Paul McCartney Yankee Stadium 7/15

[Annalina Lennon McCartney]

SOOO, I'm still high off my McCartney show,

 

• How It Started
• Seeking Tickets
• The Show! (Skip to the show if the details bore you.)

 

I'd like to share my whole ordeal just for this special night!

 

HOW IT STARTED:

On June 9th, I received an email from PaulMcCartney.com stating that his "On the Run" tour starts off in, no other than, NYC! I was elated, excited, AND AMAZED that Paul McCartney will be playing in New York again, but in a different stadium!

 

I've never been to Yankee Stadium prior to this, so this was a reason to go there!

 

Since I'm broke, I couldn't get the seats that the a Paul McCartney fan would want.

 

Almost every single day I had to check CraigsList, eBay, and StubHub to see if there were any tickets I could afford. I also dreamt to find tickets on the floor within 10 rows of the stage for a reasonable, affordable price.

 

I kept checking ticket broker & reseller sites, but all you could see were floor seats in the THOUSANDS. Who could afford to pay $10,000 for a first row seat? NOT ME.

 

I even had a Yankee Pre-sale pass code that someone gave to me who was a season ticket holder. I couldn't use it. For the reasons you know why!

 

 

SEEKING TICKETS:

 

As soon as I knew about the concert, I quickly tuned into the local Rock Station 104.3 and Oldies Station 101.1

 

104.3 was giving out tickets and I was DETERMINED to win! How determined? I used a cell phone, my home phone, my mom, and even got JP Walrus to dial in for me! Whenever you heard a clip of Paul saying "Win to see me at Yankee Stadium" you had to call! Well, I tried and tried. And tried and tried. JP almost got through because he heard a ringing but no one answered! :( So gave up on that.

 

101.1 was also giving out tickets every "Beatles Wednesday" to the 11th caller after hearing a live version of a Paul McCartney song. I needed to win this one! But, so the story goes... I wasn't lucky enough! I was even almost devastated when I found out I was caller 4! Ugh, my lucky number fab four didn't even get me to be caller 11.

 

I knew I had to turn to the reseller and broker sites after not being able to win tickets.

 

One person was selling "(2) First row tickets" for $250--or was it for $500? Sadie and I got so excited about this because we were fantasizing about going together and seeing Paul in Yankee Stadium in the first row! Unfortunately, this guy was a scammer, so that broke our dreams down a bit.

 

I should also mention I even posted on CraigsList seeing if anyone had tickets to give for free!

 

Well, the big day was almost approaching. I HAD to get tickets. It would also have been nice to have someone come with me. Sadly, my mom had to work and I really don't have any Beatley friends to join me for this event...

 

I wished that my online Beatle Buddies lived near me, cuz we'd have so much fun together!

 

I was even wondering if Beatle Bob could possibly join me (most people sell tickets by the pair), or if I could possibly find 2 spare tickets that anyone has who can give them away for free.

 

Then, I saw some low bids on some tickets on eBay. I decided to bid on a few, then I won 1! I was SOO Excited Because I KNEW I HAD TO GO... I met up with the seller and got the ticket!

 

Even holding the ticket in my hand felt unreal! All Paul shows to me seemed like a dream, more than real life!

 

Later on, I got an email from someone who had a free ticket to give away. I wish I could have been in two seats at once!

 

I eventually decided to give away or sell the ticket that I had won off eBay. I wanted to go for Free or probably end up staying home because I had already seen Paul about 4 or 5x and actually save my money on possibly a future floor seat or just to pay bills!

 

I was either thinking to give it to someone who's never seen Paul before, or a needy Paul fan, or just someone that I know would have fun. I actually got back my money's worth after trading it to a girl.

 

One note, I made a post on CraigsList saying if anyone could tell me how much of a big Paul/Beatles fan they are, I could probably give them my ticket for free. I had a few emails, but 1 stuck out the most. I also got a warning about giving away a ticket for free. The warning was that this person who also gave away tickets before had gotten in trouble for doing that around the stadium and one time gave a ticket to an old man, WHO, in a distasteful manner, reSOLD the tickets to other guys, WHO eventually gotten in trouble for being really rowdy and rude!

The nicer email was this law student, who states that he's broke, but works fulltime? has fond memories of his dad playing Beatles records for him as a child... and that each song brings those memories alive again, and even a girlfriend he had named Julia coincided with Julia, his favorite song.

The rest of the emails I received were only 2 sentences. They also write that they were young. I don't think 33 years old is that young to be a Beatles fan! haha, no age is too young to be a fan!

 

I even saw Piper, the dancing cowboy -- you can see him on the "Good Evening Tonight" DVD. He dances wildly & freely throughout Paul's songs. I even chatted with him when I sent him a good luck message when I found his post looking for a ticket on CraigsList.

 

What was weird... is that I thought I've seen this woman and man before... and after a while, I was thinking they were Margie and Luke (the mother-son team/season 14 & 18) from Amazing Race! I almost followed them, but I couldn't be sure, so I left it alone... I could have sworn! (But it says they live in Colorado, so I can not be sure...)

 

A lot of people were wearing Beatles shirts. A good 30-50% were wearing some type of Beatles shirt! There were Beatles shirts, Paul concert shirts, John Lennon shirts... I wish I had more in my collection!

THE SHOW:

 

SO YES... I got to go for free! It was 1st row in the Grand Stand area, which is a view of the entire arena. It was SOO high up, which was scary! I felt like I could have fallen off during the song "I've Just Seen A Face"...right on the lyrics "Falling, yes I am falling..." and like JP said, "She came in through the Grandstand window!"

 

(View from 420C)

(Note: View is from a regular baseball day. Will add pics at a later time)

 

The person who gave me the ticket for free also sat next to me. He's also a Beatles/Paul fan and has seen Paul in CitiField also.

 

Paul played some new songs, for me at least. He started off with Hello Goodbye. The new songs I've never heard him play Live before were The Night Before, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five, Let 'Em In, I've Just Seen a Face, Mrs. Vandebilt, AND Golden Slumbers...as the end song... along with Carry That Weight/The end.

 

View the whole setlist here and to read Steve Marinucci's Beatles I...

 

It took me 1 hour and 30 minutes to get back homeward, and boy, am I carrying that weight!

 

Signs: Some were funny and some were fab!

 

"Hey Paul, my name is Jude!"

Paul says, "HEY JUDE!"

 

"Please Paul, Sign my Butt!"

Paul says, "Oh no, Thank you"

[Sadie]

ANN!!! Did you see him again on 7/16?? I'm glad you enjoyed the show on 7/15. I'm searching for any pictures or videos from Yankee Stadium. Great setlist I read! :-)

[BeatleBob]

Yeah, I must have seen them play 1000 times! They were a pretty popular band on Long Island at the time, and had a big following. Their band was named "Jasmine". Gotta Love the Beatles and Macca Stuff! :-D It's Great you play guitar! :-)) Gotta run. Have a FAB Day!! :-D

[Annalina Lennon McCartney]

So cool! :D

It is so fun to play on guitar, I bet anyone who tries, can learn it! :)

That's awesome you had friends who included Beatles/Wings songs in their setlist! Gotta love The Beatles and Macca stuff! :-)

[BeatleBob]

That's a GREAT Tidbit! :-) They were all about peace, love, and freedom!

Anybody who plays a guitar and is a Beatles fan, has played that on their acoustic! My friend Joe played it for me on a new acoustic he was buying many years ago in a Sam Ash store before he bought that guitar. ;-) My friends had a band for many years back then, and they included some Beatles songs in every set they played. Beatles, and Wings songs. Ah, memories! :-D

 

[Annalina Lennon McCartney]

Here's another tidbit: After Paul said that 'Blackbird' was a song to give hope to the people in the south during the Civil Rights movement, and performing it beautifully, he said, "That's for all the budding artists out there!" Then he asked, "Who's tried to try and play that one before?" and with a show of hands, INCLUDING ME, I raised my hand up... Hahaha. I learned it on my acoustic guitar when I was 16 :-)

 

 

[Sadie]

"Sadie and I got so excited about this because we were fantasizing about going together and seeing Paul in Yankee Stadium."

Haha yes, but we had a feeling it was too good to be true. :'-(
To me, meeting you in real life would be just as exciting as seeing Paul live!!
You're my favorite Beatle buddy/best friend/twin sister! <3
I'm glad you had fun! Thanks for sharing your experience with us! And I hope you can go again tonight! :-)

[BeatleBob]

I Really Enjoyed your whole story!! Thank You for posting it!! :-))

It's sad that you go to Beatley Events Alone! But, from what you said, I guess you're used to it. You're Right!! WHY would you do other stuff when you're most interested in Beatles Stuff?!? Non Beatle Fans like we are just don't understand! It's always much better going to places with friends! And going to a Beatley Event with friends is a 1000x Better!! 

I sure understand how you feel when you find out that Paul or Ringo adds a concert in NYC and you don't have the money to buy a ticket!! I'm sorry to hear you went through the same kind of ordeal many times before, and sometimes even ending up not going!! :-(( I understand why you Hate when people would rather keep their ticket or sell both by pairs instead of giving up one to me for a cheaper price!! :-((

And yes, it's sad that anyone that's close to your age that you've met who were Beatle Fans are not as Crazy over the Beatles as you are!! LOL So you ended up going Alone! And felt a bit strange being the girl who went nuts for every song and dancing in your seat the whole time!! LOL I understand that one too!!! 

When I went in '90 I was the only one out of my friends that was singing along with every song and dancing standing up, almost the whole time too!! LOL I didn't feel that uncomfortable because I was with my friends!! But, if I was alone, I sure would have felt very awkward, and might not have done it as much?!? I'm pretty shy! But then again, it's seeing PAUL Live, I'm amazed that Everyone there wasn't doing the same thing!!! :-)) Well, there's Beatle Fans, and there's Beatle NUTS!!!! LOL ;-) I'm GLAD you didn't Stand Up, and didn't wind up in the ER from falling!! LOL ;-)

Yeah, when I went back then it was hard getting tickets too! After trying and trying Finally a video store near us was having a lottery selling Tickets. They had a ticket master machine in the store. Five of my friends and I stood in a long line outside the store for hours. And people from the store would walk along the line giving everybody a small printed sheet with numbers on it. When done, they called out the numbers and Two of my friends were lucky enough to have the numbers!! And each person who had the winning numbers could buy up to 3 tickets. So, we ALL had tickets to go in the end!! We were So Thrilled!!!! :-))

YES, "Us Paul / Beatle fans have to jump over men, horses, through hoops, and garters, lastly through a hogshead of real fire to go see our music idols!" LOL LOL ;-) I never had a hard time getting tickets to see other bands in concert!! But, this was Paul McCartney!! :-)) The only other Beatle show I seen was "Beatlemania" the Original cast at the Winter Garden Theatre. It was pretty good. And the guy who played Paul, looked and sounded a lot like Paul. Was easy to get tickets for that one. LOL  ;-)

I Hope you'll be able to go to more shows!! And I Hope the next time you try to go, it will be less of an ordeal for you to get a ticket!! :-)) I Look forward to seeing more tidbits, when you divide them out!! ;-) Again, I Loved the whole story! Thanks for sharing it with us!!! Have to sign off for today. Have a FAB rest of the day reminiscing Yesterday! :-))

[Annalina Lennon McCartney]

Thanks for reading my whole story, Beatle Bob! :-))

I am so used to going to Beatley events alone... Haha, I wish I had Beatle fan friends around! I never seem to find anyone who's a Beatle goer like I am! They usually say something like, "um, do you do other stuff than go to Beatley events... ?" In my mind, I'm like, "WHY would I go do other stuff when I'm most interested in Beatles stuff?!?!" Going with someone does make things 100x better! Plus going with someone to a Beatley event makes it 1000x better! My own mom who grew up listening to The Beatles and the 60s and the like doesn't even want to spend money on these things.

I don't care about other stuff as much, so why should I spend money or time on them? Haha. I always hate the feeling when I find out that Paul / or Ringo adds a concert in New York City, and I don't have the money to go buy a ticket... (example, I went through my ordeal many times before, sometimes even ended up not going. I also HATE how some people would rather keep their ticket or sell both by pairs instead of giving up one to me for a cheaper price!)

I'd love to have a Beatle fan friend! But like I said, anyone that's close to my age that I've met who were almost as big of a fan as I am aren't THAT interested or crazy like I am! Hahhaha.

So, I end up going alone and I somehow feel weird being the girl who goes nuts for every song that Paul performs! I was dancing in my seat the whole time, lol! I would have stood up, but I would have fell and probably end up in the ER with a huge smile on my face... hahhaa

It's interesting that back then when you went to see Paul in 1990 you and your friends also had a hard time to trying to get your tickets! Us Paul / Beatle fans have to jump over men, horses, through hoops, and garters, lastly through a hogshead of real fire to go see our music idols!

It would have been amazing if I had won a ticket through a radio station. I would definitely try to find a Beatles/Paul fan to give that ticket away for free. Haha, I'm still fantasizing about going to more shows!

Anyway, I have more tidbits to share.... Just have to divide them into clusters to spill them all out!

Thanks again for reading my whole ordeal... Lol, I provided so many details, maybe next time it could change for the better!

[BeatleBob]

WOW Beatle Girl!! I read the whole story. You sure jumped through many many hoops to try to get Tickets! You tried everything imaginable! When I was reading the part of the story when you said ; "It would also have been nice to have someone come with me." I was shocked!! I figured you had many friends close by that were Beatle Fans as well!! I was telling Sadie a while back, I would hate to go alone! That was One of the reasons why I didn't go! I just thought without a doubt you'd be going with a bunch of close friends you usually hang out with!! "But, there were Other reasons why I couldn't go, as well!!" :-(( It's SO Nice to know you were even wondering if I could possibly join you there!! :-)) I Wish I could have!! If I was able to go and somehow managed to get tickets, I surely would have joined you!! :-)) But again, there were other reasons besides trying to get tickets, why I couldn't go!! :-((

After trying so many ways to get tickets, it's So Fantastic that you saw those low bids for some tickets on eBay! And actually Won a Ticket!! Fantastic!! :-)) I'm Sure You were SO Excited when you met up with the seller and got the Ticket!! GREAT!! :-)) I remember when my friends and I went to see Paul in 1990, we also had to jump through hoops to get tickets! And was So Glad when we actually got them!! So, I sure know why you were So Excited to win that Ticket!! :-))

I know how you felt to even hold that ticket in your hand!! It sure felt like a Dream for me too at the time!! I really Enjoyed reading how you ended up getting in for FREE after all!!! That was Great!! And all you talked about including Piper the dancing cowboy and Margie and Luke look a likes! You never know, could have been them? And all about the Beatle Shirts you mentioned!

That was some seat you had! SO High Up! I Like what you said about "Falling"!! LOL But, I bet it was scary being that high up! I look forward to see the Pics you will add at a later time!! WOW!! Must have been so Cool to hear him play Golden Slumbers along with Carry That Weight at the end!! FabTastic!!!!! Along with the other songs you haven't heard him do live when you seen him the other times!! :-))

Great Set List!! :-)) And I loved those Signs you mentioned! :-)) WOW! Took you a long time "to back homeward" I could imagine you were "carrying that weight" after that!! 

Thanks So Much for telling us all about your FAB Adventure Seeing Paul!! And Thanks for telling us so soon after you got back!! So Glad you had a FAB Time!!! :-))