Paul McCartney Rocks Target Field

Target Field might not have much of a new car smell when it comes to baseball games anymore, but it still does have allure when it comes to huge concerts. After two straight years of country superstar Kenny Chesney gracing the stage, plus the smaller Skyline Music Festival, the Minnesota Twins finally got their man, a true rock star, Paul McCartney.

Kickoff was set for 8:00, but Sir Paul didn’t hit the stage until 8:45. As could be seen from the upper decks of the stadium, there were still masses of humanity trying to get into the ball field. I take this time to tell you all, get to the damn stadium on time. I will now step off my soapbox.

A big question at every concert is what song will the artist come out to and it’s almost impossible to guess with a guy with a massive catalog like McCartney. McCartney strolled out on stage to a huge ovation and kicked off the concert with the Beatles classic ‘Eight Days a Week’.

It was evident that the Minneapolis crowd was digging The Beatles material the most compared to McCartney’s recent solo career and his time with Wings. All-in-all it was a very rocking concert especially when you keep in mind that the performer is 72-years-old.

Highlights of the night include a couple songs McCartney did acoustically, those being ‘Blackbird’ and ‘Here Today’ which McCartney introduced as a song he wrote for his friend John, further explaining that the song is the form of a conversation that McCartney never got to have with his former bandmate Lennon. At the end of the performance, McCartney told the crowds ‘If you got something to say, say it.’ A solid message that was missed by a majority of the crowd.

During the acoustic portion McCartney was on a mini-stage in front of the stage that rose high into the night. Maybe 20 feet or so, I’m not the best at estimating that kind of thing especially from the third deck of the ballpark.

The stage production highlight of the night was McCartney’s performance of ‘Live and Let Die’ which triggered high rising flames across the stage and fireworks firing off behind. I hope the sudden loud bang of explosions didn’t trigger any ill health effects in the crowd that featured a lot of patrons in the McCartney age group.

It was a great concert experience with McCartney playing pure hits and stuff off of his new album ‘New’. Being a huge Beatles fan, while not digging into a lot of the Wings catalog yet, the only song I couldn’t place was ‘Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five’ which once I looked it up, I kicked myself for not realizing what it was.

The highlight of the night? McCartney sneaking in a little message at the end of his second and final encore. McCartney said his thanks you and then said something that piqued my interest right away, ‘See you next summer!’ …Or maybe he said, ‘See you next time.’ Maybe, I’m just a wishful thinker. Maybe, I’m amazed.

Sir Paul’s setlist for August 2 at Target Field:

Eight Days a Week

Save Us

All My Loving

Listen To What The Man Said

Let Me Roll It

Paperback Writer

My Valentine

Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five

The Long and Winding Road

Maybe I’m Amazed

I’ve Just Seen A Face

We Can Work It Out

Another Day

And I Love Her

Blackbird

Here Today

New

Queenie Eye

Lady Madonna

All Together Now

Lovely Rita

Everybody Out there

Eleanor Rigby

Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite

Something

Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da

Band On The Run

Back In The USSR

Let It Be

Live and Let Die

Hey Jude

—

Day Tripper

Hi, Hi, Hi

Get Back

—

Yesterday

Helter Skelter

Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End