One of the first questions Bill Moroziuk asks anyone who applies to work at his Beatles-heavy Edmonton record store, named after the Beatles album Revolver, is “Can you name all four Beatles?”
He saw Paul McCartney 11 years ago in Toronto, and while there he and a fellow concertgoer visited several dining spots and hotels where they thought they might catch a glimpse of the famed musician. When McCartney hit the stage, tears welled up in Moroziuk's eyes.
And when McCartney plays Edmonton for the first time ever on Wednesday and Thursday this week, Moroziuk will be sitting front row — for both nights.
To say that Moroziuk is a McCartney fan would be a serious understatement, and finally the veteran record store owner gets to see his musical idol in his own hometown.
“I was a Beatles fan when they were still the Beatles, and for me this is kind of the holy grail of concerts,” says Moroziuk, who sells Beatles memorabilia including posters, T-shirts, puzzles and more at his shop, which has become the city’s unofficial Beatles store.
“I mean we’ve had all of the major artists — the Stones, Led Zeppelin. But being that you can’t actually see the Beatles, Paul McCartney’s show is as close as you can get.”
Moroziuk isn't the only über-fan anxiously awaiting McCartney's arrival. Thousands of Beatles and McCartney diehards eagerly snapped up tickets to the former Beatle’s first-ever Edmonton show — so quickly, in fact, that the concert promoter immediately added a second show, which instantly sold out.
So many fans expressed frustration at being shut out that the city of Edmonton has even lined up a series of McCartney-themed events — including tailgate parties, screenings of Beatles movies and live performances — so those who can’t get tickets to the concerts can at least participate in the buzz happening around the city.
Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, himself a hardcore McCartney fan, even plans to declare an official Paul McCartney day.
Adding to the new wave of Edmonton Beatlemania is the fact that Sunday night, Nov. 25, McCartney played his first show in Vancouver in nearly 50 years, and the reviews of the three-hour concert — in which McCartney performed dozens of Beatles hits — have been ravishing.
For that show, fans also snapped up tickets in minutes, and at least one entire family — Jody Tennant of the Beatles tribute band Fab Fourever and his wife, mother and kids — dressed up in Sgt. Pepper costumes.
Moroziuk isn’t planning on trying to find McCartney at local haunts this time around, and he’s not going to deck himself out as any Beatles, but he’ll be keeping his phone nearby in case his idol steps into one of his stores. And when it comes time for the show, he's just looking forward to hearing his favourite hits.
“I love a lot of the stuff from Revolver and beyond, and then he had such an important solo career as well,” says Moroziuk. “I mean he was half of Lennon and McCartney, and I think they are the most successful songwriting team in music history. That was the soundtrack to my childhood, so for me this is that kind of event.”
It is for thousands of other Edmonton fans, too. Moroziuk has seen a spike in his Beatles-themed sales, and several of his customers have expressed their jealousy at the fact that he gets to go to the history-making shows.
“A lot of people were a bit incredulous that actually Paul McCartney is coming here,” says Moroziuk. “I think it’s the most major show we’ve ever had. And I’ve seen Elvis Presley in concert, so that’s saying something.”
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