La Quinta, California: Months ago it was announced Sir Paul McCartney would begin his GOT BACK TOUR tour in Palm Desert, California on the 29th of September - at our little ice hockey arena. Of all places. Our niece, Carla, began hatching a plan to fly down here from Seattle with her mom (my sister, Renee) as a surprise birthday present. Renee's birthday was in July and Carla and I barely had the tickets/flights arranged by her birthday. Renee was thrilled, and September 29th finally arrived.
The two ladies flew into Palm Springs International Monday mid-day, and the four of us went directly to downtown Palm Springs for lunch and a little stroll in the heat. (The Coachella Valley was 30-degrees warmer than Seattle.)
We hung-out at Taylor Manor for a while in the afternoon, and had little snacks before heading off to Acrisure Arena for the Big Show.
The song is GET BACK, so why is the tour called GOT BACK?
The show was truly a show. So many special effects. Pyrotechnics. Stages raising up from the stage. Videos. Strobe lights. Smoke. Sir Paul is 83, but he rocked it like he was 80! Just kidding - he hasn't lost even one bit of his voice and he spoke to the crowd between songs. He also did a little tribute to John and George (but oddly not to Ringo), and Mrs. Nancy McCartney and Mrs. Olivia Harrison were seated in the first row tonight. The tribute to John Lennon was so clever: video of John singing on the big screen, with Paul singing with him. Paul said he misses singing with John. Tears. It was magical!
When the Fab 4 began hitting the airwaves in America, I was only 8 years old or so, and really only learned of The Beatles from 3-years-older cousins. Our dad and Dave's dad, (and maybe your dad?) really did not like the band and when I attended the Paul McCartney photo exhibit in London, it really made me wonder why. (The photos were taken by McCartney during The Beatles first tour of America, and only resurfaced during COVID... maybe he was cleaning out his attic?) They were so clean-cut. Always wore suits and ties... but I know it was the hair. What a joke. Who would even notice that hair now!
So many people in the audience tonight were in 60s clothing. Many wore Sargent Pepper's costumes. Another clever group of four girls each held-up "NA" signs, as in NA NA NA NA, Hey Jude. During Hey Jude, Sir Paul had us all singing... just the boys... just the girls... it was fun and funny. Macca is a leftie, and tonight he played bass, acoustic, mandolin, ukulele, and piano, and who knows what else. So talented.
Like Jimmy Buffett, McCartney is nothing without his band. They were fantastic. His horn section (he introduced them as the Horny Boys), were a huge boost and the drummer (who looked like he could have been a bodyguard in his spare time), could really beat up the drums - yet did a danced the macarena like a pro during one of the segments. The drummer was entertaining! And speaking of Jimmy Buffett, did you know he and Paul McCartney were close friends? Their wives were friends and, well, ya know how one thing leads to the other. Jimmy tells a funny story about Mrs. McCartney and wrote a song about the scene. When the song was recorded on Jimmy's last final album, guess who played bass on My Gummy Just Kicked In? Sir Paul!
Here is a short video of a few songs from Monday night:
We had all sorts of ideas on what we would do on Tuesday, but we ended up doing absolutely NOTHING - except tacos at Tacos Gonzalez, of course.
Lots of pool time in the afternoon and lots of chatting. I even cancelled our dinner reservations when everyone decided they wanted to stay in. I thawed/marinated lamb chops, made Patatas Bravas and a Caesar Salad.
But we weren't the only members of this family hanging out with rock stars. Lucile is crazy over Benson Boone, so Lenny took her to his Los Angeles show Tuesday night:
We had my sister and neice back to the airport at 8a this morning, and Dave and I must be fantastic hosts, because looky here at the gorgeous flowers Renee and Carla sent:
Until my next update, I remain, your Hard Days Night correspondent.
What fun, having your sister and niece visiting for
a special occasion and Sir Paul as the cherry on top !
Your flowers are gorgeous 🎉