Paul McCartney Rocks Great American Ballpark

Written by Jimmy Cummings

Photos by Chubby Howard and Jimmy Cummings

Christmas came early for me this year when my son Matt and his wife Tracy bought me a ticket to see the one and only Sir Paul McCartney at Great American Ballpark. They purchased the ticket back on Father’s Day so I had almost two months of anticipation when the time FINALLY came for the big day. Accompanying me on this great day was Matt, Tracy, and my 7 year old Grandson Owen. Owen might be the biggest Beatles fan of us all; in fact I would put Owen up against almost anyone when it comes to Beatles trivia.

The truth is, I wasn’t always a big fan of the Beatles growing up, I was more into Rush, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. However, I was a Paul McCartney fan; go figure. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the Beatles; I just got burnt out hearing songs like Hard Day’s Night and I Want to Hold Your Hand over and over on the radio. Matt actually got me listening to the Beatles when he was growing up. Music was always one of those things that we shared as father and son, although our musical taste did not always jive. I would always try to get him into Rush and he would try to get me more into the Beatles. I never succeeded, but Matt on the other hand helped me remember just how important John, Paul, George, and Ringo were to the landscape of Rock and Roll. So I have to thank Matt for taking the time to make all those tapes for me and help me gain a new perspective on the guys from Liverpool. Thanks Matt!

The Show

The night before the show I felt like a kid waiting to go on a big adventure; all I could think about was going and seeing Paul McCartney. I also couldn’t help thinking about how cool it was that there were going to be three generations of Cummings’ at the show; that’s pretty special in my book. We arrived at Great American Ballpark and were welcomed with giant banners of Paul and it seemed like everyone there was just as excited as I was to see the former Beatle. Outside the ballpark you could hear people talking about the last time they saw Paul or what the first song was going to be; there were even people dressed up in Sgt. Pepper’s costumes. The lines were long at the merchandise booth as everyone picked out their favorite memento, (thanks for the shirt guys) but eventually people began making their way inside the ballpark. Once in the stadium the first thing you notice is the giant stage out in center field; when I say giant, I mean it was FREAKIN HUGE! The seats started filling fast and the DJ did a good job keeping the crowd entertained and before we knew it, it was show time.

When Paul came out on stage the entire ballpark erupted. There were grown men screaming like little school girls when the band started the set off with the hit “Hello Goodbye.” Okay, I admit it, I was one of those guys, but who could blame me; it was Paul “Freaking” McCartney! Even if you were in the upper deck, Paul came alive on the two 118 foot tall video screens on either end of the stage. As always Paul assembled a fantastic band; Rusty Anderson (Guitar, Backing Vocals), Brain Ray (Bass, Guitar, Backing Vocals), Paul Wickens (Keyboards, Guitar, Percussion, Backing Vocals), and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals) were a perfect match. Paul played plenty of Wings tunes including one of my favorites “Jet” from arguably the best Wings album Band on the Run. In fact, the band played almost half album with songs “Let Me Roll It,” “1985,” “Mrs. Vanderbilt,” and “Band on the Run.” Paul also performed one of the first songs he wrote after the breakup of the Beatles, “Maybe I’m Amazed.”

Beatles fans didn’t get left out either; the band played several Beatles tunes including “Paperback Writer” and “Long and Winding Road” back-to-back; what a great moment! There were plenty of great moments to come too; one in particular was when Paul was describing what it was like when he performed in the former Soviet Union and then proceeded to tear the roof off the stage with “Back in the USSR” from my favorites Beatles album, the legendary White Album. One of the best parts of the show was toward the end of the set when the band played “Let It Be,” “Live and Let Die,” and “Hey Jude” in succession. Owen was beginning to get a little nervous when we were nearing the end of the show and Paul had not played “Live and Let Die” but the look on his face was worth the wait when the stage exploded into flames and the fireworks went off behind the stage. And let me tell you, there is nothing like looking down and seeing your son and grandson, (along with 42,000 other people) singing “Hey Jude.” I get cold chills just thing about it.

When Paul left the stage we knew it wouldn’t be for long; the audience welcomed the band back to the stage and Paul wasted no time thanking the crowd and getting back to business with the Beatles hits “Lady Madonna,: “Day Tripper,” and “Get Back.” The light show and the videos on the big screen added to what was already an amazing concert. By this time you would think that the 69 year old performer would be ready to call it a night, but the crowd had other plans, encouraging the band to come out for a second encore. Paul was up to the challenge; he looked like he could play another three hours when he came back to the stage to play “Yesterday” and my favorite Beatles songs “Helter Skelter.” The night had to end sometime and Paul sent the crowd home with the song “Golden Slumbers” from the Beatles Abby Road album. When the band came to the front of the stage for their final bow, the stage exploded with tons of confetti blowing onto the crowd. It was a fitting end to the best show I have ever seen.

We were on cloud nine walking back to the car and talking about our favorite parts of the show, we had so much fun. I want to thank Matt and Tracy for this incredible night; I am so grateful that Owen was able to be a part of this night, he is an amazing boy and this was one of the best times of my life. The whole experience is one I will never forget. And thanks to Paul for a career that spans over 50 years and still going strong!