Yesterday, I saw the best show of my life. Not only that, but I got to see it in a sparkling new stadium. I’m writing this the morning after, and can I still feel residual excitement in my skin. (I can also feel something “residual” in my eardrum. Attending a rock show with a busted eardrum? Probably not wise – but so worth it.) My husband, Parry, and I, as well as my sister and her boyfriend (shout out to Jim!) were among the 18,000+ people who got to see Sir Paul McCartney play at the Consol Energy Center Thursday night, but for those of you who weren’t so lucky, let me give you the breakdown.

It goes without saying that Paul McCartney is a big enough draw on his own, but the Pittsburgh crowd seemed equally amped to see the new arena. We arrived at the CEC before the front doors were opened and the lines were down the block. People occupied themselves ogling any bit of arena they could see through the giant wall of windows before them. Despite the lines’ length, we were through the doors mere minutes after they opened. We walked around the new dig slack-jawed and awed. Here are two helpful tips for those who will be visiting the CEC in the future: First, your tickets are no longer checked at the door. They are actually scanned inside before you go up the steps to get to your seats. This means, I assume, that people without tickets can get in and shop at the awesome-looking new Pens store right at the entrance. Second, the box office is inside the building next to the store. You have to go into the lower Trib Total Media Entrance to get there.

I just thought of a third thing I wanted to mention, too. We parked in the new garage that is attached to the arena. The cost was $20, but it was something new, so we tried it. What is really nice about parking there was the ease of leaving. There are doors on each floor of the arena that lead right into the garage. I think that perhaps the majority of people didn’t realize the doors were there, as we were two of four people I saw using them. We literally went from our seats to our car to the open road in 4 minutes. I can definitely see the plus in parking there.

Parry’s first comment upon our entrance into the arena was, “Where’s the familiar urine smell?” Ha! Everything is so clean and white and fresh. It smells like “new” – that plastic-y, just unwrapped new smell. What I like best about the arena is that it is truly a home for the Penguins. Columns and walls are filled with pictures of players, past and present, and everything is there for the Pens. The players must be so happy to have such a place. As for the seating, the aisles and the seats are wider. Yeah!  The jumbotron, which was pulled up to the (flat) ceiling and not used for the concert looks really nice and big. I just don’t think there is a bad seat in that place. I cannot wait to see my first game there. Hockey fans are in for a real treat.

Paul McCartney took the stage about 45 minutes late (both days I hear – what a diva), but the crowd didn’t seems to care. He played for roughly three hours straight and sang 37 songs (suck it Wednesday night people - we got three more songs than you!), covering songs from the Beatles to present day. He played the bass, acoustic and electric guitar, ukulele, mandolin, and a grand and upright piano. He switched instruments between almost every song, bringing out instrument after instrument to, as he put it, “show off.” That classic Hofner bass was there, as well as the original guitar he used to record “Eleanor Rigby” for Sgt. Pepper. As far as the “show” aspect of the concert went, the lighting and effects were modest but very cool to look at. There were also some awesome fireworks and explosions used in “Live and Let Die” and a bunch of confetti rained down on the crowd at the end of the show. During the Beatles songs, old footage played in the background, and I noticed that during “The End” the video from the closing scene from Beatles Rock Band was playing. Each song had a different look and feel when it came to the set, and I remember leaning over to Parry at least a half dozen times to say “Look at that!” or “Isn’t that cool?”

On stage, Paul was commanding. He was as charming and flirtatious as I expected him to be, winking and giggling, making silly jokes and being all around cheeky. Despite being 68 years old, Paul was full of energy, and let me tell you ladies, the sex appeal is still there. While he wasn’t running back and forth doing back flips, he did bop around the stage and dance at the mic, shaking his ass for the camera. What struck both Parry and I the most was how much he was enjoying himself. There was a genuine smile on his face through the entire show, and there were many long moments when he seemed to just be reveling in the limelight. His communication with the crowd was great, and he bantered back and forth, commenting on signs and telling some great stories. Among his tales were stories about Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, the Russian/Soviet defense minister, and, of course, his fellow Beatles, John and George (no mention of Ringo, poor boy). There was also a proposal in the crowd (during “My Love”), a baby who got some screen time, and a girl who got her upper thigh signed on stage (lucky bitch).

I thought Paul sounded great. You could tell, at the end of the night, that his voice was getting tired and a few of the higher notes were brought down or skimmed over, but on songs like “Helter Skelter” or “I Got a Feeling” he pulled off that necessary roughness. I was in no way disappointed by the sound quality. His playing skills were impressive to watch, and you could tell that playing a chord and plucking a string is so ingrained in who he is that there isn’t really any effort needed. I’m always unhappy with arena concerts in that the audience more often than not chooses to stay seated. For the second half of the concert, however, people were happy (and drunk) enough to want to dance, so we were up and moving. Everyone was singing and swaying, and lighters (and cellphones) lit up the crowd. It was an all-in-all comfortable and celebratory crowd.

If you’ve hung out with me for even two minutes in the last year and a half, you know that I’m a bit Beatles obsessed. I’ve been a huge Beatles fan since my teenage years, but the more recent re-release of their albums really proved to me how incredible they were. While John is by far my favorite Beatles, seeing Paul McCartney play was huge for me. This was probably my one and only chance to see a member of not only my favorite band, but also the biggest band of all time. Watching Paul on stage and just thinking about all the music I’ve listened to, all the books I’ve read and movies I’ve watched – thinking about the sheer history behind him and his music – I was a bit in awe. Not surprising to anyone who knows me, I did find myself actually in tears twice. Once was when Paul sang “Here Today,” a song he wrote for John after his death that makes me cry every single time I hear it. The other time I teared up was during “Yesterday,” I think because the lady behind me was bawling. Crying is contagious for me – I just can’t help it. I was happy that Paul sang “Something” and had a little montage dedicated to George. Not only did Paul sing “Here Today” for John, but he also sang a mishmash of “A Day in the Life” and “Give Peace a Chance,” which was just lovely.

In all, it was a thrilling night that I hope I can relive in the future (don’t die Paul!). Parry and I took a few videos which you can see here: Videos. Many of the videos only cover the first few seconds of songs, as I wanted to capture a few classics while not ruining the moment by having to hold my phone up the whole time. In many of them you can hear me singing or screaming; I apologize ahead of time. A few of them are pretty cool though.  There are also some pictures of the arena and concert here: Pictures. Below, I’ve included the one song that Parry filmed in whole: “Yesterday” and a clip of the crowd singing “Hey Jude.” Enjoy!