ONE ON ONE : Aug 17 2016 - Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland (First Night)

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Paul McCartney makes it 'Yesterday' once more at first of 2 Cleveland shows (photos)
By Chuck Yarborough, The Plain Dealer 

August 18, 2016

Paul McCartney, says hello to Cleveland entering the stage on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – More than 18,000 baby boomers – and a few Gen-Xers and Millennials – were getting antsy. Paul McCartney was supposed to take the Quicken Loans Arena stage Wednesday night at 8 and he was late.

Like LATE late! More than 20 minutes.

And then, reality set in, and we all decided – heck, we waited 50 years. What's a few more minutes for what amounted to a rare Beatles concert in Cleveland since Paul and his buddies, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr first thrilled 24,646 fans at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium in 1966?

And it was just that. Yeah, there were tunes from Sir Paul's Wings days and some from his solo years since then, but there is no doubt that we were right smack-dab in the middle of Beatlemania all over again.

Sure, it's true that Sir Paul was just about the only guy at The Q with dark hair – Pan never ages, except for the silver sideburns – but not one iota of that mattered.

For just an instant, it was the middle 1960s again, only this time, without the unrest of Selma (even if we DO have Ferguson) or the Vietnam War (hel-LO Afghanistan). For this night, it was the innocence of that era, when the streetlights marked our curfews, that shone through.

McCartney doesn't have the voice he had as "the cute Beatle.'' He's 74 now, so there's a little warble in his voice that's more tremor than vibrato. Not that it means anything.

Even at 74, "Maybe I'm Amazed'' that he can still perform as he does – his show is nearly three hours, without a break, and as electrifying today as it probably was in 1966. Unfortunately, because of deadlines, I missed the final hour of the show.

Fortunately – and it really IS fortunate for this kid who grew up as a Beatles fan and donned a "Beatles wig'' to trick-or-treat as Paul as a first-grader – the sounds reverberated through The Q.

Which was fitting, because this really wasn't a concert; it was a worship service.

Just like a congregation being called to order, that magical opening chord of the show-opener "A Hard Day's Night'' had everyone in an almost religious frenzy. McCartney's powder-blue Nehru jacket – I HAD ONE JUST LIKE THAT!!!! -- was a sort of choir robe for all of us who fell in love with rock 'n' roll courtesy of the Beatles.

The "other'' songs – i.e. non-Beatles stuff – like "Save Us,'' "Temporary Secretary,'' "New'' (the title cut off his, duh, new, album) and "Queenie Eye'' were met with enthusiasm. And there was a special moment with video of Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman using American Sign Language to accompany his song, "My Valentine,'' written for his current wife, Nancy.

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But there was a reverence in the air when he perched at a grand piano and launched into "Maybe I'm Amazed,'' which he wrote for his late wife, Linda.

"We Can Work It Out,'' "The Fool on the Hill,'' "Lady Madonna,'' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da'' and the others were the hymns we came to hear, and didn't leave disappointed.

Any preacher worth his collection plate knows that you gotta bring up the past to make today relevant, and McCartney did just that, with a country-tinged "In Spite of the Danger,'' from the Beatles-before-the-Beatles: the Quarrymen.

Oh, and we did find out just why he was a tad late getting to the stage. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who was in town to campaign, had to stop by and say hello. Which meant major photo op backstage.

And I suppose we could've made a fuss, but in the spirit of the night, a satisfied crowd decided to "Let It Be.'' Seemed to be the right thing to do. And it's not likely to happen Thursday night, for Show Two of his One on One tour stop here.

As long as we don't have to wait another 50 years.


GALLERY

Paul McCartney, says hello to Cleveland entering the stage on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Paul McCartney, playing his opening number "A Hard Day's Night", on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Paul McCartney, reacts from the crowds cheers after playing his opening number "A Hard Day's Night", on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Paul McCartney greets the crowd as he walks onto the stage, on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Paul McCartney, on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Paul McCartney, singing "Save Us", on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Paul McCartney, singing "A Hard Day's Night", on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Paul McCartney playing "A Hard Day's Night", with his band and stage set, on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Paul McCartney playing "A Hard Day's Night", on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Paul McCartney, after playing "A Hard Day's Night", on his One on One tour, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio on August 17, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)