vancouversun.com
Concert Review: Paul McCartney plays BC Place
Playing a selection of your catalogue while a montage of classic photos scrolls by works as well as any opening act, and the crowd won’t care if they hear any of these songs twice anyway. Such is the man’s musical legacy.
STUART DERDEYN
Updated: July 7, 2019
Paul McCartney opened for himself last night at BC Place. Leading up to the Macca experience, fans got a selection the Macca experience. It was sort of weird.
But what do you do when you are Sir Paul McCartney?
Playing a selection of your catalogue while a montage of classic photos scrolls by works as well as any opening act, and the crowd won’t care if they hear any of these songs twice anyway. Such is the man’s musical legacy that he could come on stage and croak his classics and the fans would freak.
At 77, he certainly never croaks.
But his voice is taxed quite often, taking on tunes such as the opener A Hard Day’s Night and many others. For every near note perfect Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da, there were plenty of rough patches. What do you do?
One of the genuine problems of being a huge fan of artists such as Little Richard and the like when you are penning tunes in your teens is singing them six decades later. McCartney has wisely put a crew of backing musicians behind him who can play their asses off as well as harmonize all over the place.
Paul McCartney lets his music do the talking during the Freshen Up tour at BC Place in Vancouver July 6. GERRY KAHRMANN / PNG
He has also done some really great rearrangements of tunes such as the Wings hit Letting Go, the first time it would benefit from a brass section trio of trumpets, sax and trombone. When the horns players appeared off stage at the entrance to aisle 214, it was the one bit of arena show in what was otherwise a straight ahead band-on-the-clock performance.
Not that they were dialing it in, just that the music did the talking on the stripped-down stage with its simple light show and three screens. Save for Live and Let Die with its pyro, laser and fireworks overkill, that is.
OK, drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. was an absolute joy to hear and watch, and guitarist Rusty Anderson could be the rock ‘n’ roll brother of Ty Burell’sPhil Dunphy in Modern Family.
“We’ve got some old songs, some new songs, and some in between songs,” said Sir Paul. “And this one is definitely an old one”
All My Lovin’ came out in July 1963. The anti-bullying Who Cares came out on last year’s well-received Egypt Station. The set was peppered with — obviously — plenty of Beatles songs but also gave flight to McCartney’s Wings era and these proved some of the evening’s peaks.
Strapping on his Les Paul, McCartney ripped out the killer hook on Let Me Roll It, ending with a few bars of Jimi Hendrix’s Foxy Lady at the end to jam around in honour of the late guitarist.
Paul McCartney performs onstage at BC Place July 6 in Vancouver. GERRY KAHRMANN / PNG
This was followed with a story about Hendrix asking Eric Clapton to come tune his guitar during a performance in which he opened with a version of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which had only been released two days prior.
Yes, McCartney could just be telling stories and maybe playing acoustic versions of songs and it would be a blast. In fact, some of the best performances of the evening were the strumming ones: I’ve Just Seen A Face and Blackbird were particularly powerful. Apparently singer Emma Stevens — whose version of the song in the MicMac language went viral — was in the audience and got a shout-out.
So did Sir Paul’s wife, Nancy McCartney, when he introduced My Valentine. This song that he wrote for his wife featured Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman onscreen signing the song’s lyrics. A nice touch for a song that is, frankly, pretty forgettable. Particularly when up against the song he wrote to his late wife Linda McCartney.
Maybe I’m Amazed is definitely a post-Beatles highlight and a monster to sing. McCartney did himself proud on this challenging piece. He also commented on how the band knows which songs get people to bring out their phones, and which ones are “black holes:” “But we are going to play the news ones anyway.”
The Egypt Station tune that succeeded was Fuh Yu, with its almost Coldplay-like chorus: it’s the rare case of the master chasing the kids.Whatever keeps him happy and playing works for fans.
Of his contemporaries — and let’s be honest, McCartney is on his way to being the last man standing — there is no one else who can regale arenas with tales of George Harrison’s prowess on the ukulele before launching into Something or still have Let It Be, Hey Jude, Band on the Run, Helter Skelter and more to come at the two-hour mark in the concert.
The man’s back catalogue is ridiculous.
exclaim.ca
Paul McCartney
BC Place Stadium, Vancouver BC, July 6
By Leslie Ken Chu
Published Jul 07, 2019
Photo: Sharon Steele
Paul McCartney could say anything to greet his fans, and they would eat it up. But on Saturday night (July 6) at BC Place Stadium, he skipped pleasantries and went straight into early Beatles classic "A Hard Day's Night." That spiked fans' excitement from the get-go, but they cooled off during songs from his latest album, 2018's Egypt Station. Even Wings songs were better received than "Who Cares," "Come on to Me" and "Fuh You."
To be fair, though, Wings songs like "Junior's Farm," "Letting Go" and "Let 'Em In" were among the night's most rocking. And shaker-and-piano thumper "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five" was the best of all the Wings songs he played — that includes "Let Me Roll It," which featured an instrumental passage from Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady."
Seeing Paul McCartney is always a trip down memory lane, and not only because of the music. He reminisced about attending a show where Hendrix opened with an acid-washed cover of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" two days after the Beatles released their album of the same name. McCartney also took fans back to pre-Beatles days with straight-up country & western number "In Spite of All the Danger" by the Quarrymen, a group that once featured himself, John Lennon and George Harrison.
Of course, McCartney reminisced about Lennon, specifically. But as with most of his stories last night, he prefaced "Here Today" with well-known trivia: he wrote the song as a conversation he never got to have with John; "Here Today" was basically an "I love you, man," something McCartney said that two men who grew up in Liverpool during the 1940s and '50s could not say.
Despite being 77 years old, McCartney showed no signs of exhaustion as he performed for three hours. His massive set list of nearly 40 songs contained pretty much everything his fans could have wanted to hear.
"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!," "Band on the Run," "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," and "Let It Be" all made the cut. "Back in the U.S.S.R." was perfect for a stadium setting. The sing-along during "Hey Jude" felt endless. His solo acoustic performance of "Blackbird" was one of the night's most tender moments. The strings came alive on "Eleanor Rigby" — in the form of keys.
Stamina and fun but well-tread stories aside, sound issues sometimes distracted from the performance. Whether the band were playing or McCartney was just chatting, their music and words echoed from the back of the 50,000+ capacity stadium. The delay of the bounce meant the band sometimes sounded as if they were playing and talking over themselves.
But sound distortion became a moot point during "Live and Let Die." It was as if McCartney saved all his pyro for this single song near the end of his set. A gratuitous amount of fireworks, sparks, flames and lasers exploded in an endless, uncoordinated stream as keyboard-generated strings swarmed to climax; the spectacle was both amazing and comical.
McCartney's encore alone lasted six songs. Those who stuck it out were delighted by "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Helter Skelter," but others began trickling out during the shamelessly and overly indulgent string of "Golden Slumber," "Carry That Weight" and "The End."
McCartney's made a life of singing about peace and love, and has inspired every generation thereafter to do the same. But his three-hour endurance test proved that there was one love he underestimated all these decades — the love of beating traffic and crawling into bed.
bc.ctvnews.ca
Review: Paul McCartney's Vancouver performance 'near perfect'
Anil Sharma, CTV News Vancouver
Published Sunday, July 7, 2019
Reviewer Anil Sharma was impressed by the breadth of the former Beatle's set.
At the age of 77, I will be happy if I can get out of bed in the morning. Paul McCartney, on the other hand, is playing three-hour shows to fifty thousand people.
At BC Place Saturday night, Macca pulled out plenty from his catalogue of more than 60 years' worth of music with songs ranging from the earliest days of The Quarrymen, to Wings, to his latest work from his 2018 album Egypt Station, from which the song "Fuh Yu" is a standout.
The first half of the show was a steady mix of work from throughout McCartney's career, but the Beatles-heavy last half really was what everyone came out for.
There were long stints of just Sir Paul on his own with an acoustic guitar or at the piano, interspersed with stories about Jimi Hendrix, Russian officers, and writing songs with John Lennon.
He also took time to dedicate songs to his wife Nancy, as well as to Cape Breton’s Emma Stevens for her rendition of "Blackbird" sung in Mi'kmaq.
Aside from a somewhat out-of-place pyrotechnics display during "Live and Let Die," this show was near-perfect.
IN PICTURES
Paul McCartney plays a crowd-pleasing show at BC Place
At the age of 77, most people are happy if they can get out of bed in the morning. Paul McCartney, on the other hand, is playing three-hour shows in front of crowds of 50,000. The former Beatle played a wide variety of songs from his more than 60-year catalogue at BC Place in Vancouver Saturday night. (Photos by Anil Sharma)
www.dailymail.co.uk
Sir Paul McCartney, 77, sends his love to wife Nancy Shevell, 59, as he puts his hands in the shape of a heart during Vancouver gig
By LISA MCLOUGHLIN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 8 July 2019
They've been together since 2007 and happily married since 2011.
And Sir Paul McCartney, 77, couldn't contain his adoration for wife Nancy Shevell, 59, as he sent her an outpouring of love while performing in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday.
The iconic musician put his hands into the shape of a heart as he dedicated one of his hits to his British sweetheart, who was watching from the crowd.
All You Need Is Love: Sir Paul McCartney, 77, couldn't contain his adoration for wife Nancy Shevell, 59, as he sent her an outpouring of love while performing in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday
Looking stylish for his stage appearance, Paul donned a white shirt and navy trousers for the sold out gig at BC Place.
The singer, who is currently on his Freshen Up Tour, appeared in jovial spirits as he hopped from the piano to guitar over the three hour set.
The Paul and Nancy love story goes back to November 2007 when the lovebirds first started dating.
They were later married in a romantic ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall, in London in October 2011.
Come Together: Nancy first began dating Paul in 2007 and they happily married in 2011 (Pictured in October)
She Loves You: Going strong with their romance, Paul gushed about his wife during an episode of Australia's 60 Minutes in June 2017 (Pictured in June, 2018)
Going strong with their romance, Paul gushed about his wife during an episode of Australia's 60 Minutes in June 2017.
'She's a party girl. She's a music fan,' he said. 'She actually came to see me a while ago, when I was playing at Madison Square Garden.'
Macca was first married to Linda Eastman in 1969 and the couple were together until Linda died of breast cancer at age 56 in 1998.
The rocker adopted Linda's daughter from her first marriage Heather, 54, and the couple raised three biological children together: Mary, 48, Stella, 46, and James, 40.
We Can Work It Out: Looking stylish for his stage appearance, Paul donned a white shirt and black trousers for the sold out gig at BC Place
A Day In The Life: The singer is currently on his Freshen Up Tour
Can't Buy Him Love: Paul appeared in jovial spirits as he hopped from the piano to guitar over the three hour set
Ticket To Ride: He performed on a raised stage
The out pour of love comes after it was revealed by The Mail On Sunday's Katie Hind that Paul's ex wife Heather Mills is dating 34-year-old film producer Mike Dickman.
The former model, 51, has found love with the movie executive after sending him flirty messages on a train journey between Kent and London.
Heather reportedly slipped him her business card and also a note saying: 'I think you’re hot. Email me.'
A source told the publication: 'Mike was sitting on his own having had a long, boozy lunch and Heather was sitting next to him playing a card game with her daughter Beatrice.
In My Life: The rocker showcased his musical skills
Giving It His All: Paul lifted his arms in the air as the crowd sang back to him
Wrapped up: Paul donned black denim jacket at one point during the performance
'Heather kept eyeing him up and just before the journey ended at London Bridge, she passed him a series of notes when her daughter wasn’t looking. One said, "I think you’re hot. Email me."'
Since their faithful meeting, Mike was her date at an awards ceremony five weeks ago and the pair have enjoyed a lavish breakaway to Puglia.
Heather, who shares a daughter, Beatrice, with Paul, split from the rocker in 2008 after six years of marriage.
At the time, Heather sought a £125 million divorce settlement but was awarded £24.3 million.
In the past: Heather, who shares a daughter, Beatrice, with Paul, split from the rocker in 2008 after six years of marriage (Pictured in 2004)
www.kelownadailycourier.ca
Paul is live: McCartney delivers
JP SQUIRE
The Daily Courier
Monday, July 8, 2019
That's how the Paul McCartney concert looked from the front row of the second deck in BC Place on Saturday.
Paul McCartney. BC Place. July 6, 2019.
Former Beatle/Wings frontman Paul McCartney was a straight-ahead marathon rock ’n’ roller with a set list of 38 classic tunes in his concert Saturday at BC Place in Vancouver.
The legendary rocker played everything from the Quarrymen (pre-Beatles in Liverpool) to the Beatles to Wings to his solo work, including several tracks from Egypt Station, his first album since 1981’s Tug of War to reach No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.
Add more than a few stories from his long musical history, a humorous commentary about some of his fans and jump-out-of-your seat pyrotechnics during Live And Let Die, and you have 40,000 ecstatic fans at BC Place on Saturday night.
Superlatives have poured forth from reviewers: the most beloved body of musical work in history, sheer brilliance, emotional electricity in the air, a marathon of unmatched musicianship, the sweetest of nostalgia and a music history lesson come to life.
From left, Kyle Anderson and James Miller of Penticton, Pat Bulmer from Kelowna pose for a picture at BC Place prior to the show.
The reality: McCartney’s voice is, of course, not as strong as it was in the Beatle’s heyday. After all, he turned an ageless 77 on June 18. But his enthusiasm, passion and heart for performing live can’t be denied.
He received a helping hand with the vocals from virtually everyone in the band: Rusty Anderson (electric and acoustic guitar), Brian Ray (electric, acoustic and bass guitar), especially multi-instrumentalist Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens (keyboards, electric and acoustic guitar, bongos, percussion, harmonca, accordion) and the phrenetic Abe Laboriel Jr. (drums, percussion).
Then there was the Hot City Horns of Mike Davis, Paul Burton and Kenji Fenton who made their surprise entrance in the seats to the right of the stage.
Appropriately, McCartney launched with A Hard Day’s Night, symbolic of the hard night of performing he planned that night.
His boyhead charm remains intact, pretending to be awed by the idolic reception. “This is so cool. I’m going to take a moment to drink it all in,” he joked.
When he removed his suit coat to cheers, he rejoined: “What? I take my coat off? Big wardrobe change.”
When a woman in the audience held up a sign saying she had been to 115 concerts, McCartney asked: “That’s really great. Slightly obsessive?”
Another sign said it was 62 years to the day when McCartney met John Lennon. “That is very cool and I’m only 61,” he said with a laugh.
Yet another read: “I do Beatles’ screams like my mom” to which he quipped: “That’s a sound which takes me back.”
And he read out another with a laugh: “Sign my hand so I’ll quit smoking.”
There were also intimate moments. His message in Who Cares (about you, I do) from Egypt Station is for those bullied.
My Valentine was written for his third wife, Nancy, who was in the audience. A video on two gigantic screens on either side of the stage had her signing the lyrics.
The song Blackbird was written to encourage those involved in the civil rights movement in the southern U.S. in the 1960s, he said, praising Emma Stevens, 16, who sings a cover of Blackbird entirely in the Mi’kmaq language on You Tube. She too was in the audience; McCartney met her before the show.
Emma Stevens is pictured in an undated publicity handout photo. Paul McCartney says he was a little anxious about singing his classic song "Blackbird" at a weekend concert after meeting a Cape Breton teenager who has done a Mi'kmaq rendition of the tune. The British rock legend told a large audience in Vancouver that Emma Stevens version in the aboriginal language "is so beautiful" it made him nervous about performing his version. He told the crowd that he'd met Stevens before the show on Saturday evening.
Carter Chiasson
His 1982 song Here Today was meant to be an I-love-you conversation with John Lennon that McCartney never had. If you listen carefully to the Beatles’ recording of Love Me Do, he said, you can tell he was nervous about singing it for legendary producer George Martin by listening to the weak finish on the word “do.”
A superstar’s superstar, an icon, a rock god? Certainly a living legend who, like the Energizer Bunny, just keeps going and going.
The Freshen Up tour started on Sept. 17 with five legs: 22 shows in North America (two series), eight in Europe, five in South America and four in Asia. Those 39 shows will bring him millions in revenue, not that Sir Paul needs the money. His net worth is estimated at $1.2 billion US.
He doesn’t need more fame since he is undoubtedly one of the most successful composers and performers of all time. His songwriting partnership with Lennon remains the most successful in history, and he is two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an 18-time Grammy Award winner, a Member of the Order of the British Empire and he was knighted in 1997.
And he uses his fame for good causes: promoting international charities focused on animal rights, seal hunting, land mines, vegetarianism, poverty and music education.
This was one of the top 10 concerts in over 50 years of attending everything from rock to punk to jazz and everything in-between.
The Beatle lives. Long live the Beatle.
J.P. Squire is a retired journalist who covers the outdoors and concerts for The Kelowna Daily Courier.
---
SET LIST
“A Hard Day’s Night”“Junior’s Farm”
“All My Loving”
“Letting Go”
“Who Cares”
“Got to Get You Into My Life”
“Come On To Me”
“Let Me Roll It” (with “Foxy Lady” coda)
“I’ve Got a Feeling”
“Let ‘Em In”
“My Valentine”
“Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five”
“Maybe I’m Amazed”
“I’ve Just Seen a Face”
“In Spite of All the Danger”
“From Me To You”
“Dance Tonight”
“Love Me Do”
“Blackbird”
“Here Today”
“Queenie Eye”
“Lady Madonna”
“Eleanor Rigby”
“Fuh You”
“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”
“Something”
“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
“Band on the Run”
“Back in the U.S.S.R.”
“Let It Be”
“Live and Let Die”
“Hey Jude”
Encores
“Birthday”“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”
“Helter Skelter”
“Abbey Road Suite” (Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario