Paul McCartney is Candlestick Park's closing act
CANDLESTICK POINT, Calif. — Sir Paul McCartney last played Candlestick Park on Aug. 29, 1966, with some guys named John, George and Ringo.
The Beatles' last concert was at the Stick that afternoon, a tidy 11-song, 35-minute performance largely drowned by the din of screaming teenagers and their admiring parents.
On Thursday night, it was Candlestick's swan song with Sir Paul at the mike. For 2½ hours, he played a mix of songs from his latest album, New, and hits from Wings and The Beatles. The set included songs such as PaperbackWriter, DayTripper and Yesterday from the Candlestick show in 1966. He even trotted out the last song of that show, a cover of Little Richard's Long Tall Sally.
On a cold, windy night — Candlestick, in all its infamous glory — the stands were teeming with fans clad in 49ers jerseys and Giants caps on what was a highly emotional night for many.
Ken Birch was 12 when he saw the Fab Four at his surprise birthday party -- and he was back last night. He stayed until 2 a.m. after the show to soak up the memories of concerts and sporting events. "Notice how the fog stayed out of the stadium?" he asked. "It was as if God knew this was a special night."
A pyrotechnics show punctuated Live and Let Die, and fans rocked to Back in the U.S.S.R. As with any McCartney show, the stadium echoed with thousands of fans singing along to Hey Jude and Let It Be. It ended, fittingly, with The End.
"Thank you, San Francisco, for being cool now and for being cool back then," the former Beatle told the crowd at the conclusion of the second, and last, encore.
Few things stir the passions of über-cool San Franciscans more than an event — especially one showcasing an ex-Beatle and the finale at the concrete bowl that the city learned to both love and hate for more than 50 years.
"Sad to see (the stadium) go," said a visibly moved Robby Elkhouri, 38, who witnessed about 125 Giants games and more than 60 Niner tilts in it. "Everyone was equal here. We celebrated life and came together."
"I'm really excited," said Ryann Allison, 10, who flew in Thursday from Austin with her mom to see her first concert.
"My friends will be really jealous when I'm a teenager," said Allison, clutching her "We love Paul" homemade sign.
The McCartney show climaxed a remarkable run of concerts in the Bay Area this month, including Beyoncé and Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and Tom Petty.
McCartney agreed to do the show after some personal lobbying from San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who approached the legendary musician backstage after his performance at Outside Lands festival here last year.
McCartney agreed, despite an offer from the San Francisco 49ers for him to perform at their new stadium, down the highway in Santa Clara, Calif.
Early in his show, before about 49,000 fans of all ages, McCartney had to wander the stage and gaze at the adoring throng. "It's good to drink it all in," he said. "We're saying goodbye to Candlestick."