concert: First, a confession: this comes to you from 'beyond the fringe' or at least, from beyond the gates. Because we were among the many who sat or stood on the streets outside and listened in (and sang along!) Don't worry, those of you who made the considerable investment in tickets need not fret: we couldn't see the stage, and had, at best, a glimpse of the video screens. Had we known that folding 'chairs-in-a-bag' were permitted at this concert, we might have opted for general admission tickets. (And yes I would have been quite content to sit back in a special section for the 'chair' people. I commend those GA ticketholders in the front who were both willing and able to stand for 8 to 12 hours - because alas, I'm past doing that.) As it is we thought our only option for sitting down were the VIP bleacher seats, and those were well beyond our budget. Okay, enough of the preamble, here it is: Having some ideological differences with Paul, I was initially a bit grumpy about his coming to town. But then I thought, heck, when is it more important to 'give peace a chance' than with those with whom one has differences? And so I decided to welcome Paul, the musician, and leave our differences at home for the occasion. On Friday night, we scoped out the venue to pick our spot for concert night; this meant taking a short stroll to the Common, which is very close to where we live. Surprise! We actually saw Paul as he arrived with the motorcade for the rehearsal that night - not planned, it just happened. My sister, all of 15 when she first 'discovered' the Beatles in December, 1964, laughed when I called her at her home in Toronto to relate this news. It was she, not yours truly her kid sister, who was madly in love with Paul 45 years ago. But alas, in 45 years a lot can happen, and a different set of blue eyes found her in the end and snatched her away. Her husband's gain, and Paul's loss! Saturday was a beautiful day with clear skies capped by a cloudness night with a moon. We set up shop at our selected spot around 8:30 p.m. and enjoyed the people -watching as we waited for Paul to arrive. Moms with strollers, people with dogs, folks like us sitting or standing on the grassy verges, a parade of cars and motorbikes all buzzing around, some with people looking for last-minute tickets (couldn't help them there.) About 1/4 mile away the hill we call 'Citadel Hill' was cloaked in layers of people. Later I learned that even behind the hill, in various apartment blocks, people came out on their balconies after the sun went down to listen. Wasn't hard to know when Paul arrived, because the cheers going up told the story. I read all of the comments on the set list, and respect those who truly appreciate the full range of Paul's career. But yours truly and her spouse appreciated very much the nostalgia aspect of the concert. Musicians who produce music that one not only grows up with, but lives out the majority of one's life with, don't come along every day. The set list was pretty well perfect in our opinion.... it included some new stuff (will soon be looking to buy the Fireman CD) but plenty of the Beatles stuff we love so much. And, of course, "live and let die" - accompanied by pyrotechnics for which we had a wonderful view, particularly of the higher rockets that were fired off maybe only 150 feet away from us. That part of the show certainly served to pump the crowd, I can assure you. But it was the encores that sealed the deal for what many here are callling the best concert of their lives. When the pipe band marched on stage during the second chorus of 'Mull of Kintyre', I think one could hear the screams from as far away as Citadel Hill. If he hadn't had us in the palm of his hand before, he did then. It's three days later and I'm still thinking about it. Thanks to those who earlier posted your own impressions, I enjoyed reading them. , ta for now.