Dinner with Paul McCartney
This is a classic "right place/right time" story.
A good friend of mine, Adam Comey, had just arrived in town and was on his way up to Kirkwood to get the 2004 North American Freeskiing Championships and World Tour Finals started. I suggested dinner with my wife and I at Moody’s up in Truckee to catch up on life.We were about half-way through our appetizers and who walks in the door? Paul McCartney and his wife.
You expect to see the mobbing of this man like you read about. There was some noticeable hushing while folks exposed whatever was in their mouth as they sat with their mouths open. As if on cue, 15 seconds later everyone got back to their normal conversations. Maybe that’s normal, but I suspect not. I think he was so surprised nobody mobbed him and he got to enjoy a nice quiet dinner that he felt compelled to reward everyone with some singing.
After his dinner, he walked on stage and belted out a few songs. Good dinner. Good music.
What was amazing was how much this story carried when it hit the AP newswire. I Googled 24 hours after the event and there were some 2,000 Web sites carrying the reference.
People I hadn’t spoken with in years were calling and e-mailing me to "see what it was like." I made an effort to talk more about the pickled beet appetizer that I had than McCartney. Drove them nuts.
My choice quote: “It was awesome,†said David LaPlante, 34, Reno, who took in the scene with his wife, Jessica. “I’m a little young to be a die-hard fan, but he’s Paul McCartney, a living legend. … and he’s sitting 15 feet away from you in a restaurant in Truckee,†he said.
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