Fans attendng Paul McCartney's first ever concert in Syracuse Saturday (9/23) hoped the music would be hot and knew the venue would be. The lifetime naming rights for the Syracuse University dome were awarded to the Carrier Corporation. At the time Carrier locked that deal in, the world leader in air conditioners was one of the largest employers in Syracuse. Ironically, the Carrier Dome has none, making it a terribly uncomfortable place to attend any event when the outside temp is above 75. Gone are the days late September Syracuse days can be counted on to be relatively cool. The McCartney date fell in the middle of a two week stretch the city and region were in the middle of a two week stretch of daily highs in the mid 80's. The uncomfortable conditions proved undaunting to Sir Paul and the multi-generational legion of fans that came close to filling the venue the now 75 year old Rocker cancelled a scheduled concert at when he was 51 due to mediocre ticket sales.
The 39 song, 3 hour long show delivered by a band being cooled by discreetly placed but powerful fans seemed to meet or beat the expectations of nearly everyone that attended. There was a moment during the hot evening that things threatened to get even hotter - in a very dangerous way. A jet of pyro-generated flame during Live and Let Die ignitied some rigging above the stage. Rapid response by crew members averted what could have brought a wonderful evening to a tragic close.
MORE PAUL McCARTNEY INSIGHTS
