The Biggest Fish in the Biggest Pond

For any other act, selling out a 17,000 seat venue is an accomplishment.

For Paul McCartney, it's a "cozy evening with a few friends."

I can scarcely believe it, but I am going to see my all-time favorite artist again.  This time in Fargo, North Dakota... of all places!

Frame of reference:  Paul McCartney holds the Guiness Book of World Records for largest paying audience to see a solo artist:  184,000 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 21, 1990.

According to the 2012 U.S. Census, the population of Fargo is 109,000.

Think about that.

The last (and only time) the Wife and I saw Paul McCartney was on a crisp Monday night in September 2002.  And I have to admit it was the only time I've truly been star struck.

In fact, I vividly remember thinking to myself, as McCartney took the stage, "Holy sh*t!  He looks just like him!"

(Sounded just like him, too.)

McCartney in Verona, Italy.  That crowd is pretty much the population of Fargo.

Now, I like to think of myself as a rational person.  Hey, everyone puts their pants on one leg at time, right?  Yet it was hard to wrap my brain around the fact that songs such as "Yesterday," "Hey Jude," "Let It Be," "Eleanor Rigby," "Get Back," (and I could go on for 42 paragraphs), songs which have simply been in the atmosphere since I was born, were actually written by this guy.  

But there he was.

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I have no idea how it came about that Paul McCartney is playing in Fargo.  The only information I've read stated promoters in Fargo have been trying to get McCartney "for years."

And I am sure Fargo, North Dakota, wasn't the first place McCartney or his band thought of when heading out on the road earlier this year.

Bear in mind, McCartney is playing soccer stadiums in South America this month (Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador are on the itinerary).  He is playing to sold out houses numbering in six figures.

He then heads to Central America for his first ever show in Costa Rica at the giant Estadio Nacional.

Japan is next, to playing shows at Tokyo's National Olympic Stadium and Osaka's Nagai Stadium.

National Stadium in Tokyo.  McCartney has sold out two nights here in May.

Then another first:  he travels to South Korea for his first ever appearance in that country at the mammoth Olympic Stadium in Seoul, having sold out 72,000 seats.

And on July 12, 2014, in yet another first: he performs in Fargo, North Dakota.

"I have no idea where Fargo is, but what the hell... let's give 'em a show!"

What?  Really?!

Fargo isn't the only "small market" that McCartney is playing this tour (dubbed the "Out There" tour).  He is also appearing in Lubbock, Texas, larger than Fargo by about 125,000 people.

In other words, Fargo is by far the smallest city McCartney has performed in since... well, probably since the early days with the Beatles, when they played small cities and seaside resorts in England and Scotland, before "John, Paul, George and Ringo" become household names around the world.

It is fairly mind-boggling that this living legend, co-founder of the Beatles, MBE and knighted by the Queen of England, who has headlined everywhere from Red Square to the Olympics, from the White House to the Super Bowl, is actually doing a show in the Fargodome.

But McCartney signs off on everything he does, so when he was approached about playing Fargo, I'm sure the conversation went something like:

"Um, Fargo?  Where's that, luv?"

Yet ultimately, he gave the thumbs up, which I think is beyond cool and it's a reflection on the kind of guy McCartney really is.  He could easily have said, "Not a chance.  It's too small."

Or maybe... just maybe he is a Bison fan?

Undoubtedly the show will sell out almost instantaneously.

So yeah, this is kind of a big deal.  And I'm kind of excited.  I think the Wife is too.

Better yet, the Wife and I get to share the experience with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, mother-in-law and father-in-law.  We are all going to the show together.

I'm especially excited for my mother-in-law and father-in-law.  They were teenagers and young adults in the 1960's, an era which was defined by the Beatles; a decade in which Paul McCartney was a pop icon.

Today, that iconic status has graduated to legendary.

The last time (and only time) I saw McCartney was in St. Paul 12 years ago.  The three hour show (no breaks, no intermission) was nothing short of spectacular and he had one of the best band I've ever heard live.  (McCartney formed the band just a few months prior and they have been together ever since.)

These dudes can flat out PLAY.

Lead guitarist Rusty Anderson (L) and multi-instrumentalist Brian Ray (R) flank McCartney.  These two are exceptional musicians and have both released terrific solo albums in their own right.  In fact, Brian Ray has left comments on this very blog.  That's how cool he is!

Drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr., has become known as one of the best time keepers in the business.  He is almost as much fun to watch as his bass playing boss.  

Paul "Wix" Wickens (another multi-instrumentalist) is the senior member of the band, having been with McCartney since 1989.

So, as hard as it is to believe, the Paul McCartney and his kick-ass band of wandering minstrels will be in Fargo on July 12th.  And I am going to be there.

To me, McCartney is simply elevated above all others.  Artists which I deeply respect, like Billy Joel, Elton John, The Eagles, Rush and Sting started playing because of the Beatles.

To me, Paul McCartney is the biggest fish in the biggest pond.  In the 1960's, his band launched the biggest music and cultural revolution ever seen, and he was one of the principle songwriters and singers in that band.

The world has never been the same since.  That sounds like hyperbole, but I dare you to prove me wrong.

McCartney in Fargo.  I'm still pinching myself.