It’s no secret. I love Paul McCartney. I’ve been a diehard Beatles fan since before my teens and my love and admiration for the four men who made up that legendary band have never waned.

And I’m not alone. California 9-year old Sara Scally, whose family vacation to Florida was scheduled around Paul’s Tampa show at Amalie Arena, loves him too. I asked the youngster, who has been enamored of the former Beatle since her toddler years (this was her third McCartney show) why she loves him.

“He’s a good singer!” she replied matter-of-factly.

It’s that simple.

And she and I were certainly not alone at the Amalie. More than 17,000 folks of all ages crammed into every available seat in the downtown Tampa arena on Monday night to sing along and be taken down that magical mystery tour of McCartney’s life in music. And when Paul sings, people listen. And they remember. And they feel. And they react.

Playlist: Listen to every song Paul McCartney played at Tampa’s Amalie Arena on July 10

And boy did they have plenty to react to. A three-hour journey that touched on the earliest days of his long career right up through his latest work might not have been what many in attendance were expecting out of the 75-year old performer, but Macca smashed those expectations and steamrolled on with the finesse and the drive of a seasoned pro, which is exactly what he is.

Without the aid of an opening act, Sir Paul and his four-piece band walked onto the massive, darkened stage to thunderous applause and wasted no time jumping into the night’s barrage of hits. Spry, slender and fit, Paul donned a dark blue blazer, white shirt and jeans and looked comfortable and ready for the long night ahead. The familiar opening chord of the Beatles classic “A Hard Day’s Night” struck and, again, the rafters shook as every single person in the place stood and cheered loudly.

Two giant screens on either side of the stage projected larger-than-life images of McCartney while colorful, geometric shapes danced on the screens at the rear of the stage. If ever there were a moment that perfectly conjured a celebratory mood, it was this opening number.

Hell, even other famous musicians lose their inhibitions and can’t help themselves when Paul McCartney takes the stage. Seated nearby was ex-Hootie and the Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker and his family, all feverishly snapping photos of Paul on their phones and singing along to the lyrics. Yeah, the guy and his stunning canon of work has that effect on people. Lots and lots of people.

Trotting around the stage, shooting peace signs and thumbs up to fans in all levels and in all sections, he gives off the vibe that he’s damn glad to be there. And we love that feeling.

With the intention of pleasing everyone in the house, McCartney touched on every era of his career. He turned in a sizable amount of Beatles tunes, represented his ’70s output with Wings and played plenty of latter material, too. Who does that? And who can pull it off so seamlessly? This guy.

After a rousing version of 1974’s “Junior’s Farm,” McCartney called for the house lights to be brought up. “This is so cool. I’m just going to take a second to drink it in,” he said as he scoped out the arena and eyed the whole crowd. And it seemed genuine.

Nearly as entertaining as the music were the short, comical and sometimes poignant anecdotes Paul threw in between songs and as intros, including one about a quirky mishap that occurred the last time he played in Tampa in 2005 when he fell into an onstage piano pit. Or the fond recollection of the late Jimi Hendrix’s live performance of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in 1967 he witnessed a few days after the album’s release. In turn, he closed out an absolutely stellar version of the deep Wings album cut, the slow-burning, guitar-heavy “Let Me Roll It” with some passages from Jimi’s “Foxy Lady.” An absolutely brilliant showman, McCartney has his act down to a science without coming across as rehearsed or canned.

Vocally, he improved as the night progressed. While his vocals were somewhat deep in the mix of music and seemed a tad weak early on, he gained steam and ferocity as the night wore on. His take on “Jet” was fully charged and his soaring vocals carried the tune higher than the aerial plane scenes that were projected on screen while it chugged along.

Switching from his famous Höfner bass, to a cranked-up colorful Gibson Les Paul guitar, to a grand piano, to an upright piano and to acoustic guitar, there wasn’t much Paul didn’t play during the marathon show. He even whipped out a ukulele and delivered a loving, heartfelt tribute to his former bandmate George Harrison and revealed what an accomplished uke player he was.

“He even gave me this one,” McCartney said as he held up the tiny stringed instrument. And, with that, he paid George the ultimate honor by performing one of the late songwriter’s best known compositions, “Something,” on it. One of the night’s many lump-in-the-throat moments came during the tune as vintage photos of Paul and George washed on the screens behind him in what turned into a spirited sing-along.

Not shy in including newer, maybe unknown, material into the mix too, Paul threw in the romantic “My Valentine” from his 2012 album Kisses On The Bottom, and made no apologies about it.

“We know what you like. When we play Beatles songs, the whole place lights up with your phones like a galaxy. But when we play new songs, it’s like a black hole,” he dead-panned. “We know, we know…and we don’t care.”

It wasn’t just new songs he’s willing to daringly include either. In an absolute wow moment, he introduced a song that has “sort of an electronic thing” and played deep album cut “Temporary Secretary” from his 1980 McCartney II album. Yup, that one was for the diehards, as it seemed to sail over the heads of the majority of the audience.

Another jaw-dropper was an absolutely unabashed, rollicking version of the early Beatles composition “I Wanna Be Your Man,” a song that Paul introduced with a charming story about taking a cab ride with songwriting partner and bandmate John Lennon along with Rolling Stones songwriting duo Keith Richards and Mick Jagger many moons ago. John and Paul gave the song to the Stones to record and it was their first no. 1 hit, he remembered.

“A lot of people made a big deal about the rivalry,” he recalled in recounting the competition The Beatles and The Stones were supposedly embroiled in way back when.

“But that was fake news!” he joked, proving that he can slip in a topical, timely punchline, too.

As he began a solemn, stunning solo version of “Blackbird,” Paul recalled a different time when the civil rights movement deeply affected him and how he’d hoped the song would inspire people in places like Arkansas and Alabama to take the song’s message to heart. And, with that, the platform he stood upon rose 20 feet in the air and lifted him high above the stage he’d just stood on. His message and his song were played as he rose above us in the arena. Another of the night’s many moving moments.

And, just like he began and just like he carried out, the end of the night was another non-stop frenzy of great songs and sigh-inducing moments that conjured tons of warm fuzzies and spontaneously caused goosebumps among many in the crowd…myself included.

Who else can wrap up a set with a red-hot, flash pot-filled killer like “Live And Let Die” and an emotion-filled rendition of “Hey Jude” in a back-to-back punch formation? Who else has that type of catalog? Only Paul McCartney.

As the returned to the stage for the night’s powerhouse encores, each held a flagpole and waved their respective flags joyously before picking up their instruments again. An American Flag, a British Union Jack flag, a Florida flag and a Pride flag were all represented. What could have come across as a cheesy, kitschy move was actually a proud and heartfelt move whose power and significance were certainly not lost. It was pretty special, actually.

Winding up with a kickass version of “Get Back” (along with a local Lakeland mom-and-son team Paul invited to dance onstage) and the suite of “Golden Slumbers”/”Carry That Weight”/”The End” was fitting. While the veteran performer looked like he was ready and able to go a few more rounds, most in the crowd who’d danced and shimmied all night long were spent.

“We’ll see you next time,” McCartney shouted before vanishing from the stage. At the rate he’s going and with the stamina and endurance he still displays, I’m going to take him at his word on that one.

Listen to a playlist of songs from the set here, and see more of Kamran’s photos below.

Paul McCartney Setlist (Amalie Arena — Tampa, Florida)

A Hard Day's Night

Junior's Farm

Can't Buy Me Love

Jet

Temporary Secretary

Let Me Roll It

I've Got a Feeling

My Valentine

Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five

Maybe I'm Amazed

We Can Work It Out

In Spite of All the Danger

You Won't See Me

Love Me Do

And I Love Her

Blackbird

Here Today

Queenie Eye

New

The Fool on the Hill

Lady Madonna

FourFiveSeconds

Eleanor Rigby

I Wanna Be Your Man

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!

Something

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Band on the Run

Back in the U.S.S.R.

Let It Be

Live and Let Die

Hey Jude

—

Yesterday

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

Hi, Hi, Hi

Get Back

Golden Slumbers

Carry That Weight

The End