SPOKANE, Wash. — Sir Paul McCartney is one of the biggest names in entertainment. Thursday, he makes his Spokane debut at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.
According to Matt Meyer, Spokane Public Facilities District director of entertainment, over 8,000 tickets have been sold.
Meyer said ticketholder data shows fans are traveling in from Japan, Sweden, England and Canada.
Fans from across the country will also pack the arena.
"It's been pretty neat to watch," Meyer said. "Almost every state has had some sort of ticket sold."
One fan planning to touchdown in Spokane at 5 a.m. Thursday before the show is Utah resident Nathan Gedge.
Gedge has seen Paul McCartney in concert over 20 times. Seeing the Beatles star in Spokane will take his concert total up to 22.
"To hear the music is just an amazing experience and just those memories that you build, that you'll never have them taken away from you," Gedge said.
Gedge really fell in love with Paul's music in the 1980s. He said he saw his first McCartney tour in 2002. Since then, he said he's seen every McCartney U.S. tour.
"He's been a big part of my life," Gedge said. "He's brought people so much joy, some of his songs bring you solace, honestly, like, 'Let It Be,' times of trouble. You know, they just bring you comfort, when you hear his music. It takes you back to a place when you first heard the music.
His love for Paul McCartney and The Beatles even shows through in his kids. Gedge has five children. Three have names inspired by Sir Paul.
“So you know, his real name is James Paul McCartney," Gedge said. "So, my middle son's middle name is James, my youngest son's middle name is Paul, and my eldest daughter's name is Abbey after Abbey Road. So, really love The Beatles. I'm not sure how much my wife appreciates that. But, we do really love The Beatles in our household.”
Gedge has only seen Paul McCartney perform in Utah twice. He said most of the shows he's been to have been on the road. But, as a super fan, he said no distance is too far to see Paul on stage.
“I've seen him all over from, you know, LA to New York," Gedge reminisced. "I've seen him, you know, perform with Ringo Starr. You know, the two surviving Beatles. It's just amazing music. He's really inspired me. I've got my authentic Hoffner base to pretend like I'm Sir Paul McCartney.”
According to his concert website, McCartney's 'Got Back' tour marks the first series of live shows since July 2019.
“How many more opportunities are we going to get to see him?" Gedge asked. "Especially three years since it was 2019 when I last saw him, you know, with the pandemic and everything. This was definitely a tour I was not going to miss.”
Gedge also has plans to see his 23rd McCartney show at the final spot of the tour in New Jersey with his son.
Some advice from an experienced Paul McCartney fan, Gedge said if you plan on seeing McCartney at any of his 13 tour locations, remember to stick around even it you think the show is over.
"Don't leave early," Gedge said "There is usually at least one set of encore songs or two sets of encore songs. I've been there when it was a, you know, nine song encore. So, just because you think it's done at 'Hey, Jude,' don't leave. So stick around till the very, very, very end when he says we'll see you next time.”
Holly Williams with the Spokane Public Facilities District (PFD) confirmed to KREM 2 that tickets to the show sold out in less than 30 minutes after they went on sale in February.
Since then, the arena has released more tickets on TicketWest.com.
McCartney's next stop on the 'Got Back' tour includes two shows in Seattle.