Opening for McCartney - The Experience Part 1

Hiiiiiiii !!!....

*deep breath*....

So I've finally come down a little bit from and got some sleep after that crazy emotional roller-coaster I was on after opening for one of my HEROES...Sir Paul McCartney.....

I got home to Winnipeg Sunday evening and ever since have been getting phone calls from media reps who I've got to know over a number of years who kept saying "we just can't wait to hear all about it!" It was truly amazing to come home after this show...Winnipeg is like a small town in many ways, people aren't afraid to tell you how proud they are of you even if you don't REALLY know them, and they really genuinely mean it. For me growing up here playing around Manitoba since I was a little kid, everyone really did watch me grow up and I feel like this whole province is one big family...so it's been so nice to be able to share the experience with them through radio and tv since I got home....

Okay.....so now it's time you tell YOU guys all about it! :) ....


So maybe I'll start the day I got the call....it was Monday, less than a week before the show. I had just got back to Halifax from the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso and was staying at a house with Kellin, Fox, and Bebe Watson from North Carolina. Kellin and I had a show Tuesday night together at The Carleton that we were preparing for. So Monday morning, my cell phone rings, it's my mom...I answer to someone who didn't sound like my mom at all...more resemblance to an overwhelmed squealy little girl. She just kept saying "Nikki just called! You HAVE to call Nikki! Oh my god Sierra this is amazing, you're...no, I'll let her tell you...call Nikki right now, like RIGHT now!"...hahaha.....

I met Nikki Shibou a couple of weeks prior, she has a company called 9INEmanagement with her business partner Ron Chamberlain out of Calgary. They were running all the local production for the Paul McCartney show, basically responsible for everything that the McCartney camp wasn't. ....

I called her asking her what in the world was going on, and she informs me that the Paul McCartney wanted to invite a third opening act onto the show, and that she put my name forward. I was already freaking out just hearing that there was a CHANCE it would be me, but she goes on..."so I gave the promoter your myspace...he passed it up to the agent...and the agent passed it up to Paul and his manager...and I guess they liked it cause they've booked you a hotel to stay for the show on Saturday! You're opening for Paul McCartney Sierra!"

I think all that was coming out of my mouth were more a series of sounds that were supposed to be words but my brain didn't know what to spit out, haha, needless to say, I was losing my mind! Sir Paul McCartney! Former BEATLE! The band that caused an unbeatable world frenzy and changed pop culture and all music forever. The band I listened to in the car with my mom on 3 day road trips from Winnipeg to Ottawa every summer (I played ONLY The Beatles and The Beach Boys the WHOLE way there). The man himself who wrote my favourite song in the universe, the song that can make me cry or smile at any given time, and that will never be replaced as my favourite song by any other...."Blackbird"

So...I called my mom back and there we both are screaming and squealing like little girls just in complete and utter shock at all of this. I'm thinking in all seriousness, why in the world was it ME that got this? I'm 19. From WINNIPEG? It just absolutely blew my mind.

The first thing I want to do is get on my website, facebook, myspace, and twitter and tell EVERYONE but I couldn't! I couldn't announce it until they did...it was killing me!

I had to keep it more or less a secret for almost 2 days, and then the word was out...but it still didn't seem real.

Something no one really knew and I didn't want anyone to find out because I didn't want to worry anyone before the big show was that I was really really sick from Tuesday night to about Thursday afternoon. I had a killer cold and was incredibly tired. I could barely talk. But I wasn't worried, I knew I would get better. I just stayed in bed, drank tons of water and tea, watched movies, and slept. I didn't take any cold medication...I simply willed myself better. I had to do it for Sir Paul! haha

By Thursday I was better, and I headed down to the Halifax Commons to check out the site and the stage...

When the cab pulled up to the security gate and I got out, I saw the stage...it was one of the most magnificent things I had ever seen. And the I reminded myself that I, ME, would be playing there! AHH!

To Be Continued...