8/11/09
I guess this is the perfect subject to kick off the blog I’ve been planning to start almost since The Drive went on the air in February of 2008.
Whether you were ever a fan of The Beatles, Paul McCartney or any of the other Fab Four….or your taste is more in line with some of the other great artists you can hear on The Drive like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Skynyrd or The Stones, seeing your favorite artist perform a flawless concert full of great music that brings back wonderful memories is something we all should enjoy at least once. For me, that flawless concert came this past week at Fenway Park in Boston. At just a few minutes before 8pm on August 6th on what was as close to a perfect summer evening as we’ve had this year the rumble of nearly 40,000 fans discussing the night ahead turned into a roar as Paul McCartney casually walked onto the stage unannounced (but then again, why would you need to?).
The night of magic had begun.
Like many of you I imagine, I wasn’t even a teenager when The Beatles first appeared on American television. But from that moment; on a winter night in 1964 I was totally hooked on the music that would be with me from that day in February to this day 45 years later. And because of that the music that I fell in love with has been a part of my life & a part of my family life for all that time. I started dating my wife Fran during the Summer of Love in 1967 and although she was a rabid Monkees fan at the time, a couple of songs from Sgt. Pepper changed all that for her. When we were married seven years later, all of the songs played at our wedding ceremony were ones written by Lennon & McCartney. When we started a family, our kids knew the words to Beatles songs almost as quickly as they learned “Old MacDonald” or “This Old Man”. And so…..
back to the night of magic.
I never had a chance to see The Beatles as a group but saw McCartney for the first time during the “Wings Over America” tour in 1976. Fran & I drove from Connecticut to the old Boston Garden to see that show. I remember it as being just incredible. But looking back it seems that Paul has improved with age. I remember seeing him again in Worcester, then Foxboro, then again at the “new” Boston Garden just four years ago. But none of those shows, as slick & professional as they were, held the magic of a night in August in 2009… because on that night not only was McCartney, at 67, perhaps the best he’s ever been but for the first time I was watching this amazing writer & performer with both of my kids by my side. I can’t explain to you the feeling that I had when, with arms around each others shoulders, we sang along to “Hey Jude” “Let It Be” & (during a tribute to John Lennon) “Give Peace A Chance”……and though they are both in their 20’s now….just like when they were little, they knew every word. Still holding on to both of my kids & singing along to the music I leaned forward just a bit to look past my daughter so I could catch Fran’s eyes & we both smiled. No words. She knew it was a night of magic too.
I guess this is the perfect subject to kick off the blog I’ve been planning to start almost since The Drive went on the air in February of 2008.
Whether you were ever a fan of The Beatles, Paul McCartney or any of the other Fab Four….or your taste is more in line with some of the other great artists you can hear on The Drive like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Skynyrd or The Stones, seeing your favorite artist perform a flawless concert full of great music that brings back wonderful memories is something we all should enjoy at least once. For me, that flawless concert came this past week at Fenway Park in Boston. At just a few minutes before 8pm on August 6th on what was as close to a perfect summer evening as we’ve had this year the rumble of nearly 40,000 fans discussing the night ahead turned into a roar as Paul McCartney casually walked onto the stage unannounced (but then again, why would you need to?).
The night of magic had begun.
Like many of you I imagine, I wasn’t even a teenager when The Beatles first appeared on American television. But from that moment; on a winter night in 1964 I was totally hooked on the music that would be with me from that day in February to this day 45 years later. And because of that the music that I fell in love with has been a part of my life & a part of my family life for all that time. I started dating my wife Fran during the Summer of Love in 1967 and although she was a rabid Monkees fan at the time, a couple of songs from Sgt. Pepper changed all that for her. When we were married seven years later, all of the songs played at our wedding ceremony were ones written by Lennon & McCartney. When we started a family, our kids knew the words to Beatles songs almost as quickly as they learned “Old MacDonald” or “This Old Man”. And so…..
back to the night of magic.
I never had a chance to see The Beatles as a group but saw McCartney for the first time during the “Wings Over America” tour in 1976. Fran & I drove from Connecticut to the old Boston Garden to see that show. I remember it as being just incredible. But looking back it seems that Paul has improved with age. I remember seeing him again in Worcester, then Foxboro, then again at the “new” Boston Garden just four years ago. But none of those shows, as slick & professional as they were, held the magic of a night in August in 2009… because on that night not only was McCartney, at 67, perhaps the best he’s ever been but for the first time I was watching this amazing writer & performer with both of my kids by my side. I can’t explain to you the feeling that I had when, with arms around each others shoulders, we sang along to “Hey Jude” “Let It Be” & (during a tribute to John Lennon) “Give Peace A Chance”……and though they are both in their 20’s now….just like when they were little, they knew every word. Still holding on to both of my kids & singing along to the music I leaned forward just a bit to look past my daughter so I could catch Fran’s eyes & we both smiled. No words. She knew it was a night of magic too.
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