During the days to come as the shows got closer, we continued to rib him about giving us tickets. We'd mention it in a joking way, and he'd laugh, but that was it. We didn't know what to make of that laugh. At one point, he actually said he would see what he could do, and asked for a telephone number from us as a contact. After we each individually freaked out in a very private and split-second way, the girls nudged me to give over my number - the only one with a 212 Manhattan area code - because they thought it would be hipper than a number with a Queens area code. I nervously volunteered my name and phone number to (the late) Brian Brolly, who was Wings' manager at the time. Although we waited for my phone to ring (Mom was on HIGH alert), it didn't make a sound. We were crushed. We realized we never should have allowed ourselves to get so excited at the prospect of being his guests. Maybe it was karma for the guilt we felt over letting him think we weren't going at all.
The day of the Nassau Coliseum show had finally arrived, and still no tickets from Paul. We had resigned ourselves to thinking that it was just going to be a funny little "thing" that we had with him, another of our "in-jokes". And then suddenly the joke was on us. My Mom called me during my internship at school to tell me that I had received a phone call from the offices of Eastman & Eastman. They wanted me to know that they had something for me, and could I come by around lunchtime to pick it up? Mom told them I would be there at noon and then called me. She could barely speak, she was so excited. Then of course, I was the one who could barely speak. I immediately called JoAnn, who in turn spread the word to the others that it was really true, Paul had come through after all. I nervously went to the offices later that morning and was handed an envelope containing four tickets for the first show at the Garden on Monday, May 24. They were very good seats in the Red section, to the left side of the stage and very close to the front view. We were over the moon.
As we waited at the hotel for them to leave for the show that afternoon, we were trying to keep our heads on straight with the knowledge that we were having some kind of unbelievable day. We were going to see him leave for the show, we would go to the show at the Coliseum that night, and then be back at the hotel to see him one more time and say goodnight. There was something else too, what was it...oh yeah - HE GAVE US TICKETS TO HIS CONCERT!! I seriously thought I might explode with excitement before it was all over. As we stood there trying to calm each other down and not look too whacked as we did it, Paul and Linda breezed out of the Stanhope, said a very quick hello to us and were off in a car. This encounter was much quicker than we were used to, but that was okay, we were always thankful for whatever time he spent with us and we never took it for granted. However, we had no opportunity to speak to him or say thank you.
The very first big arena concert I ever went to was The Concert for Bangla Desh on Sunday, August 1, 1971 with Linda, JoAnn & Evy - not a shabby way to start a concert-going career. As amazing as those two shows were (yes, we went to both shows), they did not compare to what I was in store for this particular night. That first NY show at the Coliseum was off the charts. This was a once in a lifetime event, which proved to be even more true when ultimately it became the only tour Wings did. Paul's voice was in a particularly good place through these years, and I've always said that he and Roger Daltrey are the two best screamers in rock and roll. If you have any doubts, take a listen to the WOA version of "Call Me Back Again", in my opinion one of his best live vocals ever. For 2 hours and 15 minutes I was totally taken, transported to some other music nirvana where all that was in my world was the sound of my favorite performer and his band. I could not believe the life I was leading these days.
The day of the Nassau Coliseum show had finally arrived, and still no tickets from Paul. We had resigned ourselves to thinking that it was just going to be a funny little "thing" that we had with him, another of our "in-jokes". And then suddenly the joke was on us. My Mom called me during my internship at school to tell me that I had received a phone call from the offices of Eastman & Eastman. They wanted me to know that they had something for me, and could I come by around lunchtime to pick it up? Mom told them I would be there at noon and then called me. She could barely speak, she was so excited. Then of course, I was the one who could barely speak. I immediately called JoAnn, who in turn spread the word to the others that it was really true, Paul had come through after all. I nervously went to the offices later that morning and was handed an envelope containing four tickets for the first show at the Garden on Monday, May 24. They were very good seats in the Red section, to the left side of the stage and very close to the front view. We were over the moon.
As we waited at the hotel for them to leave for the show that afternoon, we were trying to keep our heads on straight with the knowledge that we were having some kind of unbelievable day. We were going to see him leave for the show, we would go to the show at the Coliseum that night, and then be back at the hotel to see him one more time and say goodnight. There was something else too, what was it...oh yeah - HE GAVE US TICKETS TO HIS CONCERT!! I seriously thought I might explode with excitement before it was all over. As we stood there trying to calm each other down and not look too whacked as we did it, Paul and Linda breezed out of the Stanhope, said a very quick hello to us and were off in a car. This encounter was much quicker than we were used to, but that was okay, we were always thankful for whatever time he spent with us and we never took it for granted. However, we had no opportunity to speak to him or say thank you.
The very first big arena concert I ever went to was The Concert for Bangla Desh on Sunday, August 1, 1971 with Linda, JoAnn & Evy - not a shabby way to start a concert-going career. As amazing as those two shows were (yes, we went to both shows), they did not compare to what I was in store for this particular night. That first NY show at the Coliseum was off the charts. This was a once in a lifetime event, which proved to be even more true when ultimately it became the only tour Wings did. Paul's voice was in a particularly good place through these years, and I've always said that he and Roger Daltrey are the two best screamers in rock and roll. If you have any doubts, take a listen to the WOA version of "Call Me Back Again", in my opinion one of his best live vocals ever. For 2 hours and 15 minutes I was totally taken, transported to some other music nirvana where all that was in my world was the sound of my favorite performer and his band. I could not believe the life I was leading these days.