Paul McCartney live: Foro Sol, Mexico City

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1. mithveaen Sunday 30 May 2010

   When the plane arrived from my hometown to Mexico City I said “I’m in the same city than a Beatle”. In that moment, I thought “Oh my God, I’m really doing this!” A friend picked me up in the airport and in her car while going to the hotel, I was listening to a radio station and the only topic was Paul McCartney is in Mexico. That there were a lot of people outside his hotel, that security didn’t allow Paul to sign autographs to fans, that Thursday concert was memorable, that the girl who danced with Paul was looked for all media, and that people going to the second concert shouldn’t forget their lighters. I was like “What??” and my friend said “Yeah, I dunno what for, but you need a lighter”.

   While eating in the restaurant and going sightseeing, you could see Beatles everywhere. Music, magazines, windows stores, everybody had their Beatles products in display, McCartney’s concert in their TVs. There was a bookstore with some Beatles books for sale, and they had this huge John Lennon pic outside the store.The books were a book of pictures of John Lennon from Life magazine, and The Beatles in photos. I was truly tempted to get them (they were truly cheap) but I decided not to buy anything yet.
   The only missing thing was ads on the street about the concert. I wanted to take a pic with my tshirt but my friend said “They didn’t advertise the concert with billboards or ads because the concert sold itself”
   When I arrived to the hotel and asked if I could arrange a taxi to take me and pick me up at the concert, the lady from the reception said “Oh you’re sooo lucky!!” and after I changed and I went down wearing my Paul t-shirt she said to me “Have a great night! I’m going to check it on Internet!” (the concert was broadcasted on a famous soda’s brand website). I dunno if it was client service, but I felt it wasn’t. The taxi driver took me and we were listening to a very very popular football soccer radio show… talking about Paul’s concert. The driver said “It’s insane, everybody is talking about it!!” and later they mentioned why we needed the lighters : It was to turn them on and off at the rhythm of Let them In.
   When I arrived to the Foro Sol it was surreal. I mean, all these old, young, teens, even children wearing all the Beatles and Paul McCartney t-shirts under the sun. You could see Revolver’s album on a guy, too many Abbey Road’s covers, Paul McCartney’s up and coming tour t-shirts, some very cool like a guy with cartoon Paul all over his t-shirt… and 3 guys wearing Paul’s blue Sgt. Pepper’s coat!!
   I arrived to the line and listened to the sound check, and naturally started chatting with a very nice lady who bought me a lollipop and a Dad around my age with her 14 year old gril who swore that if Paul entered through that door, she was going to jump to his car to tell him “I love you!!” and she really meant it. She loved my tshirt and made her Dad promise that he would get that image printed in a shirt just to show off with her classmates. (My shirt says “Paul McCartney, prettier than Robert Pattinson since 1942. All the people that saw my shirt loved it and asked me where I got it)
   The doors were opened and there were no cameras allowed.. but anyway a lot of people entered with their camphones. I sat on my seat (covered with a cheap but practical raincoat) like maybe 50 or 60 mts away from the stage, . I looked at the people as they were arriving, and started a game to spend the time, I tried to guess who were posers (the ones who are not fans but went to say “I was there”) or true fans. Another game was trying to guess the song that was played on the speakers (I recognized the one Paul wrote for a movie while he was with the Beatles, beautiful tune). The guys with cheaper seats were having a lot of fun because a camera was shooting them and they were singing and shouting and having a blast. I started regretting buying a more expensive ticket thinking I was around no Beatles true fan and I was going to be the only one cheering at Paul.
   The hours went, the seats were takend and few minutes before the concert, the people in the stands started making the wave, and the people at the level of stage were cheering them. I started eating my lollipop because I was getting hungry and tired.. when at 8.50 there was no countdown, just the screens started to show a video collage along with an amazing mix of Paul’s songs. The stands and the guys in general location (no seats, just standing) started to dance and sing. I stood up and started dancing while a few of the people around me were just like “uh.. cool”. Everytime a Beatle pic was shown the crowd in the stages cheered up.
   And then, the remix stopped and we heard “And in the end… the love you take.. is equal to the love you make”.. and the concert started!!
   It was fantastic. Paul looked great, I could see him away but clear, and I found myself screaming and jumping. The music was great, and although he doesn’t have a great display of technology like U2, he didn’t need it at all. The music, lightening, and the large screens were more than enough.
   The people around me were cheering as well.. and when he sang A Long and Winding Road, the stadium was with lights off and we turned on the lighters. It was a beautiful moment.
   But everything changed when Paul sang “Let them in”. When the song started I took out my lighter and I started on off on off… I saw the guitar player making a face like “Yes! They’re doing it again”. The lights were turned off and then, I turned a little to my right, and then looked back and screamed to the guy next to me who was taping with his camphone “Back look back!!” Hundreds of lighters were on off at the rhythm of the song. For just one second I dropped my jaw at the AMAZING sight of hundreds of little lights like dragonflies on and off. I just screamed and jumped and continued my routine with the lighter. Everybody was dancing and singing. In that moment, the concert became something unforgettable, and we didn’t look back.
   Paul sang My love and he said “I wrote this song for Linda, but tonight I dedicated for all the people in love”. I called my sister and I could see couples hugging and kissing. later anothe song and then he said that he liked the lighters trick and he asked us to do it again. So we did and he improvised a song saying “Shine your lights.. Mexico..” and we screamed everytime he said “Mexico”. It was great!!
   Another very special moment was when he introduced Blackbird, he just played a few chords and a guy in front of me said “Yes!! Blackbird!” and we sang it together. After that.. I think he sang Here today… his song to John.. and again we lit with our lighters. Another very special moment was when he sang “Something” and all those beautiful pics of George on the screens, I was singing at the top of my lungs and at the end the girls were screaming “George George” and I sent a kiss to the stage. The 14-teen girl next to me was crying.
   The concert went on and Paul was totally eager to please us and we gave him all. A moment the audience went nuts was with Paperback Writer… my legs are sore for jumping the whole song, the teens around me were screaming and dancing at that one. There was a moment when Paul asked us to sing “Ohhh” and we sang “Ohhh” and then he said “Ahhh” and we were “ahhhhh” and then he was like “oh oh oh” and we “oh oh oh” and later “uh oh ah” and we “uh oh ah” and then he made a noise like a little girl “ah” and we did “ah” and then Paul moved his hand like saying “Are you kidding me come on!!” and we laughed and started chanting “oh eh oh eh oh eh oh eh Sir Paul Sir Paul”.
   Everybody chanted in Give Peace a Chance and made the peace and love with our hands.. and we sang with him Let it be. And with Live and Let die.. everybody went nuts with the lights and the fireworks… I can’t remember seeing anybody not jumping and waving their hands. At the end, with all the smoke on stage Paul was like waving his hands like saying “My God too much smoke in here!!”
   Yesterday was a beautiful moment, the whole stadium was only one voice.. (I think it was the only Beatle song everybody knew haha)
   It started to rain and everybody put their raincoats on, most of the people was prepared (so was I) Then Paul asked “Do you mind the rain?” and we shouted “Nooo” and it really didn’t matter.
   With Hey Jude, in the na-na chorus, he made the boys sing first,and then the girls… and then all together. When the girls danced he did some kind of sexy moves that made me laugh. He looked relaxed and happy. I could also see that the band (which BTW played great) was having a blast with the concert.
   In the final encore, Paul came back to the stage with a huge Mexican flag and the guitar player from the band with the Union Jack and all the stadium chanted “Mexico Mexico”. The house went nuts again with Helter Skelter, and then he played Sgt Pepper’s reprise and the End, and something quite funny, all teens went nuts when they saw the video from Rock Band, and we ended those 3 memorables hours shouting the mytical line. I raised my arms and I felt the rain. The concert was over and I was tired, happy and definetly numbed with all the emotions I felt.

   Then we all slowly left the Foro Sol like a procesion. It took me 40 minutes to find my taxi driver and go back to the hotel. In all the way back, we were chatting about the concert. The lady from the hotel welcomed me back and said “Was it good?” and I said “Words can’t describe it”
   So yeah, words can’t describe it. Paul is a true showman and maybe he has a huuuge ego and we fed him a lot last night, but I prefer to think that it was a moment of true communication through music. I could feel the Beatles magic a bit, even if it was with one of them.
   Now I’m back to my city, to the reality and feeling a bit sad because the moment is over. And still, I can’t stop moving my thumb and singing “Someone’s knocking at the door.. somebody’s ringing the bell.. do me favor, open the door, and let them in”… that’s a memory I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

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2. Oscar Sunday 27 June 2010

   I was there too on 28th May, And all you wrote is absolutely true!! It was amazing,fantastic, etc, etc. I had been before to one of his concerts on august 2009 in Dallas Texas, Paul was fantastic as usual, but I have to say that Mexican audience are more passionate than American audience. I’m not saying that American audience is bad at all, they are excellent, but Mexican audience must be one of the best audiences in the whole world, If not the best.
   Paul is fantastic in Usa, in Mexico in England, everywhere!!!! But when the best musician, singer, songwriter, performer in history plays for such an amazing audience, There’s not enough words to describe how amazing that show was (and so it was the other one on 27th may)

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