Edmonton • Sunday, September 30, 2018

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From For Whom The Bell Tells, January 11, 2019:

Sunday, September 30 – Rogers Place, Edmonton

We are at the last of the four Canadian shows, a fortnight after we landed in the country. It has been an amazing reception throughout our time here as we edged our way west, skipping from Quebec City to Montreal and then Winnipeg until we reach our final stop at Canada’s oil capital, Edmonton, Alberta. Rogers Place is another new sports venue and construction work had not even begun the last time Paul did a series of Canadian shows. 

For today’s show day, Mayor of the City Don Iveson declares it ‘Paul McCartney Day’ in Edmonton. His proclamation reads:

Whereas, Paul McCartney is one of the most prolific recording artists, songwriters and composers of all time;

And whereas, he is recognised worldwide for his extensive catalogue of music ranging, from The Beatles and Wings to numerous works as a composer of classical and electronic music to his current solo pursuits;

And whereas, Paul McCartney has spent over 60 years entertaining, sharing his passion for music with the world and championing meaningful charities;

And whereas, his music centres on positive themes of love, peace and understanding, serving to inspire and bring together generations of music fans;

Therefore I, Mayor Don Iveson, do hereby proclaim September 30, 2018 ‘Paul McCartney Day’ in Edmonton, Alberta’s Capital City.

Dated this day 30^thSeptember 2018

For the final word it is over to the reviewers to give the lowdown on this hoedown. Edmonton’s entertainment website Gigcity sums it up like this: “The trouble with setting the bar so high is that you might never get over yourself again. This is now known as the ‘Paul McCartney Rule’. The British Rock God’s epic and self-worshipping marathon of a rock concert at Rogers Place on Sunday night was Beatle-esque nostalgia lovefest of the highest order – from one of the greatest rock artists and songwriters of the 20th Century. We were privileged.”
Of course it would be more accurate to add “… and of the 21^stCentury” but we know what they mean. And after 39 songs (including seven tracks among the encores) it is all over, as is our time in Canada.   

From Exclaim!, October 1, 2018:

[…] You could almost see the memory synapses light up all at the same time in the minds of the multi-generational crowd as McCartney opened the last Canadian date on his “Freshen Up” tour with “A Hard Day’s Night.” A mix of Wings, Beatles and new songs from Egypt Station followed, signalling that the evening would be spent time travelling across McCartney’s entire catalogue. His band played the older songs as if they’d just discovered them while the newer tracks were played with as though they’d invented them. The most welcomed songs of the night by far were the Beatles tracks that formed the soundtrack to the latter half of the 20th century.

It wasn’t only McCartney compositions that were featured. “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” brought a Lennon-penned psychedelic circus to the arena, and “Something” began by McCartney playing a ukulele and signing alone in a touching tribute to George Harrison. Short stories about his former bandmates, as well as other legendary musicians he’d encountered, were interspersed throughout the long and winding night. There were also some genuinely funny moments, like when a bald, burly security guard was visibly moved during “Love Me Do” and became inspired to give out little love heart candies with the written messages on them to other security staff.

The composition of the soldout crowd was rare for a concert in Edmonton. When McCartney elicited applause from local Edmontonians, then broadening the scope to those from Alberta, and then finally everywhere else, it was difficult to tell what group was the loudest. He followed with a goofy joke about being a member of the tourism board, but the unspoken subtext was that his personal gravity hasn’t waned through 60 years in the public eye. He was uniquely able to draw a crowd from all ages in all corners of the globe and gather them in the same Northern Canadian arena at the same time. […]

Last updated on March 30, 2021

Rogers Place

This was the 1st and only concert played at Rogers Place.

Setlist for the soundcheck

Setlist for the concert