Paul McCartney performing at FedEx Field (Photo by William Smith.)
From William Smith:
Steve,
Some quick thoughts for you now; I'll try to put more down in the morning.
Paul mentioned how D.C. was the first stop on the Beatles first tour of America. He appeared on stage in a black sui, the jacket with a Beatlesque Nehru collar, and wearing black boots. His one announced "wardrobe change" for the evening came when he removed his suit jacket after "Flaming Pie."
The setlist was the identical to N.Y, with one exception. After "Calico Skies," Paul noted that someone here in a certain house in Washington might want to sing this, and he played "Michelle." At the end of the song, he said, "That's for you, Mr. President."I thought overall his voice was strong, and he delivered well on "I'm Down," which I thought would really test him with the high notes. There were a few scripted bits of banter between songs, such as the familiar story about George and the ukelele on "Something." After "Foxy Lady" he noted how Jimi Hendrix heard the "Sgt Pepper" album on a Friday and was performing it in concert two days later. He kept his emotions in check after dedicating "Here Today" to John. At the end of that song, he quipped he needed to change the suicidal mood , and pulled out the mandolin for "Dance Tonight." "Back in the USSR" and the pyrotechnics show during "Live and Let Die" are concert staples of his that are guaranteed to bring the house down.
There was a bit of confusion pre-show. The ushers told us that everyone in the first six rows on the floor when given the signal , could run up to the fence in the front row, separating the stage from the crowd. We were told this was Paul's way of thanking the people who got their tickets early, being real fans. Well, a couple hundred of us gladly took advantage of the opportunity, but it was short lived. One lady in the front row got furious and told off an usher. He politely said, "Ma'am if you'll give me ten seconds to explain," but she cut him off telling him to (expletive deleted - himself). He waived away a police officer who was ready to respond, not wanting for things to escalate. A minute later, her husband went away to complain, and the excited group that had formed were told they had to return to their seats. We didn't let it ruin our evening, it would've been the icing on a very delicious cake, anyway.
My seats were far stage left, so although small point and shoot cameras were permitted (who know?) I have attached a shot from my iphone of the giant screen to the left of stage, taken during "Let it Be."
Cheers
William Smith
Lutherville, MD
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