BEATLES MAGAZINE: GOT BACK: REPORTS FROM DENVER, DES MOINES, MINNEAPOLIS & TULSA

Read the latest updates from Paul’s US publicist, Steve Martin, in his 'Penned on the Run' tour blog:

DENVER

Most every night on the GOT BACK trail is an unforgettable experience for all involved — from those of us behind the scenes to the devoted generations of fans who fill these arenas and stadiums to the rafters — we’re all fortunate enough to be on this planet at the right time to be taking this ride.

There are certain evenings, however, that are just a little extra-magical — it’s impossible to explain or replicate that lightning or how or when it strikes, but we all know it when we feel it.

And feel it we did on Saturday, October 11 when Paul McCartney returned to Denver for the first time since his 2010 stop at the Pepsi Center, this time taking over downtown Denver for a musical communion of some 50,000+ ecstatic souls at the massive Coors Field.

There was an exceptionally strong charge in the air, raising hair and goosebumps for nearly three solid hours from the opening salvo of 'Help!' through to the closing strains of 'The End'.

Highlights abounded — pretty much every number would qualify as one to the tens of thousands in attendance, singing along to every word as if their lives depended on it, and catalyzing a chemistry and intensity that Paul and the band reciprocated in spades throughout impassioned readings of certified bangers 'Got to Get You Into My Life,' 'Drive My Car', 'Getting Better' and 'Jet', esoteric deep cuts 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!' and 'Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five', and an absolutely transcendent 'Maybe I’m Amazed' that had couples of all ages swaying in the aisles.

'Let It Be' inspired an ocean of mobile phone lights in a heartfelt homage to the days of actual lighter flames

being held aloft — and speaking of objects being held high in the crowd, Denver featured an exceptional array of fan-made signs, including one in Japanese that caught Paul’s eye and resulted in a quick lesson in Japanese for the Mile High crowd. Thanks to that gentleman’s sign, 50,000+ fans went home that night having learnt from Paul what “Saiko” means in English.

Winding up the man set on the ecstatic note of a stadium-shaking full-crowd 'Hey Jude' singalong, Paul and the band retook the Coors Field stage, brandishing a customary assortment of US, Colorado, UK and Pride flags before launching into an all-Beatles encore of 'I’ve Got a Feeling', 'Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band', 'Helter Skelter','Golden Slumbers', 'Carry That Weight' and 'The End'.

As stated above, it’s impossible to define what exactly makes a show like this one so exceptional — though the DENVER POST offered a succinct take, recounting that Paul "gave it his all from start to finish… his earnest warmth added poignance to predictable nostalgia, and reminded us that not only was he a musical legend, but a vigorously living one,” while WESTWORD added "he recognises the rawest and most significant power music carries: love.”

Even those words may fail to explain it adequately, but they’re in the ballpark (pun intended).

And with that, it’s time for the story of how Paul GOT BACK to…

DES MOINES

There’s an important lesson that one learns over the course of many years of touring with Paul McCartney: Never underestimate the smaller cities. Sure, Paul’s return to Des Moines for the first time since 2017 on the One on One tour was the biggest gig in town (the rechristened Casey’s Center, formerly Wells Fargo Arena — fun trivia fact: Paul was reportedly the first artist to play the arena under each name), but relatively modest by GOT BACK standards, being sandwiched between stadium spectacles in Denver and Minneapolis.

But wow could that arena full of Des Moinesians make a noise… Casey’s Center was 100% Paul’s for nearly three hours — holding the jam-packed arena in rapt delight, receiving supercharged adoration from a crowd that the DAILY IOWAN contained a notable contingent of younger Macca fanatics: "Aside from myself, a good portion of Generation Z are also fans of The Beatles and McCartney.”

Truly testimony to Paul’s enduring, multi-generational appeal — as the 21-year-old journalist who wrote the review quoted above would have been 13 years old the last time Paul had played Des Moines.

For raucous renditions of 'Come on to Me','Let Me Roll It','Get Back' and 'Helter Skelter', Paul and the band virtually transformed the Iowa arena into a hot, sweaty rock club, albeit a rock club with approximately 15,000 patrons. And Casey’s Center would undergo a series of successive transmogrifications at Paul’s hands throughout the show: It would become a backwoods juke joint for the stripped back roots set kicked off by Quarrymen demo 'In Spite of All the Danger' and debut Beatles single 'Love Me Do', then something more akin to a house of worship for the somber and reverent reception given Paul’s solo acoustic interlude of 'Blackbird' and 'Here Today'. It also became a time capsule at several key points in the show, not least of which being the video accompanying the recently unearthed last/lost Beatles song 'Now and Then', featuring modern day Paul and Ringo interacting with their younger selves as well as playing with John and George.

Night after night, GOT BACK has enthralled each and every soul filling these arenas, stadiums and intimate surprise shows, keeping everyone in attendance completely and totally in the moment — a phenomenon unwittingly acknowledged by the DES MOINES REGISTER, who wound up a rave review with the following passage: "The night ended, perhaps to everyone's dismay, fittingly with 'The End,' a song that felt like it was written specifically for the audience at Casey's Center at that very moment.”

Next up was Paul’s triumphant return to the Twin Cities, namely…

MINNEAPOLIS

Paul’s been no stranger to the Minneapolis stage over the last decade or so—in 2014 he gave a sold out Target Field crowd an unforgettable evening on his Out There tour, returning in 2016 for a packed to the roof indoor doubleheader at the Target Center on the One on One tour.

So where to go from there, but up: US Bank Stadium, which opened its doors barely two months following Paul’s 2016 Minneapolis shows, and has been home to the Minnesota Vikings ever since, as well as the site of 2018’s historic Super Bowl LII.

Dominating the skyline and street view to the point of rendering Maps apps redundant, US Bank Stadium is the sort of monolithic futurist/brutalist combo that might seem imposing, even frightening to an artist on the approach to a first headline gig in the sleek reflective behemoth — if that artist were not Paul McCartney.

In Paul’s case, the gargantuan stadium was yet another venue for him to cast his spell, the one that makes everyone from the front row to the 300 sections feel like he’s singing and chatting directly to them —similarly, I think there were fans who saw Vikings purple in the marching band montage that accompanied 'Let ‘Em In'.

The evening abounded with moments of impossible intimacy with a crowd of more than 50,000. 'Something' was especially poignant in its study in contrasts:

Paul’s gentle ukulele and vocal solo intro bursting into the full band lead break, as deeply personal images of George Harrison and his best friends and bandmates towered over the man giving these immortal songs life for this one night. Magical moments, like the songs themselves, that will never be repeated nor replicated.

Speaking of contrasts, a few songs later a mellifluous and downright inspirational 'Let It Be' preceded a massive 'Live and Let Die', which erupted in its full stadium pyrotechnic fury, Paul, the band and the Hot City Horns

literally engulfed in towers of flame, percussive flash bangs, kaleidoscopic lasers and a fireworks display to delight all ages — even those who jumped at the impact of that final surprise “bang!”… and what followed was the only song capable of doing so, 'Hey Jude', once again proof positive that some songs are simply meant to be sung by 50,000+ voices in unison.

The encore wrapped with an emotive Abbey Road medley that BROADWAY WORLD called "the perfect curtain call to a show

that felt like a gift,” adding a summation of the show as a whole as "a living, breathing tribute to the power of music to last, to move, to bring people together. Watching him smile, crack jokes, pay tribute to Lennon and Harrison, and still hit those notes — it was more than nostalgic. It was inspiring.”

TULSA

With landmarks such as the Bob Dylan museum, the Woody Guthrie Center, the 100+ year-old Cain’s Ballroom and Leon Russell’s Church Studio,Tulsa has long stood as one of America’s capital cities of musical history. The week that Paul stopped in for his first BOK Center performance in 12 years and third engagement overall (the first being on the Summer 2009 tour, the more recent two-night stand having taken place in 2013), however, Tulsa was a rock and roll epicenter for a night— sighted backstage were The Edge and Bono of U2 (in town to accept the Woody Guthrie Honour at the aforementioned Cain’s Ballroom the night before), as well as Grammy and Oscar winning couple T-Bone Burnett and Callie Khouri. But there was a bit of news that made a huge splash earlier in the day: Paul surprised Tulsans and fans the world over with a self-shot dispatch from the banks of the Arkansas River that flows through the city.

Posted up on a beautiful sunny afternoon under a graffiti-adorned bridge, and featuring a surprise cameo from a local butterfly, Paul’s spontaneous vlogging foray shared an authentic moment of Zen with all who viewed it, while ramping up local anticipation for the evening’s show to even further heights.

As the lights went down and the roar of the crowd — who'd already made this show the highest grossing in BOK Center history — vied with the opening refrain of 'Help!', it was instantly clear that Paul would be

taking the capacity crowd on what TULSA WORLD deemed "a glorious walk through his history.” Over the course of nearly three hours, that walk would include stops at Egypt Station, Abbey Road and even Venus and Mars.

It would also veer off in some Tulsa-specific detours, including a reminiscence of having passed through years prior on a holiday trip during which he drove the entirety of Route 66 and a heartfelt happy birthday to a young fan brandishing a sign announcing that they’d turned 18 that day.

GOT BACK’s Tulsa attendees did their city’s musical heritage and legacy proud — and then some — from the reverent silence that greeted 'Blackbird' and 'Here Today' to boisterous singalongs accompanying 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' and 'Hey Jude' that seemed to threaten the structural integrity of the BOK Center (those of us who had been at Paul’s 2013 shows knew not to worry, as we were made aware during a tornado warning on that trip that the arena was a designated shelter).

Whether loud or quiet, every single person in attendance was totally and completely engaged for the duration of Paul’s third visit to the BOK Center. As the final strains of 'The End' resonated and Paul made his parting promise to see everyone again, TULSA TODAY summed up this outpouring of elation and offered some very sound advice: "He is a master of music and innovation. His crew of gifted professional musicians on stage and the tour’s talented travel and staging crews (it takes more than one) all deserve praise. If the GOT BACK Tour is coming near you or you can travel to it – attend with friends. You will cherish the memory." And on that note, we’ll be back soon to remember the Alamodome — specifically the amazing night Paul GOT BACK to San Antonio, as well as the shows that followed in New Orleans, Atlanta, Nashville and more.

🟠Would you like to support the page with a donation? Enter HERE