Concerts, Music, Reviews
Sep 27, 2013

PAUL MCCARTNEY ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE

Historic. That is the first word that comes to mind when I think of how to describe Sir Paul McCartney on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this past Monday night. Thanks to Kimmel, in partnership with 1iota, thousands of adoring fans were able to see McCartney shake things up on a closed off portion Hollywood Boulevard…for free.

Set up on a stage between the El Capitan Theatre and famed Chinese Theatre, McCartney enthusiastically performed Beatles favorites as well as a few tracks from his conveniently titled new album, “New”. Everything about the scene was magical: the lights, the energy, the crowd…McCartney himself was radiating. The man has been performing for the majority of his life, and still seems to genuinely enjoy it.

After teasing us from the roof of the El Capitan with Mr. Kimmel, McCartney appeared on stage, diving right into “Magical Mystery Tour”. Sprinkled between “Lady Madonna”, “Birthday” and “Back in the U.S.S.R”, we were treated to “New”, “Save Us”, and “Everybody Out There”. McCartney was interactive and encouraged the audience to sing along, always pausing between songs to quip to the audience, never forgetting to acknowledge fans all the way in the back.

It was obvious that the majority of the crowd felt something at this show. Even a certain someone who claimed not to have cried in 5 years teared up during a festive performance of “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”—recalling the theme song from 90’s TV series, “Life Goes On” and falling into blissful nostalgia.

McCartney never wavered in stage presence, concluding the night with “Day Tripper”, “Let it Be” and “Hey Jude”. McCartney had all the men in the audience sing the “na-na’s”, then all the women. If thousands of people swaying and singing “Hey Jude” doesn’t give you crazy chills and perma-smile then you have no soul. It was certainly something—a historic night indeed. Cheers to Mr. Kimmel and 1iota. Random celebrity spotting—Corey Feldman!