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Holding a green sign that read “COME BACK TO JAPAN, PLEASE,” Kiichirou Torii cheered from the eleventh row of the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday night, eager to see his favorite performer.

Traveling to the U.S. from Tokyo back in April, Torii said Syracuse is the tenth city and twelfth concert on his way to complete all 16 concerts of Sir Paul McCartney’s “Got Back Tour.” Following McCartney’s footsteps has been Torii’s mission over the years— he’s seen McCartney more than 50 times, he said.

“I became a Beatles fan when I was 13,” Torii said in Japanese. “I was trying to know what my father was playing in his car, and some of them were the Beatles’ songs. I became addicted to the Beatles in a month.”

McCartney, a former Beatle and musician, took the stage at the Dome once again after his 2017 North America tour, when he literally set the stage on fire. Switching between guitar, piano and ukulele, the 79-year-old music legend performed the same energetic way he always has.

Tens of thousands of McCartney fans packed the Dome on Saturday night. The home to the Syracuse Orange was filled with jubilation from people coming from all across the globe. The merchandise counters were crowded with fans trying to get a T-shirt. Multiple signs around the Dome showed “Welcome back to Syracuse Paul.”

Syracuse University announced McCartney’s return to the Dome in February. This is the first concert held at the Dome since it was renamed in May.

“Tell me, how many people here tonight are actually from Syracuse?” McCartney asked the crowd during the concert. Less than half of the audience raised their hands. “How many people are not from Syracuse?” he asked. Almost the entire audience started whistling and waving at the stage.

A fan captures McCartney’s vibrant performance at the Dome on Saturday. MAX MIMAROGLU | PHOTO EDITOR

People stood throughout the duration of the concert, some holding signs, phones and cameras, and some swinging with the rhythm.

“I named my son Paul,” McCartney read from one of the signs from the audience. He replied, “Say hi to Paul for me.”

Throughout the concert, McCartney performed songs ranging from Beatles classics such as “Blackbird” and “Let It Be,” to his personal singles like “Fuh You.” The audience turned the Dome into “a galaxy,” in McCartney’s words, by waving their flashlights to the melodies.

Reminiscent of his concert in Syracuse five years ago, McCartney once again set the stage on fire with his song “Live and Let Die.” Flames and fireworks erupted from the stage, and the heated wind swept through the audience in the ground section. The audience then joined McCartney for a rendition of “Hey Jude” before he left the stage.

“I can’t imagine he’s (almost) 80. I thought Paul was a legend, but he’s beyond a legend — a monster,” Torii said after the concert. “His energy even makes you feel it was a young stand-in who was doing the show.”

Tens of thousands of excited fans gathered on Saturday for McCartney’s return to Syracuse. MAX MIMAROGLU | PHOTO EDITOR

The crowd yelled themselves hoarse for McCartney’s encore. After running back to the stage while waving a huge Ukrainian national flag, he sang a virtual duet of “I’ve Got A Feeling” with Lennon’s rooftop performance video from the “Get Back” documentary. The audience whistled even louder following Lennon’s appearance on the screen. After six songs that lasted about 20 minutes, McCartney finally left the stage under pouring smoke and confetti.

Torii plans to complete the remaining four concerts of the tour. While he has been watching the same performance about once every three days, the deep emotions it gives him stay the same, he said.

“After Lennon died, I’m grateful that Paul is still promoting The Beatles to this world,” Torii said. “I’m 40 this year, half Paul’s age. Seeing someone twice as old as me doing this kind of performance gives me hope for the future.”

Published on June 5, 2022 at 5:00 am

Contact Francis: [email protected] | @francis_towne