THE NEW YORK TIMES
At 69, Mr. McCartney is not saying goodbye but touring stadiums and playing marathon concerts. Friday’s set ran two-and-a-half hours, with Mr. McCartney constantly onstage, and it had 35 songs, not counting a few additional excerpts.
His concerts now are a gentle reminder of his survival and vitality.
For freshness, Mr. McCartney tossed off a Beatles song that, he announced, he had never performed live: “The Night Before,” with its skiffle bounce and barbershop harmonies. And some of the songs that weren’t on the Citi Field set lists were the most vital ones: particularly “Maybe I’m Amazed,” from his newly reissued 1970 solo debut album “McCartney” (MPL/Hear Music), with its startling harmonic swerves and a vocal that fervently illuminated the song’s affection, happy incredulity and deep need.
His voice reveled in the songs, hinting at little improvisatory variations; after them, he raised his instruments overhead in a mixture of exuberance and pride in musical craftsmanship. (When he sang “I’ve Got a Feeling,” the video screen didn’t show a heart — it showed pulsating speakers.) He perseveres, and entertains, by directly reconnecting to his songs across the decades and still having fun.
THE NEW YORK POST:
Move over Jeter. Paul McCartney is Yankee Stadium's new hero after hitting it outta the park with a grand slam concert last night.
On a stage set in shallow center field, the 69-year-old Beatle put in a hard day's night working his way through the Lennon/McCartney songbook, solo tunes and a healthy dose of Wings numbers.
The 2½-hour, 35-song set featured five decades worth of hits without a dud in the batch.
Strapped into his signature Hofner bass, wearing a smartly cut baby blue jacket -- sorry, no pinstripes for Macca -- he looked as trim and intense as a rookie shortstop.
The sound was astoundingly clear for a bowl show and Paul was in excellent voice, easily reaching the falsetto notes that have made girls scream since the '60s. McCartney, whose motto should be work hard, moved and sounded like he was just 17, again.
Paul doing classics from the Beatles songbook is as memorable as you'd expect, but getting to hear it at the Cathedral of Baseball lent the music majesty.
THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:
He even brought out one Beatles' tune he claimed he'd never played live before: "The Night Before." Indeed, it sounded here like it just came out of the box, shiny and new.
McCartney's continued ability to perform such key material so gracefully makes his shows more than just worthy entertainment. They're a kind of public service.
NEWSDAY:
If rock 'n' roll were Major League Baseball, there's no doubt Paul McCartney would be its New York Yankees. Sure, there's his track record as rock's biggest and most dependable artist for nearly five decades. Yeah, he still proves rockers can age gracefully and grow even when they have nothing left to prove. And, oh right, there's all those hits.
Maybe that's why McCartney looked so at home at Friday night's show at Yankee Stadium, which was the third area ballpark he has christened for music, following the legendary Beatles event at Shea Stadium in 1965, as well as playing the first Citi Field concert in 2009.
ROLLING STONE:
Like those Citi Field shows – and all of McCartney’s shows since he reemerged on the road in 2002 after years without touring – he gave the people what they wanted. Joined by his four-piece band, he packed his three-hour set with quick blasts of Sixties pop ("Magical Mystery Tour," "All My Loving," "Drive My Car") and classic winding epics ( "The Long and Winding Road" and "Band on the Run"). And there was plenty of his classic humor. "Who’s this guy Derek Jeter?" he asked the crowd. "I hear he has more hits than me!"
McCartney ended with a homestretch of hits: "Let It Be," a "Hey Jude" sing-along and a raucous "I’ve Got a Feeling," which after finishing, the band sped into double-time and jammed off a James Gang-style blues riff. His third and final return to the stage featured "Yesterday," "Helter Skelter" and Abbey Road’s closing medley. "I told you we were going to have a good time," he said during the encore. It was an offhand comment – but it’s still astonishing to see how much McCartney, at 69, still cares.
VILLAGE VOICE:
Dude is almost twice my age, and that fucker canbelt, and in the physical-grace department, my blind guess of his age might have been more like a very agile 50. I could barely stand in front of my center field seat, which proved necessary pretty much the entire time.
... the crowd was genuinely intergenerationaL. Paul must know it, because he began with "Hello Goodbye," completely irresistible to me—a perfect opening storybook opening. He also threw in "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da" near the end of the main set—not counting a pair of three-song encores, he played between 35 and 40 numbers, depending on how you count.
Critical bias: Changed my life
BILLBOARD:
There's a sheer exhilaration that comes from being in McCartney's presence...
WALL STREET JOURNAL:
Paul McCartney is many things, a gifted musician, singer and band leader. Mostly, he is an inspiration.
Last night at Yankee Stadium, McCartney played and played, gave and gave, for well over two hours. He never stopped singing, playing, performing and smiling. He loves pleasing crowds.
He remained faithful to the vintage musical arrangements from the Beatles, Wings and McCartney solo records. He never even stopped to take a sip of water. McCartney, who just turned 69 years of age, rocked even harder last night than he did when I last saw him perform, two years ago at the then-new Citi Field across town.
The audience covered the gamut of ages. It was hard to say whether they had come out to see The Living Legend, re-live the majesty and glory of the Beatles or see McCartney in concert at the top of his game. If there were genuine fans of his post-Beatles work, they weren’t disappointed, either.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:
At 69, rock & roll’s most easygoing revolutionary is jamming harder than ever...
McCartney’s nearly two-hour and 45-minute extravaganza spanned his output from the past 50 years.
McCartney’s greatest triumph, though, may be in his simultaneous projection of himself as both arena god and ordinary guy... he’s transcended all your usual celebrity taxonomy—he’s just like you, even as he flexes his star power. His most spectacular act of showmanship these days may be his ability to sell himself. But, damn, if it doesn’t sound great.
Paul kicked off his 'On The Run' tour with two amazing shows at New York's Yankee Stadium last week. Check out some of the amazing reviews below.
Each and every one of this summer's On The Run dates can safely be predicted to feature nearly three hours of the world's most familiar and beloved music, with hits, deep cuts and surprises spanning Paul's unrivaled catalogue of Beatles, Wings, solo and Fireman classics.
Next stop, Detroit on Sunday...
Sunday 24th July 2011 - Comerica Park, Detroit, USA
I’m pleased to report that High in the Clouds,the book I wrote with Paul McCartney and illustrator/animation director Geoff Dunbar, is to be made into a film. The idea started life as Paul’s song Tropic Island Hum which became the basis for an animated short film, Wirral the Squirrel, produced by Paul and Linda, and directed by Geoff. This then developed into the book High in the Clouds (which is where I came in) and which, in turn, is now to become a feature-length film. The really great news is that not only is the screenplay by the writer of Edward Scissorhands, and that it’s to be directed by the director of The Lion King, but that Paul himself will be writing the music. Fingers crossed, it should be out in 2012.