James Paul McCartney — that's Sir Paul McCartney to all of us — will play Utah for the first time on July 13.
He won't be playing alone.
Sure, he'll have his band, including longtime guitarist Rusty Anderson. But he'll bring so much more, including every audience member's memories.
When McCartney was introduced to John Lennon in 1957, the two had little idea what impact they would have on pop culture in 20th and 21st centuries.
Americans, arguably, felt the impact in the keenest sense.
When the Beatles landed at New York's newly christened John F. Kennedy Airport on Feb. 7, 1964, the country was still reeling from the assassination of the airport's namesake.
America was looking for something happy, uplifting and inspiring.
Much to the older generation's chagrin, the Beatles filled that void for their children.
And, as they say, the rest is history.
Jeff Whiteley, director of the locally based Excellence in the Community Concert Series, blamed the Beatles for his career choice.
"My mother dropped me off at the Gem Theatre when I was in elementary school to see 'A Hard Day's Night,' " Whiteley said. "The kids were screaming in the theater just like the people on the screen. Every seat was taken. It was pandemonium and a formidable experience."
Whiteley became a bassist in junior high and took an interest in McCartney's playing.
"When we'd learn all these rock songs from different groups, we had to slow down to learn a Beatles song because the composition was more sophisticated," he said. "Instead of just chord charts and everyone banging away on the same chords, the Beatles songs were more composed and more akin to ensemble playing."
Speaking of composers, Kurt Bestor had the opportunity to arrange classic Beatles songs for a couple of projects.
One was an arrangement for Brigham Young University's World Championship Formation Team 10 years ago.
"That was a lot of fun," he told the Deseret News. "We used 'Yesterday,' 'Eleanor Rigby' and some other hits."
The other, Bestor said, was an elevator music arrangement.
"I do have an apology for Sir McCartney," he said. "I was hired by the Muzak Corporation to arrange 'Norwegian Wood.' I should hold up a sign at his concert that says, 'I'm sorry.' "
Bestor confessed he was a late bloomer when it came to appreciating the Beatles and McCartney.
"The Beatles did inspire me, but I was not really into rock music growing up," Bestor said. "It was either classical or funk."
Bestor appreciates the Beatles' experimental era.
"When they started coming out with more adventurous things, like 'Sgt. Pepper,' I started thinking how interesting these guys were becoming.
"When I listened to the 'Liverpool Oratorio,' (McCartney's) first classical foray, there were some things that seemed a little goofy for classical music. But his melodies and his understanding of music goes very very deep."
Sue Kelley, program director for KRSP 103.5 FM (aka "The Arrow"), said she's "such a Beatles fanatic, it's disgusting,"
"Paul, for me, is such an iconic figure," Kelley said. "He's a poet, a writer and humanitarian. But I loved the fact that he and (his late wife) Linda had such an incredible love affair.
"He wrote more than 101 love songs just for Linda. And the only time they spent apart was the 10 days he was in jail in Japan when he got busted for pot.
"There's something in the songs he wrote that speaks to everybody," she said.
"Maybe I'm Amazed" is Kelley's favorite solo McCartney song.
"Every time I hear the opening notes of the live version, my gut constricts and I stop," she said. "Even after working in rock music for 22 years, that song still brings tears to my eyes."
Derryl Yeager, artistic director for the award-winning Odyssey Dance Theatre, choreographed a repertory piece called "Let It Be," set to various Beatles songs, in 2002.
"Paul's music with the Beatles has inspired a whole generation, and I am particularly impressed at the rediscovery of the Beatles year after year with young and old alike," Yeager wrote in an e-mail to the Deseret News.
"It speaks not only to the amazing music they created, but also to the incredible lack of talent exhibited by most pop stars today."
Yeager also admired the fact that the Beatles put their music first.
"They mastered their craft and broke new ground as they tried to overcome their own hype and concentrated on their music," Yeager said. "Most so-called artists today seek fame and fortune alone, without having anything to say. The Beatles' example as artists is certainly something to emulate, and it is a major reason their music still holds up and inspires today!"
If you go...
What: Paul McCartney
Where: Rio Tinto Stadium
When: July 13, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $49.50-$250
Phone: 888-477-5849
e-mail: scott@desnews.com