Paul McCartney concert was a highlight that holds promise for Spokane

Paul McCartney didn’t change the world when the Beatle kicked off his “Got Back” tour last April at the Spokane Arena. However, McCartney did impact the Lilac City in a number of ways.

A number of legendary recording artists have played Spokane, such as Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. But McCartney is simply on another level.

When I asked Beatles producer George Martin a generation ago if he ever felt guilty for failing to develop the songwriting genius of George Harrison, the genteel Brit, who should have been regarded as the fifth Beatle, just laughed.

“No, I was too busy working with the two greatest songwriters of the century,” Martin said of McCartney and the late John Lennon.

The McCartney-Lennon union is the most successful partnership in music history. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who deserves his own wing at the Cleveland museum, has a staggering list of achievements. McCartney has written or co-written 32 songs that have topped the Billboard Hot 100, won 18 Grammy Awards and accomplished more than anyone in a band and as a solo artist in pop music history.

Spokane has changed quite a bit over the last year but among the highlights is when McCartney came to town.

“People will always talk about where they were when Paul McCartney played here,” 4000 Holes record shop owner Bob Gallagher said. “I was there and I’ll never forget it.”

The only disappointment was that McCartney failed to spend more time in town.

Many recording artists rehearse for days in the city where their tour commences. McCartney was invited to visit the Bing Crosby House Museum on the Gonzaga campus and was offered the key to the city. The icon was interested in the former since he and the Beatles idolized Crosby but it wasn’t an option due to time constraints.

McCartney was in Spokane for less than 24 hours. Sir Paul didn’t check into his room at the Davenport Grand until the afternoon of the concert.

“We were hoping he was going to arrive days earlier,” Mayor Nadine Woodward said.

A proclamation was waiting for McCartney in his room, courtesy of the Mayor. McCartney learned that April 28 was a day in his honor in Spokane. The city tipped its cap to Macca for his incredible contributions as a musician and as a philanthropist.

And then there was the long-awaited concert, the first since July 2019 for McCartney. Part of the excitement was being the first to know the set list of the long-awaited tour.

McCartney arrived at 3:30 p.m. at the Arena for soundcheck and hit the stage at 8:10 p.m. with “Can’t Buy Me Love.” McCartney delivered a 36-song set, which included a few songs he dusted off for the first time in years, such as “Getting Better,” which was last played live in 2003.

Toward the end of Sir Paul’s captivating, career-spanning concert, it became evident why his jaunt was dubbed the “Got Back” tour.

“We’ve got something a bit special for you tonight,” McCartney told the capacity crowd.

A larger-than-life image of Lennon appeared on the screen behind McCartney.

Thanks to Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson, who crafted the fascinating 2021 documentary, “The Beatles: Get Back,” which fanned the flames of Beatlemania yet again, Lennon and McCartney reunited virtually for “I Got a Feeling.”

McCartney, who was six weeks from celebrating his 80th birthday, looked and sounded terrific. Clad in a blue blazer and jeans, McCartney pleased diehards with the out-of-left-field “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window.” The highlights were relentless during the two-hour, 41-minute show. There was the rhythmic “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five,” the gorgeous “Maybe I’m Amazed” and the urgent “Band on the Run.” There were incendiary versions of “Birthday” and “Helter Skelter.”

The reviews from national music publications were off base.

A Rolling Stone reporter dubbed the Spokane show as a “small-city warmup.” That simply wasn’t true. McCartney’s set and passion were the same as they were at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.

The take from Spin was ridiculous. The online publication’s reviewer described the legend as frail. That is an inaccurate adjective since McCartney played for nearly three hours with just a three-minute break at the encore and took nary a sip of water.

McCartney could never duplicate what he delivered while in his 20s. The same goes for Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Roger Waters or any other octogenarian icons. If the option is to catch video of McCartney during his salad days or experience the mature version of the Fab, well, most will opt for the latter since the “Got Back” tour was an overwhelming success.

There was the cultural impact of the McCartney show and then there was the economic boost Spokane received thanks to the historic concert.

“The impact of the McCartney show is massive in so many ways,” the Arena director of entertainment Matt Meyer said. “It was huge economically. It was one of our largest grossing shows but it was more than that since so many people got to know Spokane.”

According to the ticket purchasing data by the Arena, folks from all over the world traveled to Spokane. Fans from Japan, Australia and Sweden flew in for the most intimate McCartney concert of the entire tour.

“I was shocked to see how many fans were coming from overseas,” Meyer said. “I was blown away by it.”

Those from Florida, California and Texas were part of the 12,500 catching McCartney at the Arena. “We literally had people from half of the United States in Spokane,” Meyer said.

Those out-of-towners stayed in downtown hotels and ate at local restaurants.

The economic impact generated by McCartney on April 28 was massive. According to Visit Spokane, the city made $2.9 million, including $657,000 spent on food and beverage and $442,000 on lodging.

It’s not surprising that Mayor Woodward gushed when recalling the McCartney effect.

“The Paul McCartney concert was awesome in so many ways,” Mayor Woodward said. “It was an amazing concert but the impact was so huge. Spokane has been discovered. We’ve been under the radar for too long. I’ve lived here for more than 30 years. We’ve liked being this secret but it’s wonderful that we’ve been discovered.”

The SRO McCartney show at the Arena, which was followed by a pair of sold out shows in Seattle proved that artists can headline in Eastern and Western Washington within the same week.

“I always thought that was such a ridiculous thing and McCartney has proven that belief to be false,” Meyer said.

McCartney gave Spokane an unforgettable experience and opened up the doors for other big name entertainers to possibly play the Arena. Perhaps Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, who kick off their long awaited tour in 2023 will come to town when dates are extended in 2024? Maybe Taylor Swift will route her way to Spokane? Anything is possible since McCartney played Spokane.

And then there is McCartney, who left the stage saying see you next time. Could McCartney return? The city can only hope.

For those still pining for McCartney, check out Sir Paul’s latest project, The 7” Singles Box, which is one of the greatest box sets of all-time. There are 3,000 numbered limited edition collections of 80 7-inch singles personally supervised by Macca. The set is akin to the holy grail for fans of McCartney’s solo work.

The treasure trove of recordings from 1970 to 2022 is remastered and comprehensive.

“I call items like McCartney’s box set ‘collector’s scum,’ ” 4000 Holes owner Bob Gallagher said while laughing. “The set is so cool. I collected those 45s and it would take forever for fans to collect the singles now. The set is absolutely awesome.”

The singles range from the jaunty 1971 chart-topper “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” to the catchy underheralded “Stranglehold,” which was released in 1985.

The 159 songs delivered in a pine box is staggering to consume, but it’s a labor of love. The familiar collection of three-minute tunes is available digitally, but it’s about the tangibility. The combination of the aroma of wood meets vinyl is intoxicating, and then there are the tunes, which are well worth revisiting.

There are some scribes who have diminished McCartney’s solo work as a trifle, compared to the Beatles’ catalog. But those are the folks who miss out on a genius who is remarkably consistent. Has McCartney had some clunkers? Sure. Anyone who has crafted music for more than a half-century has their misses but when McCartney hits, it’s simply sublime.

There’s gold in every era, whether it’s McCartney and Wings’ “Junior’s Farm” or the latent fan favorite “Temporary Secretary.”

What’s surprising is that some of McCartney’s finest moments have occurred during this century. The infectious “Queenie Eye” and the bouncy “Fine Line” are recent examples.

Kudos to Rob Sheffield for a superb collection of liner notes. The box set is for McCartney obsessives. It sounds pricey at $650 but that is what some people paid for tickets to McCartney’s show .

The McCartney set will last forever, which is apt since so will Sir Paul’s collection of songs – the soundtrack of our lives.