Every ACL there’s always one artist that you cannot believe Austin was able to get as a headliner. Some years, the headliners can be slightly underwhelming, and other years, they are beyond belief. This year ACL Fest outdid themselves when they announced that Paul McCartney, one of the two living members of The Beatles, would be headlining ACL.
Earlier into this blog, I wrote that I’ve made a growing list of artists I’d like to see live one day. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would see Paul McCartney in concert, and in Texas for that matter.
Typically, I dedicate part of my blog to provide some background on the artist and to their music style, but Paul McCartney needs no introduction. So I will just jump right in.
Paul McCartney is, for lack of a better word, a legend. At 76 years old, this man jumped on stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people and preformed like he was still in twenty years younger. Drenched in sweat, McCartney’s dedication to preserving his music in a live setting is astounding.
With over a two-hour set, McCartney used his time on stage to preform every Beatles classic that fans were hoping they’d hear, along with some of his own music from his equally successful solo career. Every person in that crowd, or what seemed like could have been all of Zilker Park, knew the words to every single song.
McCartney preformed songs going all the way back to the Please Please Me album. Hearing “Love Me Do,” “Let It Be,” “I’ve Just Seen A Face,” and more in person, by the man who helped pen most of those songs, was an unreal experience. However, it was when he and his band played my favorite Beatles song, “Something,” that I completely lost it. I’m twenty-five. The fact that I can say I’ve seen someone who has shaped the music of so many of today’s artists, someone who even my parents wish they’d be able to one day see, was performing live in front of me was insane.
The most amazing part of the performance, as expected, was when he preformed “Hey Jude.” It was beyond extraordinary to witness people from all walks of life, who likely don’t share the same political, cultural, or religious beliefs, come together (pun intended) to belt this song at the top of their lungs in the middle of a park in Texas. I will forever remember that feeling.
See a glimpse of what I mean in the clip taken by me below.
Capital City Concerts 