It was a day in the life that James Liverani never could have imagined.
The-29 year old Oyster Bay resident was at MetLife Stadium when his idol, legendary music star, Paul McCartney, asked him to join him on stage. Liverani never thought Sir Paul would see him standing there.
“The guy has been the soundtrack to my whole life,” said Liverani, a music teacher at Friends Academy in Locust Valley. “I was born in 1986 and went to my first concert with my parents in 1990 when I was three-ears-old. I eat, breathe and sleep the Beatles. My father has been to all of his American tours.”
On Sunday, Aug. 7, Liverani and his father, Tom, were attending a pre-concert sound check at MetLife for VIP guests. The pair had decided to bring signs with them in order to catch McCartney’s attention. James’ sign read “Music Teacher” and his father’s sign said “You’d Make My Son The Coolest Teacher If He Could Play With His Idol.”
He said that McCartney looked out into the crowd of 300 people and that his gaze fell upon the two signs that James and his father were holding above their heads.
“He called me up on stage and I just lost it,” said Liverani. “My jaw just dropped, my eyes were wide and it was like I was floating up to the stage instead of walking. One of the best feelings of my life.”
He said that once he was on stage with McCartney, he was so awestruck that he had trouble speaking.
“I mean I emulate this guy, have all of his records, albums, guitars, everything and here he is standing right next to me. It was an unreal feeling,” he said.
Liverani ended up playing guitar while Sir Paul played bass and they both sang lyrics to the Beatles famous hit, “Get Back.”
After the duet, he said that McCartney asked him his name and he told him his name was James.
“He said to me that James was a great name because his dad and grandfather’s name was James and his son is also named James. He was the nicest of people and I every time I talk about or think about the experience it gives me the chills,” he said.
McCartney also asked Tom to come up on stage with him to sing into the microphone and afterwards gave both father and son a big hug.
In a few weeks, Liverani will resume his job as a music teacher at Friends, but will always have the life long memory o f being able to share the stage with one of his idols.
