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David Smyth's rating
, Paul McCartney is simply having a wonderful concert time
By
David Smyth
23 Dec 2009
This year the world’s most popular music venue has played host to everyone from Britney Spears to AC/DC but not Michael Jackson after all.
With its last gig of 2009 the O2 Arena at least managed to capture the other biggest singer on the planet.
Sir Paul McCartney’s only UK date this year was, strangely, a concert to promote a concert. A new live CD/DVD, Good Evening New York City, sees the Fab One revisiting the site of The Beatles’ legendary Shea Stadium show 44 years on.
This evening’s setlist was almost the same, though anyone who had saved the wallet-melting ticket price to watch the US DVD at home would have missed a few rare treats, including Mull Of Kintyre with a full pipe band and the timely schmaltz of Wonderful Christmastime.
McCartney offered a curfew-busting set packed with sufficient hits to leave people punch-drunk. He sneaked in enough new material to suggest that he is still functioning at a reasonably high level, but not so much that the queue of concert-goers for the bar was unmanageable.
Only Mama Knows, from the 2007 album Memory Almost Full, was a dramatic rocker, while the euphoric Sing The Changes, from his latest recording under his Fireman alias, was more impressive than its feeble sales would suggest.
He also took to the piano for the warm-hearted ballad I Want to Come Home, a Golden Globe-nominated tune from the forthcoming Robert De Niro film Everybody’s Fine.
But not for nothing did he save most of the Beatles numbers for the second half. If he is ticking over nicely in his dotage, back then he had more fire than tonight’s Live and Let Die pyrotechnics. Just one song half as good as Paperback Writer, A Day in the Life, Let it Be or Hey Jude, all of which blazed past in quick succession here, would keep a modern rock band going for years.
If the I’m-just-like-you schtick started to wear thin, especially when he mentioned the number of greats who have covered Yesterday, he occasionally allowed a glimpse beneath the relentlessly jaunty facade.
Here Today, written after John Lennon’s murder, My Love, dedicated to his late wife Linda, and Something, played on the ukelele for George Harrison, all brought home exactly how many important people this 67-year-old has lost.
But as ever, it was largely sunshine from the singer who can cause grown men to make sparkly banners. They came to be uplifted, and after almost three hours no one could say they were short-changed.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (10)
I have been wanting to see paul for year so i was unbeliably overjoyed when we managed to get tickets! the show was so amazing! i couldnt believe i was acctually there! id give it a million stars!
- Jo, england!, 06/02/2010 14:32
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without doubt the best show i have ever seen from the greatest
singer songwriter ever.can you imagine if the other 3 beatles could
have joined him with nowhere man ,i am the warlus here comes
the sun etc just to awesome to think about
- Michael Sheridan, waterford city rep of ireland, 29/12/2009 20:42
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Well, as I see it Paul deserves at least 5 stars for this amazing concert! He just rocked the arena away - and the audience rocked with him. And in between he opened up his and all our hearts with some of his beautiful balads. Could it be any better? I don't think so.
This was actually my first live concert ever. It's going to be very hard to top.
- Eva, Gothenburg, Sweden, 26/12/2009 18:10
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I saw Paul in Cologne this month and he literally rocked the hall. Fantastic show and fantastic performance.
He simply is the greatest artist and I hope he will keep on rocking for many years.
- Astrid Pott, Dorsten, Germany, 26/12/2009 12:56
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His show at the Gelredome, Arnhem, was incredible. That was the third time I saw him on the stage, and it seems to me that every time he gets better...
- Raymund Schutz, The Hague, 25/12/2009 21:36
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Good for him and for everybody,...Good news!
- Ivan Villalobos, Churuguara,Falcon,Venezuela, 24/12/2009 15:01
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I was lucky enough to be in the audience too. For me the stand-out moments were when he broke into the full-blooded 'Something' as a tribute to George and when he quite unexpectedly sung John's part in 'A Day in the Life' - and the instrumentation stood up beautifully to the original recording.
Five blokes, no doubt some incredibly expensive instruments but good grief they knew what to do with them. Probably the best gig I've been to in my life. Selfishly, I hope he does more very soon. You've written a great review but for me it would have to be five stars.
- Guy Clapperton, London, 24/12/2009 11:15
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A nicely written review, and by someone who is actually familiar with the artist. If you pass up the chance to ever see Paul McCartney, you are truly your own fool on the hill. I last saw him in Tulsa, Oklahoma back in August and got to enjoy 10 different songs I've never heard him perform live before. A great show! This sounds like such a great one, and this lucky crowd actually got Mull of Kintyre!!!
I would say that he has written songs as good as he did when with the Beatles, but as a listener it can be heard to judge when you hear music in a context other than the Beatles. Keep up the great work, Paul!
- Brady Wiebeck, Lincoln, Nebraska USA, 23/12/2009 19:22
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Plaudits for an exemplary review. Paul McCartney is simply a peerless icon. He's an incredibly virtuosic vocalist, musician and live performer. The ageless Macca is also arguably the most famous animal loving vegetarian on the planet. He exudes and resonates goodwill and benevolence. Their will never be another Sir Paul McCartney.
- Brien Comerford, Glenview, Illinois United States, 23/12/2009 15:26
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I saw Paul and the band in Arnhem, December 9th. Let's hope he will play for us again in 2010: fun for us and them! Besides, he has a tremendous song catalogue to sing.
- Gerard Van Os, Maassluis, The Netherlands, 23/12/2009 12:02
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