PAUL RETURNS TO WELLS FARGO ARENA JULY 21

Paul is set to invade Iowa's biggest indoor stage this summer.

One of music’s most celebrated acts, Paul returns to the Hawkeye state for a one-night only show at Wells Fargo Arena on July 21, Iowa Events Center management confirmed at a news conference Tuesday morning. Tickets to see Paul, which are limited to six per purchase, go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. via Hy-VeeTix.com, at the Wells Fargo Arena box office or participating Des Moines and Ames Hy-Vee locations.

 

Paul is slated to perform in Iowa’s capital city for the second time in his five-plus decades of musical dominance; his inaugural Des Moines show came on Oct. 27, 2005, at Wells Fargo Arena. It was the first announced concert in the history of the arena. The impending Des Moines show comes as part of McCartney's "One on One" tour, which launched in 2016.

The show is set to come weeks after Iowa Events Center closes its biggest fiscal concert year to date, said events center general manager Chris Connolly. The arena is set to host a total 23 concerts from July 1, 2016, to June 30 2017, when the fiscal year ends. Connolly points to Garth Brooks' sold-out six show run in 2016 as a major factor to attracting acts such as McCartney, Drake and Ed Sheeran. In previous years, the arena averaged 13 concerts. 

"Twenty-three shows with the compacted schedule we have ... it's unreal," Connolly said. 

The opportunity to bring McCartney back to Des Moines is "unbelievable," Connolly continued. 

"Paul McCartney's an absolute icon," Connolly said. "To bring him back again in 2017 ... who knows how many more opportunities we'll have to get him back here to Wells Fargo Arena." 

Macca played Iowa once before Wells Fargo Arena, at Jack Trice Stadium (then Cyclone Stadium) in Ames on July 18, 1990. His latest regional performance came last summer when he delivered an "near-perfect" set at the annual Summerfest in Milwaukee. A few dozen fans gathered at Cowels Commons on Tuesday morning to watch city officials unveil when McCartney would be bringing his tour to Des Moines. 

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For one fan, Sarah Davis, 34, of Des Moines, simply discussing the Beatles music brings tears to her eyes. Davis traveled last year to Sioux Falls and Boston to see Paul. 

"It's like the soundtrack if your life. Is that cheesy? Probably," Davis said. "It's what's always playing in the background. That's what I rock my kids to sleep with."

Pre-sale tickets are available for American Express card members, a news release said, and go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The show is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and McCartney typically performs for three hours.