Raleigh • Monday, May 27, 2019

About

One of the things that people say to me when they’re seeing the show, ‘You didn’t take a drink of water the whole time,’ But tonight I’m going to… A rule is broken. That’s what rules are for.

Paul McCartney

From The News & Observer, May 28, 2019:

I didn’t know seeing Paul McCartney in concert was on my bucket list — one of the bands or singers I have to see live in my lifetime. But after watching him perform 38 of his songs Monday night at Raleigh’s PNC Arena, why wasn’t a McCartney show on my list?

For two hours and 45 minutes, with a quick break at the end before the encore, McCartney’s Freshen Up tour delivered hit after hit — from The Beatles, Wings, as a solo artist, and a song from The Quarrymen, the group that preceded The Beatles. He weaved in stories behind the songs, dedicating them to those who inspired them or wrote them. That included a shoutout to wife, Nancy Shevell, who he said was in the audience.

He even made a little Paul McCartney history. He famously doesn’t drink water on stage during his shows — oh, his poor vocal chords — but after clearing his throat a few times during “Here Today,” he broke down. Now mind you, he already had sung more than 20 songs straight, so I’m not really fretting about the quality of his voice. After “Queenie Eye,” a bottle of water was brought to his piano.

So momentous was the occasion, McCartney called attention to it, and the sip was taken with a drum roll.

“One of the things that people say to me when they’re seeing the show, ‘You didn’t take a drink of water the whole time,’” he told the crowd between sips.

“But tonight I’m going to,” he said. “A rule is broken. That’s what rules are for.” […]

From Paul McCartney.com, June 21, 2019:

You know you’re “a superstar’s superstar” (OK that’s a quote from the NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE, but it’s just too perfect for this Raleigh anecdote) when taking a sip of water onstage makes headlines—and that’s exactly what happened on this historic night in Raleigh. The RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER, whose review bore the headline “Paul McCartney’s Raleigh show had singalongs, fireworks and a cool sip of water,” broke the news:

So momentous was the occasion, McCartney called attention to it, and the sip was taken with a drum roll.

“One of the things that people say to me when they’re seeing the show, ‘You didn’t take a drink of water the whole time,’” he told the crowd between sips.

“But tonight I’m going to,”  he said.

“A rule is broken. That’s what rules are for.”

Paul’s first show in Raleigh NC since his 2002 stop on the ‘Driving World’ tour broke records as well as rules, setting yet another box office record for the PNC Arena. As for the show itself… Paul took Raleigh on a magical mythical tour that moved the local WRAL to remark on its “surpassing amount of effort into songs he’s sung 1,000 times,” adding that “none of Monday night’s show felt the least bit rote… And what did he close the show with? The album-ending Abbey Road suite concluding with ‘The End,’ of course, and it could not have been more perfect.”

And I can’t offer a more perfect account than that. Onward and southward we go…

From Steve Martin, Paul’s US Publicist

Last updated on June 22, 2019

PNC Arena

This was the 1st and only concert played at PNC Arena.

Setlist for the concert