Utah Trip: Part 2 - IKEA and Paul McCartney!

I finally have time to post the second installment of our trip to Utah! I know it's been an agonizing wait for all my blog stalkers. What can I say, I've been busy.

Tuesday morning, July 13th, we got up, got ready, helped ourselves to some continental (why is it called that?) breakfast, and headed for IKEA! Ryan had never been there, so it was a must. I think he was more impressed than he admitted to being. He especially liked the office chair selection. He noticed how well-made yet inexpensive the furniture was. He's learning. ;) We wandered through the showroom(s) and admired everything. I always enjoy the kitchen and baking section. Well, I actually love most all of it. Ryan pointed out that I go crazy about anything miniature, and said I buy things for that reason only. He's right! I love tiny things! We got Jane a cute ceramic cup and saucer set, me some cupcake dish towels, and the few random things pictured below. If I had been there with anyone else besides Ryan I might have gone a little overboard. He keeps me grounded. We'd already spent a lot of money on the trip, so we couldn't really justify buying a bunch of things we could do without. So we just got a few things. :)



Ryan picked out the cork trivet things. I hope that means he's going to be cooking!

We had some time in the afternoon to drop in and visit my friend Lynsey, whom I've known since junior high. She lives in Saratoga Springs, which was a short drive from IKEA. Lucky girl...
We chatted for a while and I got to hold her baby boy, Sorrin. So cute! She and her husband also have an adorable 3-year-old (I think!) girl, Isis. It was so fun to see them.

After that we went back to the hotel and I had a brief nap before we started getting gussied up for the main event!

We planned on leaving with plenty of time to stop and eat somewhere before arriving early to the stadium. Not surprisingly, we didn't leave ourselves quite as much time as we had anticipated, and we weren't perfectly clear on the directions to the nearest Cafe Rio, which several people had recommended to us, so we circled around the concert venue and found a place to park, then had to walk around until we found somewhere to have dinner. Thousands and thousands of other people had the same plan! Duh. Well, that was why we were hoping to eat somewhere a little further away than the rest of the concert goers, but it just didn't work out that way. We walked a few blocks and, running out of time, we settled on Crown Burger, one of Lynsey's suggestions. The line was out the door. I didn't keep track of how long it took us to order and get our food, but it was worth the wait. Their signature Crown Burgers come dressed with a nice helping of pastrami. That's what we both got, and shared some fries. The food was yummy and came to us piping hot! My only regret is we didn't get a milkshake. Once we were out of the line, there was no returning.

The concert was supposed to start at 7:30 (that's what the tickets said), and we got to our seats right around 7:00. I wanted to get there earlier, but it turned out I had my undies in a bunch for no reason. The show didn't begin until about 8:00.

It was fun watching all the people filing in. Kids, teenagers, adults, old folks. What a beautiful sight. All the generations of fans coming together for this rare opportunity. Not only was it Paul's first time in Utah, he noted that it was also his band's 200th gig together.




Waiting for the concert to start!


Huge screens on either side of the stage. So grateful for those. Without them, from where we were sitting, Paul looked like just a tiny beetle on stage. :)


More pre-show graphics. I was getting excited!






Paul!!!!!

He was such a fun entertainer! So energetic and seemed so happy to be there. He was making jokes, doing silly jigs between songs, and acting cute in general.




He started out wearing a suit jacket, but shed it after the first couple of songs due to the heat. He specified it would be the only thing he'd be removing during the show. As an afterthought, he added, "but we ARE in Utah, who knows what could happen as the evening wears on." :)



After numerous guitar changes he said they just do that to show off. :)


Hitting the high note of "Yesterday".




He and his band played over 20 Beatles classics! Yes, I'm going to list them.

Drive My Car
Day Tripper
All My Loving
Yesterday
Lady Madonna
Helter Skelter
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Eleanor Rigby
Paperback Writer
Something
The Long and Winding Road
I've Got a Feeling
Blackbird
Get Back
A Day in the Life
Back in the USSR
And I Love Her
I've Just Seen a Face
Let It Be
Hey Jude
Sgt. Pepper (reprise)

I screamed a lot.
It was the perfect weather once the sun went down. There was a cool breeze blowing through my hair, adding a nice touch to the surreal experience.

They did a bunch of Paul's post-Beatles songs as well, including Band on the Run, My Love, Jet, Let 'Em In, and Live and Let Die. The memory card on our camera was full by the end, so I was frantically trying to sift through pics and delete lame ones, making more room to adequately capture the concert of a lifetime!

Live and Let Die was awesome! A real crowd-pleaser. During each chorus they went crazy with the pyrotechnics and set off tons of gold fireworks from behind the stage. I decided to relish the moment without trying to fumble around with the camera at the same time. Just take my word for it. It was pretty darn neat!

He sang Give Peace A Chance as part of a tribute to John.



He played for 3 solid hours, including two encores. And he didn't leave it at one number each time he came back. He did a couple songs per encore. He just kept singing, and dancing, and playing! (Becky, keep your snide remarks to yourself; nobody wanted him to stop! Not even you.)
Our last glimpse of Paul. He was worth every penny of our $150-ish (each) tickets. I would have paid more if it were "my" money. :)
But close to the stage or not, I was SO happy to get to go! I wish I could have taken all my Beatle-loving friends. But alas...
I'm so glad Ryan made it possible for us to go. It was the best anniversary present I could have asked for. It's nice to know that a little of my Paul appreciation has rubbed off on him. He loved the concert, too!

My t-shirt's front. They had many design options. I chose the one that best represented the concert. I wonder if he wears the same outfit for every show.