Paul McCartney

On February 22, I found out that Paul McCartney was kicking off a new concert tour, and the first place he's playing...is Phoenix! The last time he came here was 2005 and back then I thought about getting tickets to take Sofia, but they were expensive, she was only 9 years old, and I wound up not getting the tickets. I regretted that, because afterwards I realized that it may have been our last chance to see him. Paul McCartney seems healthy enough, but he is getting older (he'll be 68 this June). And who knows how many more times he's going to tour? So I decided over the past few years that if he ever toured again, I would bite the bullet and take Sofia, so at least she would have a chance to see one of the Beatles perform live.

The timing was perfect, in a way, because of Sofia's recent increase in appreciation for all things Beatles, her 3rd quarter presentation about the Beatles, etc. Plus, at nearly 14, she's at a great age for her first real rock concert.

There was only one complication.

The concert is on Sunday, March 28. The day Dad, Alex, and I are scheduled to be arriving in North Carolina with a trailer-full of stuff.

I wracked my brain over how I could still make this work. One option was to get two tickets and let Cristina take Sofia (and someone would have to watch Bella). But Sofia and I have this special Beatles connection that, while Cristina is appreciative, she just doesn't quite share. I really want to do this with Sofia. Finally, I decided that if I could get tickets (not a guaranteed thing, as they sell out quickly) this is what I'd do:

I'll take Friday off of work, allowing Dad, Alex, and me to leave from Phoenix Thursday, March 25. We'll follow the same travel schedule, staying Thursday night in Tijeras, Friday night somewhere around Fort Smith, Arkansas, and getting to Canton by dinnertime on Saturday. Basically just sliding the whole trip up one day. Then Sunday, I fly back to Phoenix, go to the show with Sofia, and fly back to NC Monday morning. Alex will stay with my parents for the 24 hours or so that I'm gone.

I know it sounds a little crazy, but I think it's the best way to do it. I got a decently priced flight from Asheville Sunday morning, and then I fly back to Charlotte Monday afternoon, where Mom and Dad can pick me up at the airport.

The night before tickets went on sale, I did a little research. I haven't gone to a big concert in years. I've seen Paul McCartney twice before, once in 1990, and again in 1993. Both times, I camped out at a Spec's music store to buy tickets. Well, with the internet, camping out for tickets is a bit antiquated, thank goodness. I found a helpful website where a guy explains his tips for getting tickets online through Ticketmaster. Pretty cool. It involved stuff like an atomic clock download so you can synchronize your computer's clock to an atomic clock, therefore guaranteeing that the second tickets go on sale, you can hit the button to start the purchasing process. Good stuff.

Armed with all my newfound ticket-buying knowledge, I went to work the next day and anxiously waited for 10 o'clock to come. I had to proctor the AIMS test that morning, so at 5 till 10, I ducked out for a few minutes to get to my computer (another teacher was administering the test with me).

10 am came. I did my thing, and I got two tickets. They're upper level, but we're in.


Then I had to keep it a secret from Sofia, which was hard.

I wasn't even sure if she knew that he was coming to Phoenix. Cristina was at a store with Sofia a few days later, and someone mentioned Paul McCartney coming. Cristina hoped Sofia didn't hear, and she didn't. Then when I took Sofia on the drama field trip to Tucson, on the way back to Phoenix, we passed a sign for McCartney Road. The bus driver pointed it out and said something about Paul McCartney coming to the Valley. But Sofia was reading and didn't hear him or see the sign.

Finally, on March 11, in the car after Sofia's presentation on the Beatles and the Counterculture, I broke the news to Sofia that I'd be flying back on the 28th from North Carolina to go to Wrestlemania with her. She was confused. Then I handed her the envelope with the Paul McCartney tickets and said, "And I thought after Wrestlemania was over, we could walk over to the arena and use these." (Paul McCartney is performing at Jobing.com arena, just across the parking lot from University of Phoenix Stadium, where Wrestlemania will be.) It took a few moments for her to figure it out, but when it finally sunk in, she was shocked and surprised. She had no idea he was coming to the Valley. I think she was in awe for a while that she was going to see Paul McCartney, one of the legends she'd been researching and learning about so much for the past few months, live in concert.


A few days ago we were in Fry's grocery, and "No More Lonely Nights" was playing in the store. She wasn't familiar with the song. When we got home, I put some of Paul McCartney's solo albums on her iPod, including his greatest hits. She's got some catching up to do before the 28th. She's getting fairly astute with the Beatles, but she's got to bone up on his solo work.

Stay tuned for the blog about the concert itself...