There’s only a few undisputed music legends still performing, and on October 29th, one of them came to New Orleans. Paul McCartney performed a 2 and a half hour concert full of hits at the Smoothie King Center. For those of you who don’t know who Paul McCartney is, he was a member of the 70s band Wings, known for their hits like “Silly Love Songs” and “Mull of Kintyre.”

Oh, and the Beatles.

We interviewed a few Newman students who went to see Paul to talk about their experiences.

What were you most looking forward to about the concert?

Catie: I was really excited to see Paul blow up during “Live and Let Die.”

Tripp: I was super excited to see a ton of my favorite Beatles songs live and sing my heart out to all of them.

What songs were the highlights of the show for you?

Catie: “Drive My Car” because I screamed really loud when they played it and “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” because I didn’t think they were gonna play that.

Tripp: I had three highlights. One was “Hey Jude” because singing the na-na-na-nas with everyone felt amazing. “Blackbird” was so cool because I stood there basically in awe while he played it. But my favorite was probably “Something” because it’s probably my favorite Beatles song, George is my favorite Beatle, and I had no clue he was going to play that.

Are there any songs you wish he would’ve played?

Catie: I wish he played “Yesterday” and the OG “Sgt. Pepper” instead of the reprise.

Tripp: “Yesterday” seems like the obvious answer, but I also would’ve loved if he played “The Long and Winding Road,” “The Fool on the Hill,” or something from the Ram album.

What did you expect going into the show and how did it compare to your expectations?

Catie: I expected it all to be old people, but it wasn’t. I found it funny that there was a dude with glow sticks dancing around like a stick figure.

Tripp: I expected him to kind of just stand on stage and his voice to be shot, but he was super energetic and sounded great. Sure, his voice wasn’t the strongest, but he’s 83 – who cares?

How does it feel to say you’ve seen a Beatle live in concert?

Catie: Awesome!

Tripp: This has been on my bucket list for basically my whole life, so it feels amazing! Also, my grandma saw the Beatles when they came to New Orleans in 1964, so I finally joined the club with her!

Overall thoughts?

Catie: I truly, truly enjoyed it and would absolutely go again!

Tripp: It was one of the coolest concerts I’ve ever been to and would absolutely recommend to anyone who likes music.

Anything else?

Catie: I think people who don’t listen to the Beatles should listen to them. Just because they’re old doesn’t mean they’re bad!

Tripp: Beatles forever!

Setlist:

1. Help!*
2. Coming Up
3. Got To Get You Into My Life*
4. Drive My Car*
5. Letting Go^
6. Come On To Me
7. Let Me Roll It^/Foxy Lady (Jimi Hendrix cover)
8. Getting Better*
9. Let ‘Em In^
10. My Valentine
11. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five^
12. Maybe I’m Amazed
13. I’ve Just Seen A Face*
14. In Spite of All The Danger*
15. Love Me Do*
16. Dance Tonight
17. Blackbird*
18. Here Today
19. Now And Then*
20. Lady Madonna*
21. Jet^
22. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!*
23. Something*
24. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da*
25. Band On The Run^
26. Get Back*
27. Let It Be*
28. Live And Let Die^
29. Hey Jude*
30. I’ve Got A Feeling*
31. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)*
32. Helter Skelter*
33. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End*

*=originally performed with the Beatles

^=originally performed with Wings