Paul McCartney Fans Come Together At Outside Lands
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – What a way to end the first day of the 6th Annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival by wrapping it up with the individual who epitomizes the word "artist," Sir Paul McCartney!
PHOTOS: Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival 2013
The Chicago city skyline is the backdrop to Lollapalooza. Coachella has a Ferris wheel and palm trees in the Palm Springs desert. San Francisco's Golden Gate Park sets the perfect stage for musical legends at the Outside Lands Music Festival.
If you were not part of the 65,000 in attendance to wear the highly coveted wristband, the entire weekend of the show can be seen via online webcasting. Ustream provides the free streaming service of Outside Lands through your iPad, iPhone, Galaxy device and of course through your personal computer. If you're lucky enough to own a streaming TV with Ustream, you can also view Outside Lands in all its high def glory. Broadband willing.
Some of the highlights of Friday include Hawaiian singer, Anuhea who announced that Outside Lands would be her last live performance for a while, as she prepares to give birth. Cue the "Awww."
D'Angelo who bowed out late in the week due to a "medical emergency," was replaced by R&B/Disco band CHIC. Bassist and founder, Nile Rodgers worked up the audience in dance with their hit song "Good Times" and mashed things up with the rap from Sugar Hill Gang's "Rappers Delight," a song that sampled "Good Times." Rodgers has worked with many artists from Aretha Franklin, Madonna and David Bowie. Recently Daft Punk teamed up with Pharrell Williams and Rodgers on their huge hit "Get Lucky."
Alternative Rock band The National acknowledged their two influences, Kronos Quartet and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead & Further, who joined them on stage during their set at Outside Lands. Right before their performance of "Terrible Love" lead singer Matt Berninger said, "I had no idea this was going to happen."
With such a diversity of performers, the crowd had come together to see the former Beatle and Wing's leader, Paul McCartney. He took on the Lands End Stage for a set that lasted close to 3 amazing hours. McCartney kicked things off with the Beatles hit "Eight Days A Week" and included a ton of music from the Beatles era like "Hey Jude," "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," "Let It Be" and "Magical Mystery Tour," a song which was not part of his current "Out There!" Tour.
At one point, a sentimental McCartney held a ukulele, he fondly recalled the time writing "Something" with George Harrison when they both composed the song with their ukuleles. He then fittingly began the song, acoustically.
A few "Wings" tunes also made the set list as well like "Junior's Farm," "Band on the Run" and "Listen to What the Man Said." During a raucous "Live & Let Die" set, Sir Paul wowed the audience with the accompaniment of a pyrotechnics display that lit up the night sky.
Their first encore began with the Beatles song "Day Tripper," a song released in 1965 as part of a double A-side single with "We Can Work It Out." Then on to the 1972 Wing's hit "Hi Hi Hi," another double A-side single with the song "C Moon." Afterwards, an "infatuated-to-audience-signs" McCartney brings up on-stage two girls with signs that read "Paul, Please Sign Me! Be My First and Only Tattoo!" The two decided they wanted his signature on their left wrist so they can have his autograph forever. A bit of a writing challenge and much to McCartney's chagrin, he had to embrace each girl in order to "get the angle" for proper signage.
In a tribute to the city, McCartney also performed his version of "San Francisco Bay Blues," a song he sang during his sound check (…and as heard by some very content Golden Gate Park neighbors). McCartney also performed many of his solo hits like "My Valentine," "Another Day" and "Here Today" a song written two years after the death of his friend John Lennon and about their collaborative friendship.
Not many artists can do a second encore, but Paul McCartney is one icon that can. Accompanied by a string quartet, McCartney proceeded with the poignantly done Beatles hit, "Yesterday." Afterwards, McCartney turns to guitarist Rusty Anderson and back to the audience and says, "He tells me one more. Okay, he asked for it" and goes on to rip right into an amazing performance of the Beatles' hit "Helter Skelter."
Paul McCartney, appropriately enough, closes out the show with the climactic medley from the "Abbey Road" album, "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" and "The End." His Outside Lands performance begins the last leg of McCartney's "Out There!" Tour. Next stop will be in Winnipeg, Canada on Sunday and move on to several dates in Japan.
Outside Lands continues through Sunday, August 12 with headliners Nine Inch Nails and Phoenix on Saturday night and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Willie Nelson and Kaskade rounding out the weekend on Sunday night.
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