WHAT A KNIGHT





When Paul announced his US tour included Seattle we had to get tickets. But unfortunately our special pre-order tickets only allowed us to get two tickets. We were a family of four expecting a fifth just in time for Paul's show. So as the weeks passed we could not find tickets. I even tried posting here but still had no luck. The night before the concert I found four tickets from an online scalper (yikes). He had four tickets together in section 125, row 9 which was right beside the stage and in the front row. So I knew that my kids, who are also huge fans, could see as well.

My mother sewed up some Sgt Pepper uniforms for us because we wanted to dress up and there were the four of us. Five, including our little baby who is just over a month old. We dressed him up as George Martin. He even had his hairline. So the day of the big concert we drove down early to see Paul drive in to the show. What I had told our families is that Paul would see us when he drove in, invite us into his Lexus, and take us in to watch his sound check. Then have us stay just offstage to watch the show. Boy, was I setting myself up for huge disappointment.

So we waited and sure enough there he came, but we were on the wrong side of the street. We saw an arm with a thumb. No pre-show, no dinner with Paul.

So there we were a bit disappointed, freezing (I guess Sgt Pepper uni's weren't made for cold weather, but still excited about the show.

We finally made our way into the concert and found that our seats were better than we could have hoped. We made our way up to buy some souvenirs. Waited in line for nearly an hour then made our way down to our seats. As we got nearer our seats I heard an applause and looked at the stage thinking the pre show was about to start and saw the crowd looking at us and cheering. So I did what any other insane person would have done in that situation, I grabbed my three year old Akaya and picked her up in the air (a la Michael Jackson). Well the whole crowd went nuts.

Then after Twin Freaks (the dj) and Macca's bio which we thought were pretty cool, on he came. What a great show. My daughters were laughing and singing. I held Akaya the whole night and she wanted me to keep dancing. Rusty was out in front of us and kept waving at my girls which made them cheer even louder. But every time Paul came over our way he never ever looked at us. We thought that maybe he thought we were trying too hard and didn't want to look our way. My eldest daughter Ocean asked us why Paul would never wave at her? Then we realized that we were just in a dark part of the arena and there was no way that he was going to see us, especially with the stage lighting in his eyes. It just wasn't meant to be.

Then his photographer saw us and started snapping photos which was pretty neat and the video cameras were shooting us during a sequence of Hey Jude.

Then it happened! During one of the encores the house lights came up and he was waving at the crowds and finally spotted my family. We were waving like crazy and he pointed at us and signed rock a bye baby towards us just before he left the stage. Well now we could go home extremely happy. Then he came out for the flag waving and directed a lot of attention towards us which was a dream come true. It just couldn't get any better than this.

Wait, there's more.

Towards the end of Let It Be some security personnel was motioning us to follow him. We weren't to sure why, but one of them asked my wife who had our one month old son Solstice in a sling if she could jump over the barrier. Hell Yeah!

Once over the barrier we met one of his photographers who told us to follow him to the front of the stage, and when he gave us the signal we were to make our way around to the other side of the stage.

So we followed. He led us directly out front of Paul. What great seats these were. Then Paul started playing Sgt Pepper's Reprise. So here we were out in front of the Dalai Lama of popular culture while he is singing Sgt Pepper's reprise with us dancing out front. The camera man was filming us right in our faces and then would turn to film Sir Paul who was making faces and smiling and waving at us. During this I had been holding both of my daughters while dancing, so my arms stopped working and I asked a man dancing next to us "how strong did he feel", so I handed him Ocean and we put her up on his shoulders, then I hoisted Akaya up on my shoulders and we danced the rest of the reprise and The End like that, with Paul, Rusty & Brian waging a guitar war in front of us. Then it all ended so soon. The photographer gave us the signal that we were to leave.

We made our way around to the left of the stage, but the security guard told us that we could not pass through. I told him we were told that we were supposed to go through here. But yet again he said we could not. Then the cameraman came by and said that we were with him. So he took us under the stands. He said that he wanted some family photos of us so he arranged us how he wanted us to be and started taking photos. By this time another of Paul's cameramen had joined in the fray and was taking photos. Then one of them said to the other "Here comes the band let them enjoy the moment", my wife and I looked at each other quickly as if saying "what did he just say?" and sure enough Abe, Rusty, Brian and Wix came on through waving at us saying Hi to the girls and saying what cool costumes we had. We could not believe it, yet in my own heart I was a bit disappointed that Paul had gone out a different door.

The cameraman then walked by us and said "Paul over here".

There he was!!! The man himself, strolling up towards us wearing a red robe. I lost all bladder and bowel functions in that very moment.(joking! )

He walked up and shook my hand as I thanked him for an amazing show. He then thanked us for our show. He looked at my daughter Akaya in my arms and reached in and gave her a kiss. Can you believe that???

He then stepped back and looked at me and said "let’s give Dad a kiss too”, to which I apologized that I hadn't shaved for this occasion.

Then he kissed me on the cheek with a hug. He then crouched down and embraced my daughter Ocean and planted a kiss on her as well. He stood up and stepped over to my wife who introduced "our sweet pea" to Sir Paul. He kissed my son and then gave my wife a kiss and hug as well, it was a wonderfully tender moment. As he did this I was rubbing his back. At some point he said “so, you brought the whole family out”. Then he walked away and he turned around and said something that we couldn't make out, to which my wife, out of habit with the kids, replied "bye sweetie".

And in a flash he stepped onto his bus and he was gone.

We looked at each other in awe and embraced. We could not believe that we had just met JAMES PAUL MCCARTNEY!!!

When we came down from this moment we saw a roadie sitting on a box some thirty feet away, he smiled and said "well, that was really cool".

Needless to say, we drove home to Vancouver on a cloud, every five minutes laughing and talking about the night in general. Reliving every moment with Paul and cherishing it. We wish we could have told him about us, there was so much more that we wanted to share. Yet in those few minutes with him I think he knew us and that was why we were backstage with him and not any other of the very deserving 16,000 fans at the key arena that night.

I was born, I met my wife and married her. We had three amazing children and then on November 3rd, 2005 we met Paul McCartney.

Six life defining moments.

WHAT A KNIGHT!!!