The Great McCartney!

By: Jacqueline Hannah KaplanAnthropology 102Dr. Leanna Wolfe

September 29, 2014

The first song Paul McCartney performed was “Obla-Di-Obla-Da”. During his song, the camera would show random members in the audience dressed specifically like The Beatles did in their music video. I thought this was rather interesting because it shows the dedication of certain people to him and The Beatles. It looks like most of our society worships them.

This song Paul performed on the piano was called “My Valentine” and it was dedicated to his wife who was in the midst of the madness in the crowd. He said a very touching speech to her and made me think that in our culture and society, we make it very well known when we have a significant other whom we cherish ever so much.

This was by far my favorite song that was executed by mister McCartney last night. While he was playing “Another Day” he had a video being presented on the large screen in the middle of a woman who looked like she was suffering from chronic depression. I was really taken aback by that, but simultaneously understood what she was feeling. Most of our society struggles from even slight depression, so I felt like it was appropriate to be shown to such a vast audience.

This performance was one that stood out to me the most. When Paul played “Yesterday”, not only did everyone stand up, but we all had our phones out with the flashlight on. Some people even lit up their lighters. As you can tell from the photo, many people had their phones out in the front section. I know our culture is very fond of participating that way, which makes us united.

This was one of the most interactive performances Paul had last night. He sang “Hey Jude” and insisted that the audience would sing along with him. The song lasted about ten minutes, with the crowd dancing and yelling “Na-na-na-na-na-na-na na-na-na-naHEY JUDE!” I really enjoyed the fact that we all participated because it made the show more intimate and this is how our cultures’ needs are satisfied.

“Helter Skelter” was one hell of a song to listen to last night.

The crowd went absolutely wild when they heard it. More than

half of the people stood up and danced with their partners, one

arm in the air with the “rock on” hand sign, the other hand with

a cup of beer spilling ever so slightly. It was a sight to see. I’m

guessing it was because the song has a rock feel to it. This just

proves our culture really enjoys good old fashion rock n roll.

One of Paul’s famous songs is “Let It Be”. Right when he told the audience that his next song would be this, they all cheered and as I was listening to him sing, I noticed that practically everyone in the

crowd knew the lyrics. This made me think that our culture and society is closer than I had imagined, even if we all our different ages and from

different backgrounds. The music speaks to us all.

One of Paul's performances was with a ukulele that was given to him by George Harrison. He sang “Something” the way George had first played for Paul. Once he was half way done with the acoustic version of the song, he began to play on his guitar that he’s had since he was eighteen. The audience really enjoyed the performance and especially because he spoke of George as if he was there with Paul last night. I think this just proves that Paul is a genuine man, and that our culture believes that once our loved ones pass, they don’t necessarily leave us.

Paul McCartney wrote a song for his dear friend John Lennon after his passing, called “Here Today”. When he executed that song last night, it was the most moving and riveting performance I have ever experienced. The audience went completely silent and as I was looking around, I noticed tears rolling down many faces, including my own. Once the song was over, the entire crowd stood up from their seats and cheered for nearly five minutes. This just comes to show that music can touch anyone’s heart and words are a powerful thing- which our culture can relate to.

The last and final song that Paul performed was “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” which I found to be the perfect song, considering the fact that it worked out so precise. He ended up finishing the concert half an hour more than what was planned, because every time he would leave the stage, the audience would yell and clap for what felt like forever, rooting and cheering for an encore. I think he did a total of three encores last night. We all knew this would be the finale because of the fireworks. This is also my favorite photo I captured, because it’s empowering. How he is looking at the sky, as the song is playing and fireworks are going off. It was quite beautiful. As I was observing the crowd, I noticed that everyone had a mesmerized look on their face, and I get it. I’m sure my face looked exactly the same, if not more thoroughly enthralled. Last night proved to me just how much our culture adores Paul McCartney and the melodies he has shared with us throughout the years.