Paul McCartney, Halifax Nova Scotia PPV image
Millions see the awesome Halifax Concert on PPV, will fans be able to purchase the souvenir DVD?
Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, July 18, 2009
Thursday night at 11 pm, Eastlink Cable broadcast both HD and standard recordings of the Paul McCartney’s Halifax Nova Scotia concert and love-in.
Along with the 50,000 fans who attended, potentially millions of Beatles and McCartney fans got a chance to experience the McCartney charm and magic.
Despite having been at the concert, out two nights in a row after midnight and coming home late from the summer picnic – we stayed up to 2 am watching it with Hannah.
Drive My Car from PPV
My Hannah is fourteen and knows almost all the lyrics if not the song’s names. She has memorized them from the teen-flick Across the Universe.
There we were – two old folks reminiscing about the 60’s and 70’s with a teen who hasn’t even heard about the 80’s yet!
Watching the concert, the story was the same: teenagers and young people were singing the songs word for word. My 89 year old mum likes Paul McCartney. How does someone get an audience that spans children to 80 year olds?
The answer is simple – you are gifted, hard working and vegan. You write great songs because music is in your heart and soul. McCartney father’s was a jazz musician so he had musical training at home. That works every time.
Look at our lucky, handsome and talented young Tim Chaisson. You will never meet a sweeter musician who is bound to do great things. He who comes from the the talented Chaisson family as in Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival. Tim Chaisson at Confed Centre
You work your butt off and then get lucky somewhere. Lucky is having classically trained George Martin as your producer mentor and John Lennon as your partner.
You don’t give your life over to drugs, alcohol or a life of excess. McCartney admitted to using marijuana, cocaine and LSD. So did a lot of people. He probably still uses mary-jane since it’s pretty harmless and he’s been connected with it many times.
MJ hasn’t stopped McCartney from being one of the richest men in the UK and a terribly talented and entertaining performer. It didn’t hurt trumpeter Louis Armstrong or prolific writer Pierre Burton who both admitted to using it regularly throughout their life. Whatever on that one.
Lennon had talent too. He was edgier and had the brooding artist thing going. But McCartney is still alive and pumping out the music.
Paul McCartney is the last man standing from The Beatles. He gets to interpret their great catalog of songs plus all the work he did with Wings and solo.
We got to see him and it was awesome.
Notes on Video
The PPV show was done by a crew from Quebec with CBC funding. Will it become a DVD? Another PPV show on TV? No one would confirm or deny anything. Many of the 50,000 fans in Halifax would like to buy a copy as a memento. We certainly got off on watching the concert one more time.
The video is awesome quality for a 4 day rush job. That’s probably the CBC: shoot it and get it on air. The sound is stereo and Eastlink were compressing it which takes the punch out of it. If there are going to do a pro job it should be at least 5.1 with no Dolby HD or Digital. Sound makes the experience real.
Cheap seats and VIP seats
We were in the cheap VIP seats – the disabled section. Some people like MJS and her enterourage paid $300 to sit on bleachers which were about as far away from the stage as possible. Maybe they were trying to learn how to run a rock show.
If I could stand for three hours I would have been in front of the stage for $100. First, you are closer and more immersed in the musical performance. Second, there is nothing like the crush of 100, 1000 or 10,000 bodies swaying bopping and grooving to music.
I did it for an hour at three Bob Dylan concerts. Feels Like Pittsfield Again with Bob Dylan, The Bob Dylan Vacation, Lancaster PA June 2005, and Bob Dylan in Norwich was Awesome
You’ll see me at the front at Hunter’s and Babas anytime the music is compelling. Slowcoaster at Hunter’s was a great night for dancing. Screw being disabled.
The cheap seats are the best. The rich and wannabe rich like MJS can shake their faux jewelry from the bleachers.
PS – I wanted to be at Cavendish Beach for the country music but c’mon. Tim McGraw or Paul McCartney? It wasn’t even a fair choice. McGraw may be a hit maker but he is totally forgettable.
His wife Faith Hill she is not forgettable although most of her songs are. The best country concert in decades, other than Garth Brooks in Fargo, was Faith Hill and Alan Jackson in Moncton. She was just starting and he was at his peak. Jackson has gotten a little flabby but he has the charm and voice that boy. Faith Hill has great pipes. I hope she gets better material and starts up her career again.
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