Paul McCartney ~
Late Show with David Letterman
July 15, 2009
I felt like a school girl
last night,
brimming over with excitement as I
watched Paul McCartney make his first guest appearance
on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Not only am I an enormous fan of The Beatles,
but I’m an enormous fan of David Letterman.
I go to bed with Dave almost every night.
And to finally see Paul McCartney on the program,
well,
not only was it exciting for music fans,
but it must have given the other talk show hosts
a helluva run
for their late night television ratings.
Many viewers, I’m sure
were remembering the very first time
McCartney appeared in the Ed Sullivan Theatre
back in 1964, when the Beatles performed
in front of an astounding 73 million viewers.
My older sister watched
and when the baby Beatles shook their mop tops,
and sang all over our black and white television set,
my sister screamed her head off.
But being I was only 1 at the time,
I can’t really say I remember any of that.
But like so many others,
Beatle music went on to become the soundtrack of my life.
And it still is.
How many other pop artists today, can you say that about?
Despite gravity pulling down on the skin of those cute
McCartney cheeks,
Paul, at the age of 67
still has a boyishness about him.
And with that playful wit,
he still carries a slender physique.
But I have to ask,
who was responsible for the Late Show interview questions?
Most of the chat between Dave and Paul
was about Beatle history we’ve all heard
and heard only a million times already.
Not that I ever tire of hearing the same old Beatle stories,
but The Beatles every move is so tremendously documented.
I just think the Late Show writers could’ve done a better job of it.
As I watched McCartney take the marquee stage
to perform his allotted two songs after the interview,
memories of my own came flooding back.
Not from when I was 1 in 1964,
but back to the month of May, in the year 2004.
When my then-boyfriend and I travelled to New York City
and were fortunate enough to get tickets as audience members
for the Late Show with David Letterman.
And what an experience it was!
Arriving at the Ed Sullivan Theatre 3 hours before the taping,
we met Dave’s processed meat platter ladies,
bought the t-shirt and the coffee mug at the CBS store,
and over a sandwich, we even got to meet Rupert Jee
standing behind his counter at the Hello Deli.
All this happened before hundreds of us were rounded up
and taken across the street to the Roseland Ballroom
for the Late Show staff to prepare us;
to give us all lessons on how to laugh...
laugh out loud, that is!
Because when we were asked to think about it,
The Late Show wranglers were right.
Audience members who laugh on the inside
just don’t translate very well
in front of millions of television viewers.
The crew’s exuberance in their lesson was infectious
and as a result,
they got exactly what they wanted;
a very enthusiastic audience for the taping that day.
Racing down the aisle of the Theatre once we were admitted,
my partner and I landed in the third row
directly beside the program announcer, Alan Kalter.
I was brimming over with school girl excitement, I tell ya.
After all, we were inside the historic Ed Sullivan Theatre!
But had Paul McCartney been the musical guest that day,
not only would I have screamed like my older 1964 sister,
but I would have cried my bloody eyes out!
Instead of McCartney, we got another musical icon.
One from the country and western kind
when the American coal miner’s daughter, Loretta Lynn
joined Jack White and the Do Whaters
right there on the Ed Sullivan stage
alongside Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra.
I myself am a Coal Miner's Granddaughter,
so I loved every f^%king second of it!
Sometimes I wish I never had this experience
because I would love to do it all over again
for the very first time.
So being such a big fan of the Late Show,
Letterman, McCartney and New York City,
the question I ask myself is...
“Why the hell wasn’t I standing on Broadway yesterday…
with everyone else as they stared up at McCartney?”
I’m an idiot, that’s why!
Because immediately following the 2 song performance,
fans on the street were treated to a mini concert
as Paul continued to rock the marquee
for another ½ hour after the tv broadcast ended.
Not being there in person really sucked,
but fortunately folks at home
were allowed to view this mini-concert
in the wee hours of the morning,
compliments of Mr Letterman’s page at the CBS website.
We all watched McCartney sing Helter Skelter at the age of 67,
and for that,
God bless him!
And CBS having teamed up with Facebook,
I got caught up in the instantaneous posts and commentary
reading what everyone else was saying at the same time
we all watched the performance together.
It was distracting,
but hell, I too posted a slew of comments.
I just couldn’t help myself.
The interactive technology is incredible!
McCartney on the Late Show marquee,
with folks hanging off New York windows and balconies,
was very exciting indeed.
And what about that Abe Laboriel?
One helluva drummer, eh?
Out of the five mini concert songs the band did,
I would have to say the highlight for me was
Let Me Roll It.
I just love the guitar in that song.
But I also loved the organ in this version.
So once again, who can deny
the old timers can still rock?
McCartney and his band brought smiles
to so many faces yesterday,
on an otherwise uneventful Wednesday.
Here’s to ya Mr Letterman,
and to the great city of New York...
America f&^king rocks!
And to Paul McCartney... you old timer you.
I bet you’ll still be rocking well into your 80s.
And for that, I say….
thank you, thank you, thank you!
Paul McCartney performs Let Me Roll It
atop the Ed Sullivan Theatre marquee...
The Late Show with David Letterman
http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/
