By JD Shapiro
and Joey Kirkman Introduction
It feels like just ‘Yesterday’ when I first saw Sir Paul at Coachella in 2009. I was lucky enough to receive VIP passes for both me and my then-girlfriend, Meredith. Unfortunately for us, we missed all of the opening bands because she was held captive in court... as an attorney. She was too busy defending her case to defend our spot on the front row. But! Do not fret, McCartneyites, the magic still happened, big time!
A Journey Through Time: From Coachella to Madrid
As soon as we arrived at Coachella and made our way past the Orange Groves and ‘Strawberry Fields,’ we heard, "Ladies and gentlemen - Paul McCartney!" The endorphins were like fireworks in my brain - happiness and excitement exploding everywhere, making my neurons do a happy dance. I guess you could say we were literally 'amped' up along with the 'band'wagon!
As a self-proclaimed 16-year-old fangirl at Coachella in 2009, I didn’t exactly know how to behave at a live show. A rogue beach ball appeared out of nowhere, bouncing across heads. Security tried to nab it, but I was quick, playing keep-away until the ball popped with a sad, smelly fizzle. Later, I tried dancing to fit in with the crowd but I ended up doing a bob and weave to the ‘Twist and Shout.’ I even tried crying, and fake-fainted twice, but no one cared.
Okay, maybe that part isn’t exactly true. Nor is it true that Meredith and I attempted a run to the pit. However, we did dance like no one was watching, but, ‘they were right I was wrong, true love didn't last long. As the June light turns to moonlight, I'll be on my way, hey!’ The Coachella performance was a testament to the unpredictable, joyful madness that only Sir Paul McCartney could conjure, leaving all of us with stories we’d tell for years - make that decades. So memorable. Such joy!
The Evolution of a Fan
Wait. What? I'm not a 16-year-old fangirl anymore – I've aged out and figuratively switched genders, yet here I am, still acting like one at concerts. And you know what? I'm absolutely okay with it. So ‘Get Back’ if you want to ‘Judge Me,’ and ‘Let It Be.’ I don't care. It was a very groovy night. For the younger audience reading this (all six of you), if you were someone that had swagger in the '60s, you were described as groovy. Yes, the 2009 Sir Paul McCartney experience was groovy, and yes, Gen Z girl, he had swagger!
A Modern Concert Experience
Cut to today, as a grown-up fan-man, I got to see Paul McCartney with one of my best friends at the famous WiZink Center in Madrid, Spain. Our seats were a little different. Okay, more than a little, they were relatively terrible. And there was no VIP pass to be had. Cut me some slack. I was the original screenwriter for 'Battlefield Earth.' The VIP perks don't come as easily as they used to. In fact, the guys who wrote the movie “Cats” get better seats than me. The seats were so bad we might as well have been two ants on an ant hill, trying to read the fine print on a contract from Mars.
Worse than the fine print, take a look at the bold print of my ticket! The ticket price was €578, equivalent to a couple of years' worth of carrots for my mentor, Bugs Bunny. See: About Me here. For that money, Bugs could've gone to Mars (soon to be a 'commonwealth' of the USA) on a SpaceX mission and saved the world from Marvin the Martian. But the cost didn't matter; not at all. Why?
What made this concert priceless was seeing the child-like glow of jubilance on ‘Maureen,’ one of my best friend's face. Wait. Her name is ‘Suzy Parker.’ No. Oh, it's ‘The Lovely Linda.’ No? Okay, okay, it's Elisabeth Larena. Learn more about her here. I would like to take a second and apologize for writing that last part gratuitously. I wanted to fit a few more songs in for no good reason.
While Elisabeth may be in her 30s, seeing her also scream like a 16-year-old fangirl at all her favorite songs awakened my inner teeny bopper. Twinsies! How many Satoshis would you spend for a night of true magic? For this music catalog? All of them.
The setlist included all the favorites and a few surprises, like Jimi Hendrix's ‘Purple Haze.’ Hendrix would have been proud of the way it was performed by Sir Paul. I was so thrilled that out of the 229 Beatles songs and 110 Wings songs (don’t fact check me on those numbers) he played the three I was hoping for: ‘Get Back,’ ‘Hey, Jude,’ and… If you want to know the 3rd, the first person to guess gets a signed copy of my original draft of ‘Battlefield Earth.’ DM me here on X.
Elisabeth and I belted out the lyrics amidst a sea of 17,000+ Spanish fans, mostly unfamiliar with English, all united in their adoration for Sir Paul. The atmosphere was electric, a tapestry of voices weaving through the air, creating an astonishing spectacle. But what truly took my breath away was seeing this vast crowd, my 17,000+ new best friends, sing along with flawless English. At one point, the crowd started chanting "Ole, ole, ole." With his quick wit and whimsical spirit, Sir Paul sprinted to his piano and played along with the chant. The crowd roared with delight! Again, Elisabeth and I both shrieked with no shame. At all. I'm proud to say I shrieked louder... off camera.
McCartney's Legacy Beyond the Music
Admiration of his talent and significant contributions to the evolution of music are reason enough to love Sir Paul. Elisabeth and I are both huge fans of his commitment to various philanthropic efforts as well. McCartney's work in animal rescue, health charities, disaster relief, and educational initiatives is well known. However, did you know that McCartney significantly impacted the arts in Liverpool by purchasing and converting John Lennon's former school into the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA)? Well, I didn’t either. But my editor did, and now you do too!
Conclusion: The Timeless Appeal of McCartney
At 82, Sir Paul took ‘The Long and Winding Road’ and traversed the skies to get to Madrid. He performed for over two and a half hours. While his voice doesn't project the way it did at Coachella circa 2009, he ‘Got by with a little help from my friends,’ and his band, of course. As a pivotal member of The Beatles, McCartney helped shape the cultural landscape of the 1960s and beyond. The Beatles' influence on music, fashion, social attitudes, and even technology (like music videos) is partly due to McCartney's vision and creativity.
McCartney's career spans over six decades, yet he continues to evolve, experiment with new music, and collaborate with artists from different generations. His ability to remain relevant while constantly innovating keeps fans engaged.
Sir Paul emanated so much love on such a cold night that ‘Here Comes the Sun’ made Elizabeth and me feel the warmth of joy in our souls. I realized, in that moment, in a world that can often be a ‘Hard Day's Night,’ ‘Here, There, And Everywhere…’ ‘All You Need Is Love.’ All Rights Reserved 2025