My Funny Valentine
OR ...
How I Spent An Intimate Evening With My Wife,
Sir Paul McCartney, and A Thousand Others
by Mitch Axelrod
OR ...
How I Spent An Intimate Evening With My Wife,
Sir Paul McCartney, and A Thousand Others
by Mitch Axelrod
My story begins a few weeks prior to Valentine’s Day, when I received a call from my sister asking I If wanted two extra tickets to a New York Islanders hockey game. My thirteen year old son is as big an Islanders fan as I am a Beatles fan, so we attend games whenever the opportunity arises. Little did I know that the date of the game was February 14th … VALENTINE’S DAY! So I went into that special romantic day in the proverbial doghouse. I still DID have a date on February 14th, just not with my wife but with my son!
This brings us to Thursday, February 12 when whispers abounded in the Beatles social community about a possible “secret” Paul McCartney show to be held at Irving Plaza in New York. My mind started racing! With my luck, I would get a call inviting me to the show, and I had already promised my son I would take him to the Islanders game. “Keep dreaming,” I thought, but sometimes dreams do come true, for better or for worse.
My family was enjoying a show on TV when, at precisely 5:33 PM EST, the phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number but I picked it up anyway. Usually I let those numbers go straight to my answering machine because they are telemarketers named “Chuck” who are obviously not from this continent. But this time “Chuck” was a very nice sounding woman from Crowdsurge (Paul’s ticketing agents) who called to inform me that “Paul McCartney is having a special concert in New York on Saturday night, and he would like to invite his biggest fans to have an opportunity to purchase tickets to attend.” Out loud I said, “Saturday night?” at which point my son turned to me and said “Don’t you even THINK about bailing on the game.” I politely told her that I already had plans, and that I couldn’t make it. I hung up the phone, internally kicking myself for being such a schmuck. But hey, I’m a good Dad and I had plans. My son was relieved.
At exactly 7:20 PM EST, the phone rang again. Once again it was Crowdsurge asking me to attend. And once again I politely refused, stating that I already had plans. WHY would they call me back again (pun intended)? I told my son that if they called back again, I would say “yes,” thinking it was a certainty that they would NEVER call me a third time, so I was safe. We all went back to watching our show as one big happy family.
At 9:01 the phone rang. GUESS WHO? That’s right. Crowdsurge. And I, once again, told them no, while gritting my teeth. I hung up knowing that there will be a special place in heaven for stupid people like me! My son saw my angst and told me that it was okay to go. “ARE YOU FREAKIN’ KIDDING ME?” I calmly exclaimed. He would still be able to go the game, since we were being joined by my sister and her family, and realizing that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity he thought that I should go. I frantically called back the number and when they answered, the woman on the phone said, “Hi Mitch, you’re in.” WHEW!!!! She said I would get an email with all of the details within an hour or so.
After refreshing my e-mail page for about an hour, the message finally arrived telling me that I had two tickets reserved for me. I had to go to a New York City hotel room with cash. This was a bit worrisome. A young lady was asking me to be at a NYC hotel room with cash. Hmmmmm. I was either going to see Paul McCartney in a very intimate setting, or I was going to be in jail for soliciting a prostitute. Either way, it was promising to be a Valentine’s Day I would NOT forget!
My wife and I … oh yes, my wife! The woman who bore my two children and has put up with me daily, was now letting me out of that proverbial doghouse because she was going to be spending time with her honey … and I was going to be there too! So, all was not lost in that regard. We found our way down to Soho and were lead to the fifth floor of a swanky hotel. A door opened and two lovely young ladies invited us in, and, to my relief, we really WERE going to see Paul McCartney and jail time was off the table. They asked us for identification, slapped two wristbands on us, gave us each a rose and candy, and then took our picture “for us to show Paul.” They also told me they were instructed to say “Hi” to Mitch if he shows up. I must have made QUITE an impression on the Crowdsurge gang, because I was the idiot who refused an intimate Paul McCartney show THREE separate times. They gave us an envelope with two Hershey’s Kisses, a bunch of satin hearts and instructions for the time and place, 9:30 PM at Irving Plaza, which holds approximately 1,000 people.
We started waiting on line by wristband number at about 9:00 PM. We ran into some great people that we have seen and known from The Fest for Beatles Fans; folks like Paul Andrelski, Bob Gannon, Tom Frangione and the 'Lovely Lisa' (to paraphrase), and Fest founders Mark and Carol Lapidos. All super people. It’s nice to know that in the “Beatle Community” there are so many genuinely good people who are always around to welcome their fellow “Beatle Geeks” (he says affectionately) at any event.
At approximately 9:45 PM we began to be let in to the venue. We went upstairs to the main room where it was general admission, standing room only. We hung with Tom and Lisa, not only because they are great people, but because Tom is much taller than I am, and I KNEW that he could run interference for us if any tall people tried to push their way past us.
Now, for the sake of full disclosure, I am five feet, four inches tall. Now I know that may be only below average disclosure, but at the tender age of 53, I am still awaiting that growth spurt that my Mom told me about. My wife is five feet one inch tall. And here we were, ten feet from the stage but behind two guys who were sixteen feet, thirteen inches tall … or so they seemed. I had an awesome view of Paul, as long as the guy with the camera next to me showed me his screen once in a while.
I FINALLY inched my way to a spot where I could see fairly well and then, we waited. And waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. Rumor had it that Paul was to hit the stage at 10:30, but that time came and went. And while we waited, the balcony started to fill up with such VIP’s as David Spade, Chris Rock, and Larry David. We saw Rachel Dratch from SNL. Also rumored to be in the balcony were Bruce Springsteen, Lorne Michaels, Tom Hanks and other luminaries. While waiting, a gentleman in front of us passed out and fell to the ground. Everyone was wearing heavy coats because of the frigid New York weather, and we were packed in like sardines in a hot room! So something like this was bound to happen. He was taken out by security, and was not looking too well so his wife was concerned. But on a more selfish, brighter note, we got to move up two spaces closer to the stage! Aw c’mon, I am NOT cold hearted. It was far too warm in that room to be cold hearted last night. And after all, it WAS Valentine’s Day! (I kid, but I think he was okay!). One more note. I don’t know WHO some of the people were around us but they certainly did NOT know Paul’s music. They kept saying things like, ‘I hope he plays A Hard Day’s Night,” and “I don’t know any of these songs<’ when Paul played “Another Day” and “Maybe I’m Amazed.”
At a little after 11:00, Sir Paul and the band hit the stage. He looked great and the band played a 90 minute plus abbreviated set of the soundtrack of our lives. By now you must have all seen the setlist but here it is again:
Eight Days A Week, Save Us, All My Loving, One After 909, Matchbox, Let Me Roll It, Nineteen Hundred Eighty Five, My Valentine, Maybe I’m Amazed, I’ve Just Seen A Face, It’s So Easy, Every Night, Another Day, We Can Work It Out, And I Love Her, New, Lady Madonna, Jet, Drive My Car, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Back In The USSR, Let It Be, Hey Jude, Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End
Paul’s voice was in fine form for a man of almost 73 years young. In a small club setting, the vocal frailties are much more noticeable than in a stadium setting because as Paul put it, “you are all so close, you can even see my dental work.” But Paul knows his vocal limitations and uses that knowledge to his advantage. And it helps that his very fine band, which includes Paul “Wix” Wickens, Abe Laboriel, Jr, Rusty Anderson, and Brian Ray, are more than capable of assisting with the higher register notes. And another thing; his band never really gets the credit they deserve. They are all fine musicians in their own right and their musical abilities were clearly on display on this night. In particular to these old ears, I noticed that Brian Ray’s bass was high up in the mix and he was spectacular, as were all the guys. They clearly enjoy each other’s company and it shows on stage. And it flows to the audience. During Hey Jude, I caught Rusty singing “then you begin,” when it clearly should have been, “then you can start” and he did it on purpose and was laughing towards the other guys. And even if it was not on purpose, it was such a fun moment that is not typically caught unless you are in a small setting like Irving Plaza. Another nice moment was when Rusty and Brian were supposed to sing or play together and Brian ran to the other side of the stage and both men laughed. It was one of so many intimate, great moments.
Paul also feeds off the energy. He was very talkative last night. Yes, it was some of the usual concert banter, but there were some fun, personal moments of levity as well. Jimmy Fallon had given away two tickets to the show and Paul asked where those lucky people were. When they raised their hands, he welcomed them. Then someone asked if they could come on stage. He and Paul had a playful encounter that included non-serious talk of calling security. So when another person yelled out that he had SNUCK IN, Paul faked calling that same security! It was a very light moment that all 1,000 of us shared, and it was genuine. During the entire duration of “My Valentine,” round red confetti, along with REAL red rose pedals rained down on the audience. I found a bunch in my pockets the next morning morning. It was a very nice touch which Paul noted as being “the only big spectacular production number in the show.” Hearing songs like “It’s So Easy,” and ”Matchbox” were a joy for us, and it appeared that Paul was just as happy to be singing those songs as any of his own. One thing that can be said for certain is that Paul sincerely likes performing, and as we left the venue we all received a special commemorative concert poster. I turned to my wife as we left and said, “If I never again get the opportunity to see Paul live in concert again, this evening would be the perfect capper to my McCartney live experiences.” Let’s hope he continues to play live for a long time to come. because as an entertainer, he is one of the absolute best.
I feel extremely privileged to have been given the opportunity to attend the show. I have a pretty darned good kid who saw what this show meant to me and allowed me to break our date. And by the way, the Islanders won 6 to 3, and my wife and I got to spend Valentine’s Day together after all. So it was a win-win for everyone involved!
As Mark Lapidos said, it was the “BVE,” the Best Valentine’s Ever. And boy, was he right!!!
This brings us to Thursday, February 12 when whispers abounded in the Beatles social community about a possible “secret” Paul McCartney show to be held at Irving Plaza in New York. My mind started racing! With my luck, I would get a call inviting me to the show, and I had already promised my son I would take him to the Islanders game. “Keep dreaming,” I thought, but sometimes dreams do come true, for better or for worse.
My family was enjoying a show on TV when, at precisely 5:33 PM EST, the phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number but I picked it up anyway. Usually I let those numbers go straight to my answering machine because they are telemarketers named “Chuck” who are obviously not from this continent. But this time “Chuck” was a very nice sounding woman from Crowdsurge (Paul’s ticketing agents) who called to inform me that “Paul McCartney is having a special concert in New York on Saturday night, and he would like to invite his biggest fans to have an opportunity to purchase tickets to attend.” Out loud I said, “Saturday night?” at which point my son turned to me and said “Don’t you even THINK about bailing on the game.” I politely told her that I already had plans, and that I couldn’t make it. I hung up the phone, internally kicking myself for being such a schmuck. But hey, I’m a good Dad and I had plans. My son was relieved.
At exactly 7:20 PM EST, the phone rang again. Once again it was Crowdsurge asking me to attend. And once again I politely refused, stating that I already had plans. WHY would they call me back again (pun intended)? I told my son that if they called back again, I would say “yes,” thinking it was a certainty that they would NEVER call me a third time, so I was safe. We all went back to watching our show as one big happy family.
At 9:01 the phone rang. GUESS WHO? That’s right. Crowdsurge. And I, once again, told them no, while gritting my teeth. I hung up knowing that there will be a special place in heaven for stupid people like me! My son saw my angst and told me that it was okay to go. “ARE YOU FREAKIN’ KIDDING ME?” I calmly exclaimed. He would still be able to go the game, since we were being joined by my sister and her family, and realizing that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity he thought that I should go. I frantically called back the number and when they answered, the woman on the phone said, “Hi Mitch, you’re in.” WHEW!!!! She said I would get an email with all of the details within an hour or so.
After refreshing my e-mail page for about an hour, the message finally arrived telling me that I had two tickets reserved for me. I had to go to a New York City hotel room with cash. This was a bit worrisome. A young lady was asking me to be at a NYC hotel room with cash. Hmmmmm. I was either going to see Paul McCartney in a very intimate setting, or I was going to be in jail for soliciting a prostitute. Either way, it was promising to be a Valentine’s Day I would NOT forget!
My wife and I … oh yes, my wife! The woman who bore my two children and has put up with me daily, was now letting me out of that proverbial doghouse because she was going to be spending time with her honey … and I was going to be there too! So, all was not lost in that regard. We found our way down to Soho and were lead to the fifth floor of a swanky hotel. A door opened and two lovely young ladies invited us in, and, to my relief, we really WERE going to see Paul McCartney and jail time was off the table. They asked us for identification, slapped two wristbands on us, gave us each a rose and candy, and then took our picture “for us to show Paul.” They also told me they were instructed to say “Hi” to Mitch if he shows up. I must have made QUITE an impression on the Crowdsurge gang, because I was the idiot who refused an intimate Paul McCartney show THREE separate times. They gave us an envelope with two Hershey’s Kisses, a bunch of satin hearts and instructions for the time and place, 9:30 PM at Irving Plaza, which holds approximately 1,000 people.
We started waiting on line by wristband number at about 9:00 PM. We ran into some great people that we have seen and known from The Fest for Beatles Fans; folks like Paul Andrelski, Bob Gannon, Tom Frangione and the 'Lovely Lisa' (to paraphrase), and Fest founders Mark and Carol Lapidos. All super people. It’s nice to know that in the “Beatle Community” there are so many genuinely good people who are always around to welcome their fellow “Beatle Geeks” (he says affectionately) at any event.
At approximately 9:45 PM we began to be let in to the venue. We went upstairs to the main room where it was general admission, standing room only. We hung with Tom and Lisa, not only because they are great people, but because Tom is much taller than I am, and I KNEW that he could run interference for us if any tall people tried to push their way past us.
Now, for the sake of full disclosure, I am five feet, four inches tall. Now I know that may be only below average disclosure, but at the tender age of 53, I am still awaiting that growth spurt that my Mom told me about. My wife is five feet one inch tall. And here we were, ten feet from the stage but behind two guys who were sixteen feet, thirteen inches tall … or so they seemed. I had an awesome view of Paul, as long as the guy with the camera next to me showed me his screen once in a while.
I FINALLY inched my way to a spot where I could see fairly well and then, we waited. And waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. Rumor had it that Paul was to hit the stage at 10:30, but that time came and went. And while we waited, the balcony started to fill up with such VIP’s as David Spade, Chris Rock, and Larry David. We saw Rachel Dratch from SNL. Also rumored to be in the balcony were Bruce Springsteen, Lorne Michaels, Tom Hanks and other luminaries. While waiting, a gentleman in front of us passed out and fell to the ground. Everyone was wearing heavy coats because of the frigid New York weather, and we were packed in like sardines in a hot room! So something like this was bound to happen. He was taken out by security, and was not looking too well so his wife was concerned. But on a more selfish, brighter note, we got to move up two spaces closer to the stage! Aw c’mon, I am NOT cold hearted. It was far too warm in that room to be cold hearted last night. And after all, it WAS Valentine’s Day! (I kid, but I think he was okay!). One more note. I don’t know WHO some of the people were around us but they certainly did NOT know Paul’s music. They kept saying things like, ‘I hope he plays A Hard Day’s Night,” and “I don’t know any of these songs<’ when Paul played “Another Day” and “Maybe I’m Amazed.”
At a little after 11:00, Sir Paul and the band hit the stage. He looked great and the band played a 90 minute plus abbreviated set of the soundtrack of our lives. By now you must have all seen the setlist but here it is again:
Eight Days A Week, Save Us, All My Loving, One After 909, Matchbox, Let Me Roll It, Nineteen Hundred Eighty Five, My Valentine, Maybe I’m Amazed, I’ve Just Seen A Face, It’s So Easy, Every Night, Another Day, We Can Work It Out, And I Love Her, New, Lady Madonna, Jet, Drive My Car, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Back In The USSR, Let It Be, Hey Jude, Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End
Paul’s voice was in fine form for a man of almost 73 years young. In a small club setting, the vocal frailties are much more noticeable than in a stadium setting because as Paul put it, “you are all so close, you can even see my dental work.” But Paul knows his vocal limitations and uses that knowledge to his advantage. And it helps that his very fine band, which includes Paul “Wix” Wickens, Abe Laboriel, Jr, Rusty Anderson, and Brian Ray, are more than capable of assisting with the higher register notes. And another thing; his band never really gets the credit they deserve. They are all fine musicians in their own right and their musical abilities were clearly on display on this night. In particular to these old ears, I noticed that Brian Ray’s bass was high up in the mix and he was spectacular, as were all the guys. They clearly enjoy each other’s company and it shows on stage. And it flows to the audience. During Hey Jude, I caught Rusty singing “then you begin,” when it clearly should have been, “then you can start” and he did it on purpose and was laughing towards the other guys. And even if it was not on purpose, it was such a fun moment that is not typically caught unless you are in a small setting like Irving Plaza. Another nice moment was when Rusty and Brian were supposed to sing or play together and Brian ran to the other side of the stage and both men laughed. It was one of so many intimate, great moments.
Paul also feeds off the energy. He was very talkative last night. Yes, it was some of the usual concert banter, but there were some fun, personal moments of levity as well. Jimmy Fallon had given away two tickets to the show and Paul asked where those lucky people were. When they raised their hands, he welcomed them. Then someone asked if they could come on stage. He and Paul had a playful encounter that included non-serious talk of calling security. So when another person yelled out that he had SNUCK IN, Paul faked calling that same security! It was a very light moment that all 1,000 of us shared, and it was genuine. During the entire duration of “My Valentine,” round red confetti, along with REAL red rose pedals rained down on the audience. I found a bunch in my pockets the next morning morning. It was a very nice touch which Paul noted as being “the only big spectacular production number in the show.” Hearing songs like “It’s So Easy,” and ”Matchbox” were a joy for us, and it appeared that Paul was just as happy to be singing those songs as any of his own. One thing that can be said for certain is that Paul sincerely likes performing, and as we left the venue we all received a special commemorative concert poster. I turned to my wife as we left and said, “If I never again get the opportunity to see Paul live in concert again, this evening would be the perfect capper to my McCartney live experiences.” Let’s hope he continues to play live for a long time to come. because as an entertainer, he is one of the absolute best.
I feel extremely privileged to have been given the opportunity to attend the show. I have a pretty darned good kid who saw what this show meant to me and allowed me to break our date. And by the way, the Islanders won 6 to 3, and my wife and I got to spend Valentine’s Day together after all. So it was a win-win for everyone involved!
As Mark Lapidos said, it was the “BVE,” the Best Valentine’s Ever. And boy, was he right!!!
