Perhaps more than just about anything else, the fact that Beatles legend Paul McCartney basically must perform in the same massive sports cathedrals that typically house NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB teams is proof he's as big of a draw as he's always been.
Judging by the capacity size of his upcoming Friday concert at Globe Life Park in Arlington, it's worth arguing he's a bigger draw than he was over 40 years ago following the demise of his first famous band.
Along with Wings, the group he shared with his wife, Linda McCartney, he made his first post-Beatles tour stop in Fort Worth of all places. On May 3, 1976, McCartney and his band earned a reported 15-minute standing ovation in the Tarrant County Convention Center, which was once the home to the Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association.
In the decades since, Sir Paul has performed to packed stadiums in North Texas a number of times, and he's likely the only artist to headline his own concert in the current (and former) homes of each of our major sports teams.
Let's take a look back at McCartney's sporting visits to North Texas over the years, and how the teams were fairing at that point.
April 7, 1990, Texas Stadium, Irving
McCartney visited Texas Stadium during a pivotal time for not only himself, but the team that called the stadium home. The tour that brought him to town was his first in over a decade, and he was promoting a new solo album, Flowers in the Dirt, which was receiving rave reviews.
The spring show fell between the abysmal 1-15 campaign for the Cowboys, who were then hoping young quarterback Troy Aikman and fiery still-new head coach Jimmy Johnson could turn America's Team around. Similar to McCartney's resurgence after many years off the road, the Cowboys narrowly missed the playoffs the following season, but set the table for the historic run of three Super Bowl wins later in the decade.
May 9-10, 2002, Reunion Arena
Though his visits are more frequent now, McCartney's Driving World Tour Dallas stop was again his first North Texas date in over a decade. This was his first world tour following the death of his wife, Linda, as well as that of former Beatle mate George Harrison. During the first night of the two-night stand, McCartney welcomed famed Beatles producer George Martin from the stage.
The 2001-2002 NHL and NBA season saw the Stars and Mavs move their games to the newly constructed American Airlines Center, but the old arena hosted events for years afterward. Following the team's run to a Stanley Cup Victory in 1999 and to the finals in 2000, the Stars failed to make the playoffs. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were just beginning to establish themselves as an NBA Western Conference power on the backs of Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
November 20, 2005, American Airlines Center
After a mere three-year absence, McCartney was back with songs from his new Chaos and Creation in the Backyard record. According to a fan review on his own website, blogger Paul Ridenour declared "his voice sounded fantastic, especially for a guy who is almost 64."
This concert occurred near the start of the 2005-2006 NHL season that saw the Stars return to activity following the canceled previous season due to a league labor dispute. Despite winning their division in the regular season, the team failed to progress past the first round of the playoffs. The Mavericks also had a remarkable regular season in 2005-2006, followed by a thrilling run to the franchise's first ever NBA Finals where they lost to the Dwayne Wade-powered Miami Heat.
August 19, 2009, Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium)
McCartney was one of the first performers to give it a go in the cavernous, sound-challenged hub commonly referred to as "the Death Star." The final stop on his Summer Live '09 Tour brought a close to a short tour that also saw him perform in other sporting palaces including historic Fenway Park in Boston. As a tribute to native-Texan Buddy Holly, McCartney played "It's So Easy" during the Arlington show only.
The Cowboys would go on to make their first year in the new stadium one of the more memorable seasons in years, winning the NFC East division with an 11-5 record, and a dominating victory against rival Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round of the playoffs. Even though they lost badly the following week to the Vikings, the Cowboys sent nine players to the Pro Bowl that season.
October 13, 2014, American Airlines Center
In the middle of the two-year Out There! world tour, McCartney returned to the AAC just a few days after his first-ever concert in Lubbock. This was one of the dates of the tour that had to be rescheduled from that summer after he reportedly fell ill while in Japan.
More than any of his previous North Texas visits, McCartney didn't seem to offer any magic to either the Stars or the Mavericks, with both teams turning in lackluster 2014-2015 seasons. The Stars finished their season with a winning record but failed to make the playoffs, while the Mavericks barely eeked into the NBA playoffs before being easily thumped out by the Houston Rockets.
June 14, 2019, Globe Life Park, Arlington
The Freshen Up tour brings the Beatle back after another five-year absence. Although he's promoting his well-received 2018 Egypt Station album, it's safe to say that Sir Paul will stick relatively close to the classics we all know and love from his solo, Beatles and Wings catalog, and as far as we're concerned, that's a winning formula.
In a surprising twist, the Rangers, perhaps inspired to give the ballpark one last winning season, have stayed around .500 all year while hanging in the playoff race under the leadership of new manager Chris Woodward. If there's one thing that can help a fan base say farewell to a beloved ballpark, more so than concerts from legendary musicians, even, is a World Series trophy.
On Friday at 8 p.m. Globe Life Park, 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington. ticketmaster.com.