amalie arena – Josh Bradley Live

Where were you on September 17, 2005? Maybe you were a teenager, child, or toddler. Maybe you didn’t live in Tampa. Hell, maybe you weren’t even born yet. But some special people were at Amalie Arena, then known as the St. Pete Times Forum, seeing Sir Paul McCartney, a quarter of the biggest band of all time, live. It was only his third time in Tampa. Until his 1990 stop at the old Tampa Stadium, his only time in Florida for a ticketed performance was in Jacksonville with The Beatles in 1964.

But now, things are different.

Paul McCartney playing away on one of his two pianos onstage at Amalie Arena.

In April, the people over at Amalie Arena made the groundbreaking announcement that The Cute One was going to present his One on One tour at the venue, causing a practically instant sellout. People were literally standing in line at the box office to get their tickets the old fashioned way. Those that had seats behind the stage were probably feeling incredibly lucky because we all knew that if we didn’t have a ticket already, we’d have to be dedicated to Macca enough to risk buying an overpriced nosebleed seat on StubHub, and then face the fact that there would be a slight chance that you wouldn’t get in, considering all the bots on there.

The doors opened at 6:30, food and merchandise stands opened, and at 8:38, the blue spotlights on stage went out. Some eighteen-or-so seconds of darkness later, there he was. Macca, in a white button down and dark blue blazer, received probably the loudest roar of excitement ever given at this venue upon walking out. The show opened with A Hard Day’s Night, a song that he hasn’t played on tour since The Beatles’ 1965 tour, followed by a lively blast-from-the-past, Junior’s Farm.

Paul McCartney told stories of his career, and cracked jokes with Tampa on Monday night.

“I’ve got a feeling we’re gonna have a lot of fun here tonight!” Paul declared. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he was right. Every element of the show, from the 39 song set list to the psychedelic laser show during Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!, made the tickets worth purchasing in every way. And only two decades of his long and winding career were ignored. Though pushing the 90s and 2000s aside, Paul went as far back as The Quarrymen’s In Spite Of All The Danger. Whaddya mean “who?!” They were the band that would evolve into The Beatles! On the other hand, the first few verses from his 2015 collaboration with rapper Kanye West and singer Rihanna, FourFiveSeconds, was also given a segment to shine.

To bring the 60s into the show, Paul and friends made a point to pick and choose mostly the better known songs of his off of every Beatle studio album, except for Beatles For Sale and Yellow Submarine. Representing the 70s, to a lesser extent, were those monumental anthems from Wings. A piano-driven Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five, and a turbulent ride through Jet were both early specifics on the setlist. The 80s? We were treated to 1980’s Temporary Secretary, and also a heartbreakingly poignant composition from his career, which I’ll get to.

Paul told stories of all kinds, from the time he saw Jimi Hendrix open a show with the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band title track two days following its release, when he was told by the Russian Defense Minister how his records helped him learn English, and to when he fell in a hole onstage during his last visit to Tampa. “I’m lucky to be here tonight.” he remarked. Sadly, many of his musical compadres were not so lucky. He dedicated songs like Love Me Do to late Beatles producer George Martin, who passed away last year, and earlier, Maybe I’m Amazed to his first wife, Linda Eastman.

But the two major dedications he made were to the two fallen Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison.

Paul dedicated his 1982 album track, Here Today to Lennon, following a twenty-six second applause, after Paul demanded to “hear it for John.” The song was written shortly after his 1980 death in New York City, and was written as “like, a conversation we never had, where I could tell him things I couldn’t tell him.” A lot could have been gotten out of the entire show, but he concluded that segment with a really good life lesson:

“If you want to tell someone something, tell them now.”

Later on in the show, Paul was handed a ukulele, and began a relatively upbeat rendition of the Harrison penned Beatles track, Something. But out of nowhere, once the first three verses were complete, the entire backing band broke in and finished the song off the way it originally sounded, with a slideshow of photos of primarily Harrison scrolling by.

Following his main set ending with Live and Let Die, which involved about four explosions and some fireworks, and Hey Jude, which surprisingly did not start much of a sea of cellphone flashlights, Paul brought up two fans to the stage: A Sarasota veterinarian in Paul’s Sgt. Pepper outfit, and her son, sporting a black shirt with the Beatles logo on it. They, by Paul’s request, danced onstage together to Get Back. “Speaking of getting back, we’ve gotta go home!” he concluded, to which boos and moans were his response. His band ripped into the medley you hear at the end of the Abbey Road album, which involved Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, and The End. “Tell you what, we’ll see you next time!” were his final remarks to Tampa.

Many people probably doubted that, but from the good spirits Paul was in, and the way he sang and played, there just may be a next time. But hopefully not with a twelve year gap in between.

How many big name bands originated in Florida? Not very many, with the exception of The Doors’ Jim Morrison being born in Melbourne. But one band that originated in Gainesville announced in December that they would embark on a 40th anniversary tour. Yes, it’s really been 40 years since Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers released their self-titled debut album.

A lot of shows’ opening acts are artists who are trying to get out there. But when the lights went down at promptly 8:00, who else walks out to open but Joe Walsh of The Eagles? “Good morning!” He rasped before beginning his electric 45 minute setlist. He played songs from his own successful solo career (Meadows; Rocky Mountain Way) and two songs from The Eagles (Take It To The Limit; In The City), the first one being dedicated to his “brother and fellow bandmate, Glenn Frey,” who passed away last year.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES — The Eagles’ Joe Walsh opens for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Amalie Arena

Walsh left the stage around 8:45, and the roadies began to set up for Tom Petty. People went out to mingle with fellow fans, and to buy t-shirts and beer. Then, at 9:47, the lights went down, and the almost-sold out crowd of over 20,000 fans brought the house down as Tom Petty and his dearly beloved Heartbreakers entered the stage for their second Florida show, their first being the night before in West Palm Beach.

“We’re bringing you 100 percent natural rock and roll, no artificial sweeteners!” he announced as the Heartbreakers prepared their instruments for the best night that Tampa Bay has had in months. The band started out with “the first track from [their] first album,” which was Rockin‘ Around (With You). Petty then went onto his famous sing-along, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, which had the young and old in the audience singing along the whole way through.

Through the rest of the night, Amalie Arena heard mainly greatest hits: The acoustic guitars of Free Fallin‘ and Learning To Fly, and also some deep cuts from Petty’s second solo album, “Wildflowers.” After ending their main set with the frenetic Running Down A Dream, Petty and the guys walked offstage for about two and a half minutes as the ecstatic audience chanted “Petty” until they came back out. The group finished up the show with an encore of You Wreck Me from “Wildflowers,” and American Girl, which was their first album’s closing track.

Petty stated many times through the night how pleased he was to be back home in Florida, and how he “felt the mojo in this room,” to which the roar of the audience was the response he received. At that point in the show, he turned towards the people up in the nosebleeds on each side of the dome.

With Tom onstage were old and new members of the Heartbreakers, including his old buddy and original guitarist Mike Campbell, and also two new members on backing vocals. The Webb Sisters, Charley and Hattie, who were also backup singers in Leonard Cohen’s band from his latter days, are touring with the group for the first, and possibly last time.

In an interview with Rolling Stone from last year, Petty stated how he’s thinking about making this tour “the last big one” with the Heartbreakers, due to the fact that he has a granddaughter he wants to spend time with, and that they’re getting older. That being stated, last night was the perfect opportunity for Petty fans old and young to either relive the old days, or to discover something new.

“Before we leave, I want to hold the world record for the loudest sound ever made in this building,” was his final request to his hyped audience before ripping into his final song of the night.

A loud sound we made, and a loud sound it was.