I found out at the last minute and I was waiting in line for four hours in all. You see me and my friend didn't know that Paul was going to be actually at Amoeba until we were in the store and we were on our way out. But we knew something was up so my friend goes over to that info booth and asked. Wow! We couldnt believe it when we found out. My friend was supposed to go to work but he called in sick right then. No blue wristband though we were waiting on the other side...the ones without the wrist band but still hoping and then we saw the black cadillacs pulling into this lot where paparazzi were all over.....

What an amazing experience to see Sir Paul at a record store. Jim and Karen (co-owners) couldn't be more hospitable to all the fans outside waiting to get in. It was worth with. As Paul said on Wed, June 27 during his gig...This is SIR - REAL and it WAS! Thanks for everything.. Jamie #26 in line for the gig. Can't wait to see ALL the photos!

I am still postin my thoughts on my blog! Well most of the staff was cool the guy with blond hair and all the tats too cool! The guy that kept informing us with news was cool too. the huge hispanic guy with tatoos was a jerk for the most part treatin fans rudely!! The Jamician guy AWESOME J somethin? The store rocks, for a GIG it wasn't that great in my eyes, as we were packed like sardines 3 rows deep per ilse the CD racks were in the way. The fans should have had that middle section NOT Amoeba staff that was a bummer! Paul & The band were smokin hot on fire! Matchbox kicked ass as did That was me! It was great to see Paul!!!!! the setting sucked!

Harleyblues

what a show, jim and karen totally rocked. Big Daddy was the best, kept order, kept the rules, and was great putting up with all the drama of the line.
The orderly fashion, the quick attention to the needs of the fans, passing out fans, water, providing overnight security and giving out numbers so these old bones didnt have to spend a second night on the sidewalk made one of the best days in my life, a perfect memory. One store employee gave me a small poster as well as a larger one when I bought my deluxe edition, I actually bought something daily there as I had no idea of all the goodies inside.
Prior to the show, I wondered how the heck they were going to make this work, and would I end up being 10 rows back with all the VIP there, Ringo, and the press.
But they kept their promise and we were marched in an orderly fashion right up to the very front row.
The sound was great, the people were awesome, security was fair and in control in a polite manner, and even the restuarant across the street deliverd meals, with cloth napkins to go with them along with a 20 percent discount.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for providing us with a venue and a concert I will never forget
Audrey

Loved, Loved, Loved the whole experience! Thanks to the wonderful Amoeba Staff ... everyone was too cool and kind to us :) Paul and the guys were great as always ... but the whole setting made it extra special. Thanks again for being great hosts!

The Ameoba staff were amazing for the Paul McCartney concert! They helped us out so much and kept things so organizes!! Thanks. The show was amazing, the greatest experience of my life. I'm still completely jazzed and pumped about the show. I don't know if I'll ever come down off this excitment high I have. I met such amazing people and had such a great time! I'll never be able to listen to "That was Me" the same way again!!!

Thank you Ameoba staff, you guys made the experience of camping out for 3 days bearable!

OMIGAWD!! I can't tell you what a wonderful experience this whole thing was from the way the store handled everything to the concert. Amoeba went over and above the call of duty and were quite nice about it. You, at Amoeba, have a lot to be proud of you took care of us which was something that could not have been all that easy. Paul.............what else can I say about Paul. It's Saturday morning and the happy tears and smile still radiates off of me. Amoeba, thank you for this experience and keeping us informed every step of the way. You made us feel important. I know the fans that could not get in were grateful for you to keep your doors open so that they could hear the show. Paul.......You have been a part of my life for over 40 year now. I love you and hope you will do something like this one more time.

i've never posted a comment on a blog before. never blogged. and here i am. mostly because, though it is so great to see and feel people's experiences through their eyes, i feel a certain responsibility to clear up any misconceptions. just so people know. maybe it helps. maybe it doesn't. and i don't want to sound defensive in any way--but wanted to illuminate. to the die-hard fans who waited for days, we apologize about the sight lines and the limitations. 4 hours before the show, we were a functioning bustling record store. and we did all we could to convert this shop into a venue where everyone could have a great experience. we did everything we could to make SURE that the fans were front and center (as they deserved). and just for a little background on the center aisle: it was meant to be a clear fire lane and exit. NO ONE was supposed to be in that aisle. but when sir paul saw the gaping hole in the center of his audience, he asked that it be filled with fans. i negotiated with the fire marshal, rearranged some folks, and he agreed to allow 24 people in that space. it was 5 minutes before show time. we did not have the staff or the time to re-direct the rows without mass chaos ensuing (safety is still the number one priority)--so i handpicked the most avid, rabid, dedicated fans amongst our own staff to fill that space for PAUL. as i looked into their faces, i was reminded again that if not for the BEATLES, and paul mccartney, there would not have been record stores (as we know them), we would not be working in them and proud to be a part of music and sharing music with people.....and somehow it all fit. these were not V.I.P.'s with special dispensation, these were people who had worked tirelessly for days to make this whole show an amazing and wonderful experience for as many people as possible. people who make music their breath and their sustenance. people who love the spirit and the history as much as anyone and who were touched as much as anyone else in that room. we ALL shared that experience that night. and it was magical. and if we could have moved every record rack out of the joint to allow 500 hundred more people in--we would have. but we couldn't. they are bolted to the floor. and we were at capacity no matter what. so my only sadness is that more people couldn't have shared it. but it is now part of the energy of the store. the walls absorbed it all. it is part of the spirit of us. each of us who was there. and we will share that with our people. and that is the way magic can spread.

I wanted to thank Amoeba's staff for being unbelievably helpful and super cool about it all. I was #201 in line and ended up in the 'G' section of the CD's. Sure the bins were pesky, but it is churlish to complain when you're in such a small setting and able to see such an icon of rock. The staff applauding us as we finally were able to enter the gig was a lovely touch and the overall spirit and vibe of the night was very moving to me. I am a regular at Amoeba and I know the staff totally 'got' the importance of the event and knew how special it was to all who were there. What struck me as I listened to Paul rock out on 'Drive My Car', was how Amoeba wouldn't exist if it weren't for him. The artists in all the CD racks infront of us wouldn't exist if it weren't for him. The posters of the wall of the artists wouldn't exist if it weren't for him. I couldn't have made my music documentary if it weren't for Paul. (I dedicated my doc to him and a few other musicians!) It's mind blowing if you think about the impact Paul has made on popular culture and in all our lives.

My favorite thing about the show was getting to see Paul in such a small setting because he rocks like a bad ass! It's so easy to forget that he's such an amazing musician-he's mr. thumbs aloft and cheeky chappy-sometimes the persona overshadows his musicianship but man can he rock. "I've Got a Feeling", "Get Back" and "Back in the USSR" were just blowing my tiny mind! I'd love to know the story behind the gig. When was Amoeba approached, the negotiations, how it all came together, if the employees got some face time with Macca afterwards, how Paul thought it went,etc...

Such a magical night. Probably the best night of my life and something I'll remember forever. Thanks to Amoeba, their lovely helpful, rockin' staff and to Paul. Long live rock!
amy x

I just think, man ... thank the universe for places that are still independent, where people can come to a world wide blog and thank the owners by name, where an owner will step over a threshold and explain the what's up to anyone so that there's no "what if'n." I think about this one company I am dealing with? I've had a problem with them for about 2 months now, I've spoken to about 18 different people and every time - at the end of a 40 or so minute phone call? They promise it's all fixed up and then it's not. The thought that so many people got to have this life-changing experience with someone as legendary as Paul McCartney -and ... can thank someone like karen up there, thank her by name? People say all lightly about record stores are dying, and I ask you- how can we let that happen? Are we just giving up on there ever being this kind of magic for our kids? Will there be a record store for my daughter to work at when she's old enough? Where will WE all come together? I know this much: it won't be at that concert hall owned by Clear Channel. When will we ever learn? Thank you to Karen and Jim, as well as everyone who wears those amoeba teeshirts. Thanks for bringing us the magic.

having been to thousands of concerts in my life, including 5 beatle concerts, i have to say that the mc cartney concert was beyond my wildest dreams... and the staff of amoeba was absolutely amazing in the way that they handled the whole thing. anyone who complains about the way amoeba handled this hasn't yet waited in enough drop lines (i've been in literally 100's of them) or been to enough venues where the staff doesn't respect the featured artist no less the patron who's there to see the artist. HUGE kudos to the security who ran the line outside as if it was a personal thing for them to make sure that the original order and safety of all was protected.
like the person who posted below...i also thank god that there is still an independent shop out there that is filled with people who love the music and live to see it live. this is going to be a sad world when music is shared only over the internet and not by people meeting and finding each other in our neighborhood music shops.
i can't even begin to describe what the concert itself meant to me, but thank you amoeba for letting us be there to see it.

I wanted to cut 'n paste this for ya, cause who knows if you'll see it: "His [Macca's] delight proved that Amoeba was the right spot for this event. A club or theater might have made for better sightlines and more predictable sound (actually, the sound was fine), but it wouldn't have had the communal aura of this fan fair. Here, the 800 or so folks in their Wings T-shirts and Sgt. Pepper jackets — plus a few hard-to-spot celebs, most notably Ringo Starr, who got a shout-out from his old pal at show's end — could bask directly in each other's joy. And with no fourth wall to protect him, McCartney could let that mood get under his skin." .... That's a quote from a little rag in your new neighborhood, loosely speaking: The Los Angeles Times. Feel me? Love you all!

We just got back from Vegas, because after that magical evening, we didn't want it to end. Ran into a few of the other lucky ones there as we attended "Love" and the Beatles convention. Sorry "Love", as great as parts of the show were, we left disappointed because after our night at Amoeba, nothing can compare. I want to thank all the staff, especially Karen who was so kind and gracious, and I believe they did deserve a place of honor in the show, after putting up with the likes of us for three days. I do have one criticism though. The woman who took names of those in line (brenda) and her group (especially the creature in the stripped shirt)were abusive to other fans both in line and at the stage entrance. They assumed some sort of preferential treatment and pushed others who were waiting their turns patiently out of the way. One young Asian man with them knocked down the barriers at the stage entrance when Paul arrived. Those of us who remember the horror of the Dakota were horrified by this action. The stripped creature pushed me, a disabled woman, out of her way at least three times. I'm quite sure that these people, who were with Branda, who had granted them their initial number, were thought to have some actual power or authority.

My number was 242. There was a woman from back east who was slightly ahead of me in line but who was with Brenda and her group when we were granted admission to the store. I can understand that initially, Brenda was very helpful to your staff in organizing things, but in the future, it doesn't seem like a good idea. I hope others write in with there experiences with this group. Everyone we talked with in Vegas who was at the show had very negative things to say about them. I also plan to contact Paul's people, not as a criticism of you at Amoeba, but as a suggestion for future events.

That was us
At the best gig
In the record store
Shirt and wristband
by the CDs
That was us

That was me
Singing badly
In the video
By the sidewalk
That was me!

My hats off to the entire Amoeba staff. You treated us all so well, with patience and great accomodation. I love Amoeba Hollywood and have spent many hours and a few bucks in this great store! You all deserve raises!

Paul was on fire! My favorites being Matchbox, I've got a Feeling, House of Wax, Here Today, and That Was Me. The energy in the place was unmatched by anything I've ever experienced. With a full tank of gas, a full moon overhead, and some very full memories, my 6 hour drive home was a breeze. Thanks Amoeba and Paul. I will never forget. Love - Barb

I really have to say this: The Amoeba owners Jim and Karen and their Staff, were super nice and caring the whole time we were lined up by their wall, waiting for a chance at a Sir Paul wrist band. I was very impressed! I'm sending them a big 'Thank You' note along with some goodies from Texas! The first night we were camped out in the line, the lady owner Karen came out and asked me if we needed any sheets and pillows to help us be more confortable through the night. Wow! I told her me and my camping friends were all set, but there might be other people down the line who probably would need it. She did provide them with stuff! The only request the Amoeba owners made of us was to try to keep the street clean from trash! They were great! The Amoeba people were very candid and shared they had no idea about all the Macca lovers that would show up ready to camp out by their wall, for as long as needed and so soon after Gig Venue was made official. So, they shared with some of us how concerned they were for our safety when they saw the camping line hordes coming. At the beginning they had said they would provide us with security from the store's staff until 11 pm when the store closed, and then we would be on 'our own' for the night. We told them we understood and it was fine. But then, they went ahead and got us an off duty LA PD officer to stay with us from 11 pm to 11 am the next day, just to keep an eye on us through the night. Wow again! I was double impressed by that gesture and as a result, I was able to go to sleep very easily on the LA street. I'm convinced it was thanks to our valiant officer guarding our sleep. The next day, Tuesday 24th, as soon as the sun came out, it started shinning strong on our side of the wall and it got hot! The Amoeba staff came out passing cold bottles of water, cold Gatorades and later on trips and trips down the line with pitchers filled with water and ice cubes, plus cups for whomever needed it. As the day went on, they provided us all with Amoeba cardboard/stick popsicle fans and passed granola bars. They also had their Amoeba security people patrolling us the whole time! Both owners Jim and Karen came out doing the rounds several times and took their time to talk and interact with many of us. They even learned and remembered the names of those of us at the front of the line! They did not need to provide anything for us, nor were they expected, yet they did it out of the niceness from their hearts and it was very appreciated. At one time, some one told and explained to the Amoeba owners that 'tickets' had been passed out a day early at the NY venue, because it had been down pouring rain and to save the line campers from the flood and cold. It was also mentioned how the 'arrival' number line order had not been honored in NY, and thus how some late comers were able to jump in front of those who had been camping there the longest. The Amoeba owners listened to it all very attentively. Later on, we were informed they were going to go ahead distributing us signed and numbered line up tickets assuring us our place in the line! This was done so that we could go back to our hotels and places to refresh, get a better rest that night, etc. Indeed, the owners and staff went down the line, requesting to see our ID's and writing down our names on a note pad paper by line numbers. They passed each one of us a ticket that had been previously numbered and had a signature, promising our line place was safe. After that, still some of us, specially at the front line, were very adamant to leave our line places and hung around a while longer. We were wondering if we should stay in groups of two or three at a time through the night, taking two or three hour shifts guarding our places at the front line. But the Amoeba owners and staff were very understanding and totally reassured us over and over the line places and numbers were going to be honored. We finally went back to the hotel and had a great dinner and a good night's rest. However we still got up very early and headed down to the Amoeba venue... just in case. When we arrived, our hearts sank deep for there was a very large line of new comers formed! They all had arrived late the previous afternoon after we all left, and they ended up spending the night camping out there too. They all had been issued not numbered entrance tickets! Those of us with numbered line tickets were all worrying and wondering about his new comers, but eventually the Amoeba security came out and kindly ushered all these late camper arrivals to the opposite side of the street, so that we could claim our rightful line numbers. Wow! We were impressed before, but now we were totally amazed and blown away by the Amoeba people keeping and honoring their line up word! As the concert time approached, we were all issued our Paul McCartney entrance blue wrist bands, and amongst our shouts and jumps of jubilation, we were told better not to leave our line formation if we could help it. However and as usual, there were many people wearing their similar blue wrist bands, who tried to jump ahead in the line. The Amoeba security (hats off to them!) kept on patrolling vigilantly and regularly sending them back to their places. It was just plain fantastic! I personally had never been treated so nicely by any other place venue I've camped out before, and I was very impressed. I'd like to thank the Amoeba owners Jim and Karen, and their wonderful security and staff for caring so much and showing a kind and genuine human heart towards us. I am very grateful for all their efforts to welcome us into their store venue. I know I will always keep very nice and fond memories of the Amoeba owners and their staff for their kindness, and for keeping their line word. That was commendable! Amoeba Rocks! Thank You and Lots of love, Elsa Aida

I was there it was great! For a fifteen year old like me, I was crying! It was all timed great! My mom was stopped at the light and Paul's car was right behind us!!! I got out of the car and I was thrilled and excited!!! I was at least ten feet away from him, crying and just so happy that he was at my favorite place in California. I also saw Ringo drive into the garage where Paul had been let out, also I saw Olivia Harrison there too. It was a night to remember. GREAT JOB AMOEBA!!!!