This was exciting and a very unplanned adventure when it came down to it because the legendary former Beatles bass player Paul McCartney was doing a three night stint at the new Citi Field.  Pretty cool right, well, I totally agreed about that but since I was not going I did my best to avoid all news about it and figured that the whole shebang would make an eventual DVD release and that would be when I sat and enjoyed it.  Of course an old friend would surprise me with an extra ticket and how could one refuse this kind of show so off we went.  I was not on the “official business” stuff this evening but knowing me, there was no way that a show report would not come out of this.  You can learn more about the whole show by scrolling past the logo below.  There are also some shots of Citi Field and some comments about the place later in the narrative.

Artist: Paul McCartney
Venue: Citi Field (Queens, NY)
Opener: The Script
Date: 7/21/2009
Label: Hear Music

It wasn’t too long ago that I found myself “off duty” from the conventional shows that are covered on PiercingMetal.com and we had used that particular night off to enjoy a free concert being held by former Talking Heads front man David Byrne. The show took place in Brooklyn, over at the Prospect Park band shell and if you have some interest in learning our thoughts about that experience then you can do so by clicking HERE. That was truly a great night and one that was loaded with not only awesome music but wonderful people to enjoy it with and that made the whole experience a perfect concert at the end of the day. Tonight’s adventure would not be free by any stretch of the imagination but be something that I could not pass up as a reasonably sane fan of modern music. With that in mind when a longtime buddy called me up and invited me to join in on the fun I gladly tagged along. The legendary musician was doing a three night stint at Citi Field which is the home to the New York Mets baseball franchise, and while I lean more towards the Yankees, there was no way that I was going to pass up the chance to see how this place worked for a concert.

I was not aware of this in advance but apparently Sir Paul would begin his Big Apple adventures by making an appearance on the David Letterman show and most people are aware at how this program is filmed at the same location that housed the Ed Sullivan Theatre. Those music historians among us will also recall that it was on Ed’s show that The Beatles made their very first appearance to the US Fans something like forty years. He would not perform inside but instead on top of the marquee and stop traffic for many, many blocks. This is one time that being stuck in traffic was worthwhile. I’m sure this was filmed for use on a DVD of some kind or at least a special that follows the musician’s tour. From here he would adventure into the shows at the baseball stadium and essentially be the first act to ever perform here. We got to the parking lot of the place a little earlier than expected and my friend and his co-workers wanted to do a little pre-gaming before heading inside and I am always game to do that and absorb some of the community that is hitting a show. After a couple of cold ones, the misty rain began which had been teasing us about making an appearance all day and was finally here but who cared, it was time to Rock. As we walked into Citi Field I had to admit that it was a very beautiful space and admired the work that was put into it. Clearly the Mets fans would be enjoying their teams work when they came for games. That is of course if the team was having a good season.