Put It There - June 15

I was going through some of our archived photos from the past year to toss up a large Mixtiles order. Make memories and make sure you can see where you've been, ya know?

And in the midst of a flurry of early summer '19 photos, I came across a few shots from our experience at Dodger Stadium last July. Normally a space for 60,000 blue-clad Dodgers fans with a ton of kids in the mix, the stadium was packed with a crowd that skewed older.

The signs in left and right fields under the 76 logo read:

"Paul McCartney

 Welcome Back"

I went through the photos, including a shot of the concession options and pricing that I texted to get order while standing on line. My favorite part of the pre-show experience was the music pumping through the speakers as smiling fans streamed into the ballpark. The excitement palpable, people were standing in line and singing along to the McCartney and Wings songs pumping through the speakers. One in particular struck me. Its simple instrumentation cut through the noise and hustle and bustle of the commerce underway -- -"T-Shirts!" "Programs!"

The plucking of the guitar strings was the unmistakable (to my ears, anyway) opening of "Put It There." The short song from McCartney's 1989 album "Flowers In The Dirt" has since become a Sing-A-Long song when my jukebox get rolling on longer car expeditions. Here, it brought a smile and more of that communal, spiritual feel that I've written of in previous posts here. It'll be a recurring theme, no doubt.

The setlist for the concert didn't include this gem, but we were treated to a mix of 38 classics and new songs, ranging from quick 2-minute Beatles classics, Wings, solo work and visits from Joe Walsh and Ringo Starr. You had the obligatory "phone as flashlights" sections and plenty of singing. My kids knew the words to a bunch of the songs, impressing a number of people in our section.

Oh, and which picture prompted the memory? It was the fireworks and strings of "Live and Let Die." The picture was blurry, but it conjured a beautiful image in my mind. It was a flawless night for the band and the environment.

And one I wish I'd done better and could do again. We'll save that for another time.

Sing along if you know the words.

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Give me your hand I'd like to shake it
I want to show you I'm your friend.
You'll understand if I can make it clear
It's all that matters in the end.

Put it there if it weighs a ton,
That's what the father said to his younger son.
I don't care if it weighs a ton,
As long as you and I are here, put it there.
Long as you and I are here, put it there.

If there's a fight I'd like to fix it,
I hate to see things go so wrong.
The darkest night and all it's mixed emotions,
Is getting lighter sing a song.

Put it there if it weighs a ton,
That's what the father said to his younger son.
I don't care if it weighs a ton,
As long as you and I are here, put it there.
Long as you and I are here, put it there.

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Put It There - Paul McCartney Video