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Sir Paul McCartney Rocks The Premier Center
This was the artist's first time playing in South Dakota
Sydney Kern, Reporter
POSTED: May 02, 2016
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -
Former Beatles front man and solo artist Sir Paul McCartney is performed at the Denny Sanford Premier center Monday night.
It's his first performance in the state of South Dakota, so the performance brought in a huge crowd.
People came from not only all over the state, but all over the country to see the legendary performance.
But one thing all the fans had in common is that they were still a little shocked they were going to see Paul McCartney perform live.
"Who would have thought in a million years you'd get to see him in person,” says long-time fan Dianne Greene.
"The only reason I would go out to the Premiere Center is if Paul McCartney came to town and I said that's not going to happen, and then it did,” added Linda Greene of Sioux Falls.
More than 10,000 people walked through the arena with their ticket in hand waiting to hear Paul McCartney say these four words: Good evening Sioux Falls!
"It was like a dream come true,” says Yankton resident Evan Jones. “I'm going to tear up right now, because I grew up listening to the Beatles and I'm a musician. I'm really a musician because of the Beatles."
For many, the dream of seeing of seeing him live in concert started nearly 45 years ago.
"I remember watching [the Beatles] when I was 11, and then when they said they're going back to England I remembered I cried."
But it's his talent and art that have reeled in even the younger fans.
"I actually have ‘take these broken wings and learn to fly tattooed,” says University of Northern Iowa student Aspen Olsen.
"There are only a few people on Earth that are born to do something specific, and they learn what they're supposed to do and do it," adds Jones. "Paul’s one of those people."
After the show, Paul and his crew are heading straight to Minneapolis for his next performances on Wednesday and Thursday.
Copyright 2016 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
www.argusleader.com
Review: Paul McCartney rolls out the hits for Sioux Falls
Michael Klinski
May 3, 2016
Paul McCartney performs Monday night at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls as part of his One On One Tour, May 2, 2016.
(Photo: Elisha Page / Argus Leader)
As if the hype for Monday night's Paul McCartney concert at the Denny Sanford Premier Center wasn't big enough, he set the bar even higher after opening with two rockers in quick succession.
"Good evening, Sioux Falls," he told more than 11,000 fans in attendance. "I have a feeling we are going to have a big party in this place tonight."
Indeed. The Premier Center has been open for less than two years, but the facility will have a hard time topping the experience of hosting a former Beatle.
The venue made it a more intimate setting than most of his concerts — the venue has to be one of the smallest gigs he has ever played as part of a normal tour. That made every moment all the more special. It didn't feel like just another stop on a mega tour, at least for this fan in attendance. McCartney has a way of making the audience feel special.
But it all starts with the songs, and McCartney almost went out of his way to prove that he can still rock at age 73.
The first part of the set was heavy — and loud. He opened with "A Hard Day's Night" — the One on One tour is the first time has played it live. He then went into "Save Us," the heaviest song from his new album, New.
After that, it was back to the more familiar and well-received "Can't Buy Me Love." He took a break at that point to let it all soak in. "This is so cool," he said.
The first act was filled largely of solo songs, and some of them would be obscure to those less familiar with his catalog. There was the funky "Temporary Secretary," a song from McCartney II that features a repeating synth beat. It's never been one of my favorites, but it works much better live. That was followed by the Band on the Run John Lennon-inspired rocker "Let Me Roll It," which, along with Jim Hendrix's foxy lady at the end, seemed to be a hit with the Sioux Falls crowd. He played "1985" for the "Wings fans" and "My Valentine" for his wife, Nancy, who was in attendance.
Mixed between some songs were stories from McCartney's Beatles days. There was one about Hendrix and an out-of-tune guitar and another on the inspiration for the song, "Blackbird."
Fans who've seen McCartney a few times will have gotten used to the formula of his shows. A lot of the stories and audience interactions are repeated from night to night, but not once Monday did it seem like a chore to McCartney, who despite cashing a huge check on nights like these, doesn't have to perform if he didn't want to. You can tell he truly enjoys it.
McCartney also read signs from the audience after saying how they distract him. One man had a sign that read "I wanna propose to Paul."
"That's not the way it works," McCartney said, to laughter.
The sign of a young boy and his mother gave one family a story of a lifetime, however. "Simon says sign my mom, I'm Simon" got the mother and son a trip to the stage later in the show. McCartney picked up Simon and gave the mother, Michelle, a hug. "I think we ought to have a group hug," McCartney said as the crowd cheered.
Michelle also got her armed signed, and she touched McCartney's arm, to the applause of the audience. It was a wonderful unscripted moment.
Paul McCartney invited a young fan, Simon, and his mom on stage during Monday's concert at the Premier Center.
Earlier, McCartney's first set of songs from the piano brought an inspired performance of "Maybe I'm Amazed." It's a tough song to sing even for top-notch vocalists 40 years his junior, but McCartney managed to hit most of the notes. There were times during the entire show where he struggled to hit a note or his voice cracked, but there were others where he sounded like a younger version of himself. His voice cracked most often while telling stories, which makes it even more amazing that he was able to hit — and scream — most of the notes.
It was during this part of the show that he played "Eleanor Rigby," a fan favorite, and "Here, There and Everywhere," which, to my knowledge, he has never played live from a piano before.
The highlight of the show for this fan, however, was the acoustic set. All five band members came to the front of the stage, and McCartney picked up an acoustic guitar. The audience was then treated to "We Can Work It Out," which featured beautiful guitar work and nice harmonies, then into a surprisingly good version of "In Spite of All the Danger," the first song The Beatles (then The Quarrymen) put to record. The best part of the seven-song set was "You Won't See Me," which McCartney slowed down from the version on Rubber Soul.
Another highlight of the set was "Four, Five Seconds," the hit collaboration with Rhianna and Kanye West. McCartney turned it into a sing along, which I'm sure the younger members in the audience appreciated.
McCartney stood all alone on an elevated stage for two songs, "Blackbird," which elicited one of the larger crowd reactions of the night, and the touching tribute to John Lennon, "Here Today." As a frequent McCartney attendee, however, I would like to see him do another song in tribute to Lennon. Perhaps "In My Life"?
The other main tribute of the night is one that never gets old, however. McCartney stood alone with a ukulele and sang George Harrison's Beatles song, "Something." As the fans sang along, McCartney's band slowly trickles into the song, and by the end, with pictures of Harrison in the background, it's a full-on trip back to the late 1960s.
Perhaps as a credit to how many truly great songs McCartney has written over the years, even one that has been derided in the past will be considered by many as a show highlight. Try not to dance and bob your head for "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," which has become a new sing-along favorite at McCartney shows.
A final piano set was next, and the audience held up their cell phones and swayed for "Let It Be."
Those who were sitting surely stood up for the next song, "Live and Let Die." I had been curious how the Premier Center would handle the pyrotechnics, and the song didn't disappoint. I enjoy watching people's reactions, because some aren't expecting the explosion and flames. And after receiving a bit of a scare, many in the audience had their hands in the air shortly thereafter. I could feel the heat in the upperdeck, and those in the front row might want to check their eyebrows.
McCartney closed with "Hey Jude," and the audience knew the drill. It's corny, sure, but "na na na na na na na" to any haters out there. The floor was standing for this one, as they were for the majority of the evening. First the guys, then the ladies, then everyone. This is one people will still be singing centuries from now, and we got to sing along with the man who wrote it.
Unfortunately, the audience wasn't treated to "Rocky Raccoon," which has a reference to the Black Hills of Dakota. McCartney was quick to point out where he was, however, and he didn't once fall into the trap of calling Sioux Falls "Sioux City," perhaps because, being a newcomer, he had never heard of either places before.
"Thank you good people of Sioux Falls," he said after "Queenie Eye" on the psychedelic piano.
"I've got a feeling, Sioux Falls, South Dakota," he said after, of course, the Beatles song "I've Got a Feeling."
Later he asked the audience to cheer if they were from Sioux Falls. Then South Dakota. Then outside the state. There was a loud ovation.
"On behalf of the tourist board, we welcome you," he said.
After the first encore, guitarist Brian Ray was carrying a South Dakota flag.
That meant the night was, unfortunately, coming to an end.
You could hear a pin drop during "Yesterday," which opened the encore. Sioux Falls was being treated to one of the most enduring songs of all time by what will be one of the most enduring artists. Pinch yourself.
After "Hi Hi Hi" and "Birthday" the first chords of "Golden Slumbers" singled that the party was almost over. There isn't a better concert closer than the final three songs of the B-side to Abbey Road, and McCartney and his band put a lot of energy into the final solos of the night. "And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make."
As confetti fell from the stage, it was time to go home with nothing but memories of an unforgettable night. Can the Premier Center top this? I would like to see it try.
ODDS AND ENDS
* My five favorites: "You Won't See Me," "Live and Let Die," "We Can Work It Out," "Here, There and Everywhere," "In Spite of All the Danger."
* You will notice three of my favorites were songs that differed from the original recorded arrangement. I wish McCartney was more willing to experiment and change the style of a song, even if it's subtle.
* I also really enjoyed "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite." Keyboardist Wix Wickens was able to recreate the circus-style sounds on the record quite well. And the laser light show was also impressive.
* McCartney did a little, for lack of a better word, butt jiggle during "And I Love Her." It was a hit with the ladies.
* I heard complaints about the sound from a couple of fans. There were parts that were almost unbearably loud, but nothing seemed too distorted to me. Perhaps it depended on where you were sitting.
* The entire acoustic portion worked so well that I would love to see him do an entire set of nothing but acoustic songs, whether alone or with a band. In fact, not knowing what the set list was before the show, I assumed that since the tour was called "One On One" that there would be more moments with just Paul.
* I saw McCartney a few times on his last tour, "Out There." Many of the songs performed Monday were carryovers from that tour, and some have been in his set for quite some time. He is never going to, nor should he be expected to, drop a "Hey Jude" or a "Yesterday." Count me in the minority, but I would like to see more and different solo songs than what he has been performing. He has a great catalog, as I have written about, but he doesn't give it much of a chance during concerts. "Let Me Roll It" is one song that should be replaced by something else in his solo catalog. He has been performing regularly since 1993.
* McCartney arrived at the Premier Center just after 4 p.m. He rolled down his window and waved to a group of more than 20 people.
* For local fans who are hooked, McCartney is headed to Minneapolis for shows Wednesday and Thursday.
Paul McCartney arrives on the north side of the Premier Center in Sioux Falls on Monday afternoon
www.argusleader.com
Photos: Paul McCartney in Sioux Falls
Audience members wait for Paul McCartney to perform Monday night at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls as part of his One On One Tour, May 2, 2016.
Elisha Page / Argus Leader
An audience member shoots a photo as Paul McCartney performs Monday night at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls as part of his One On One Tour, May 2, 2016.
Elisha Page / Argus Leader
Paul McCartney waves to the audience before performing Monday night at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls as part of his One On One Tour, May 2, 2016.
Elisha Page / Argus Leader
Paul McCartney performs Monday night at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls as part of his One On One Tour, May 2, 2016.
Elisha Page / Argus Leader
Audience watch as Paul McCartney performs Monday night at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls as part of his One On One Tour, May 2, 2016.
twitter.com/PaulMcCartney
Simon Says Hug My Mom #OneOnOne
twitter.com/EmilySpartz
Great time @PREMIER_Center with @TomWeerheim #OneOnOne #PaulMcCartney #Beatles #hifromsd #SiouxFalls @argusleader
twitter.com/CinemaFalls
Sir Paul - glad you're making a movie of this tour! #OneOnOne #hifromsd #TDenny
twitter.com/Chris_Semrau
It simply doesn't get any better. A historic night with @PaulMcCartney @PREMIER_Center. @BeaverConcerts #OneOnOne
twitter.com/sivanahx
Thank you for the best night of my life. I love you so much, @PaulMcCartney #OneOnOne
You didn't have to do this to my heart tBH.
Paul sang "something" & everything was fine & then the slideshow started. I lost it lol.
twitter.com/Igmunyan
Had the best night of my life… words just can't describe it. I'll remember this forever
twitter.com/Tony_Venhuizen
Encore begins with @PaulMcCartney and band waving flags of USA, UK, and SD
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