Paul McCartney Live in Concert: Regina 2013

Attending the Paul McCartney concert on August 14 in Regina, Saskatchewan was nothing short of a dream come true for me. For years I've wanted to make it to one of McCartney's shows, and when it was announced this spring that he'd be coming to Regina for the first time, I knew this was my chance to make it happen. Thankfully, my friend Wendy was just as keen to share the experience with me.

I've been an avid Beatles fan since my early teens, but with the Beatles heyday long before my time, I always viewed a Paul McCartney concert as the closest thing I could get to what one of the Fab 4's concerts would have been like. I bought tickets within minutes of them going on sale, and we ended up really close to the stage (albeit a side view - not that we minded). 

Our view of the concert was actually really good. We were right next to one of the giant screens, we were close enough to actually see Paul in some detail, and our angle allowed us to casually observe the massive crowd - something that was especially enjoyable as Mosaic Stadium became a wash of glowing cell phone screens during renditions of Let it Be and Hey Jude.



Throughout the concert I couldn't help but be reminded of my friend Dave, and how this concert was something that we would have gone to together before he passed away - much like we did when the Rolling Stones came to town. It was fitting then to go with Wendy (Dave's girlfriend) who was happy to reminisce and share her memories of Dave playing the chords to Blackbird (which we both remembered well). As Paul shared a story about the death of John Lennon before singing Here Today, I think Wendy and I both recognized what a profound moment it really was to be sitting in that stadium. 

It's an emotional experience to dream about doing something for so long and then finally having it happen. I don't think I felt this more than when McCartney started singing Hey Jude. Holding my phone to my chest to record while I belted out the lyrics along with the crowd was a truly euphoric moment for me. I kept my phone recording to try and capture the moment for later, but truth be told, I don't think I looked at the screen once during that performance. I was blissfully lost in the music by then.

It was an amazing night, an incredible concert, and I couldn't have shared it with a better person. Having now crossed this off my bucket list, I know this is a memory we'll be talking about for years to come.

I framed the poster I bought at the concert.

Beatles Christmas Ornaments

What fan doesn't want a few Beatles on their Christmas tree?  I bought my first one, the Yellow Submarine, at Beatles Love in Las Vegas in 2008.  After that I couldn't help but pick up a few more.  I've got two others from the Yellow Submarine universe, and a giant ornament of the Beatles cartoon characters.  They're like a slightly smaller version of the other Beatles I collected.  Who am I kidding?  I like Christmas ornaments because they're just like buying toys.

At Beatlemania!

Next to the albums or seeing Paul or Ringo live, Beatlemania is probably as good as it gets for fans of the Beatles music.  My sister and I went to see the show at the Esplanade on Friday, and after killing some time in the museum and art gallery we took our seats in the balcony.

For starters, I've realized that I like the balcony seating in the Esplanade theatre more than those on the floor. The rows are tiered more significantly so you don't feel as bad about standing up during a concert, and the vantage point allows you to witness what's going on across the theatre.  That's kind of a big deal, because as much as we enjoyed the music, the ambiance really made the show.

The faux-Beatles covered a series of career highlights as a way of transitioning through the impressive catalogue of hits.  Hamburg, Ed Sullivan, Shea Stadium, Returning from India, and Abbey Road Studios were just a few of the highlights incorporated into their costumes and the projections on stage.

While each guy seemed to embody their characters fairly convincingly, it was actually the music that was most impressive.  Not only did they sound similar, but they played with the same authentic instruments for each of the songs they were covering.  It was especially easy to recognize the classic guitars from the limited edition of Beatles Rockband - I have that Hofner Bass as a controller!

When it comes right down it, where else can you hear all of the highlights of the Beatles career played live on authentic instruments anymore?  George nailed his guitar solos, and by the time they got to Come Together it was clear that these guys were talented musicians in their own right.  We were singing along the entire time.

The show was also made better because of the people we ended up sitting next to.  The lady that ended up next to my sister was only too happy to share the highlights of her travels before the show started and during intermission. I wasn't really paying attention, but my sister was locked in and unable to get a word in edgewise.  It reminded me of a Curb Your Enthusiasm situation.  

The lady didn't seem to care how anyone reacted to her though, because when Beatlemania started she was one of the first people to stand up and dance enthusiastically by herself.  She took things up a notch by randomly shouting things to the band throughout the show, and I couldn't control my laughter at one point when her very reserved husband seemed like he was trying to pull her back into her seat.  My God, it was so funny.  It was worth being next to her too, because during the second half of the show we didn't want to sit down either.

The lady sitting next to me was a completely different character.  She didn't seem to have any rhythm, but really wanted to clap throughout the show (as most of us did as we sang along).  I kept trying to help her find the beat by clapping as deliberately as I could, but it was no use.  She clapped haphazardly to her own random beat for the entire show (those *clap-pause-clap-claps* can be tricky), and it was just one more thing that made me smile.

After a rousing encore of Hey Jude to close out the show, the cast gathered in the lobby to sign the merchandise on sale.  We were pretty slow making our way back downstairs, but it worked out for the best.  I bought a program and there was pretty much no line by the time we went to shake their hands and get the group to sign it.  They were really entertaining guys, and their banter was hilarious.  Who knew a cover band would be so good?  Not since Beatles Love have I been so impressed.

In short, an entertaining hangout for my sister and I.

Before Beatlemania!

My sister, Alison came for a visit this weekend.  Since seeing Jerry Seinfeld in Lethbridge last year, we had discussed the idea of seeing more shows together as an easy excuse to hangout.  We had tickets for Beatlemania! on Friday, and took the opportunity to catch up and remind ourselves why we both love Beatles Rockband so much.

Just last weekend my sister had graduated from the University of Lethbridge.  Naturally, I gave Alison a card for graduating from the 8th grade.  It was a few years overdue, but at this point my irreverent sense of humor comes as no surprise to her.

Before the show on Friday night we took the opportunity to check out the art gallery and museum at the Esplanade.  You can view it for free when you have tickets for an event, but this was the first time I had actually made a point of showing up early enough to see it.  There were several small exhibits on display, including a large collection of student art.  We actually spent most of our time looking at that.

The museum wasn't as big as I thought it would be, but it was well organized and interesting.  After all of the research I've been doing about Medicine Hat for my photo series, it was cool to see some actual memorabilia from the area.  My sister and I had fun exchanging stories about different memories we had from growing up here.  It was a good start to the evening, and soon we were in our seats ready to see just how convincing the faux-Beatles would be.  

Beatles Cartoon Action Figures

Having long been a fan of the Beatles (I mean who isn't?) I was excited to kick off this new collection when I  received the John Lennon cartoon figurine as a birthday gift from my friend Andrea in 2005.  Over the next year I slowly picked up each of the remaining Beatles, with Ringo and his drum set proving to be the most difficult one to come across in stores.  Since then I've always kept these McFarlane figurines proudly displayed.

It's not hard to find heaps of merchandise with the Beatles logo slapped on it, so I actually find it to be kind of a turn off to collect a lot of it.  These are really something special though, and the likenesses of John, Paul, George, and Ringo are really well done.  Even their instruments are accurate, like Paul's Hofner bass, which is also the instrument that came with the deluxe edition of Beatles Rockband.   

Some will have purchased these and kept them sealed in their original packaging, but I wasn't looking to make an investment.  I just think these are a cool bit of Beatles kitsch, and as they've become a bit more rare now, I thought it would be fun to shoot some photos of them to share. Each character was sold separately, but their individual bases make a stage when placed together.  How could you just have one after that?  Check out the Beatles Saturday morning cartoon that inspired these figurines here.