Writer Paul Collins recalls the impression Paul McCartney made when he played Boston in 2005 and reflects on the legend and legacy of the former Beatle
THE year of 2005 has become history. As is so often the case, the year seems to have rushed by us in a soft blur, leaving us a bit stunned, scratching our heads in collective wonder at how it had slipped through our hands so quickly.
As we stand poised on the crest the new year, we give pause to look back over these last 12 months and on those things that made us laugh, made us cry, put us on the edge of our collective seats, and that thrilled us.
In short, we remember those things that touched us, struck a chord in us, and made us happy. We recall those artists who left a lasting impression, as they entertained us.
When I look back on this year in entertainment, my mind's eye sees images of Paul McCartney threading their way through the projector in my brain. They are images that make me smile when I pull them up from that place where I keep my most treasured memories.
In September, I was a member of a sold-out audience in Boston that watched Paul McCartney take the stage, and effortlessly turn back the clock, if only for an all-too-brief period of time.
After four decades of standing in the harsh glare of the public spotlight, his mass appeal has not faded. The magic is still there in McCartney, and one could feel it in the air when he took the stage.
The atmosphere in Boston's Garden was charged, and it tingled with an excitement that was palpable as McCartney proved once again that he's still rock's most enduring superstar. He is also a tangible proof point of the fact that after all these many years, the Beatle flame still burns brightly.
In Boston, I watched him turn back the hands of time in a performance that left no doubt in anyone's mind that the passing of time has not eroded or diminished his skills and talents in any way, shape or form.
For the years have been kind to McCartney, as at 63 he looks and sounds great, and he still has the energy of a teenager on stage. Rock music's marathon man can still blow the roof off of the concert hall, and he clearly, still loves performing. He still tears into songs with that same intensity and passion as he did all those years ago.
