Paul McCartney - Dallas, TX, USA - August 19, 2009

[Bosko Schwartz]

Hello All,

Although I have been crazy busy with the day-job and trying to figure out ways to promote my stuff, last Wednesday, I did go to the Paul McCartney show I referenced in this post: https://songcrafters.org/community/general-discussion-b8/paul-on-letterman/msg38647/#msg38647

It was a huge sports arena (the brand new Dallas Cowboys' stadium), but because I acted fast on the tickets, I was able to score floor seats for my wife and I.  We were not in the very first section right in front of the stage, but we were in row 7 of the section right behind that, so essentially row 47.  Not the best seats in the world, but far better than the nosebleed seats we got the first time we saw Paul.  The show was AMAZING, as expected; the only damper on the evening was the fact that there was an unbilled opening band called The Script that sucked donkey balls.  And had we known there was going to be an opening band, that would have been fine, but we weren't expecting them.  I would have loved any GOOD opening act -- even one I had never heard before -- but this kind of sucked the fun and excitement out of the night ... that is, until the second Macca entered the stage.  Then all was forgotten.  I only wish he would have played a few more of the lesser known non-#1-hit Beatles/Wings/solo tunes, but overall, the set list was great.  And of course the performances were incredible.  His band is phenomenal and multi-talented.  The keyboardist did everything he needed to do to simulate the necessary sounds, whether standard keyboard/organ sounds, full string arrangements, horns, sound effects, etc., and did it absolutely perfectly.  Drummer kicked ass, and did a great job of keeping the feel of the original songs, as did both guitarists, one of whom smoothly switched often to an SG bass whenever Paul went to guitar.  And Macca, of course, was as spectacular as he has always been.  He switched all night between his signature Hofner bass, a 1959 Les Paul, Martin acoustic, piano, and even threw in mandolin and ukulele.  His voice was perfect, his playing was flawless, and he looked damned good for his age (67).  My wife and I were speculating all night that this show – the last of his short 10-gig summer tour – could very well be the last show he ever plays.  He didn't say that, of course, but I'll say it again – the man is SIXTY-SEVEN YEARS OLD.  What image pops into your mind when you think of a 67-year-old man?  I think of the movie Cocoon.  I think of Wilford Brimley.  But Paul was rocking all night and had no lapse in energy, looked like he was in his early 50s or younger, and was the same upbeat, funny, whimsical guy we have always known and loved.  And they played for a solid 2 and ½ hours with 2 encores.  We would have made them play all night if he had let us.  He basically had to come right out and tell us when the last song was; otherwise, we would have asked for 10 encores.  He looked like he was genuinely having a blast, and did his job of making it seem as though this was the ONLY show of the tour.  He made it really special for my wife and I and the other 80,000 people in the stadium, which is the mark of a great performer.  He could probably do this for another 10 years, but everyone has to slow down at some point and just enjoy life.  So I don't know how much longer he'll be doing this and I am so happy we decided to buy tickets that day on a whim.  Below is the setlist (and no, I'm not rabid enough to have remembered this or written it down – I just Googled it):

1. Drive My Car
2. Jet
3. Only Mama Knows (from his most recent album Memory Almost Full)
4. Flaming Pie
5. Got To Get You Into My Life
6. Let Me Roll It
7. Highway (from his most recent Fireman album, Electric Arguments)
8. The Long and Winding Road
9. My Love
10. Blackbird
11. Here Today (written for John Lennon)
12. Dance Tonight (also from Memory Almost Full)
13. Calico Skies
14. It's So Easy (Buddy Holly cover)
15. Mrs. Vandebilt
16. Eleanor Rigby
17. Sing the Changes (also from Electric Arguments)
18. Band on the Run
19. Back In The USSR
20. I'm Down
21. Something (George's song, played on ukulele at first)
22. I've Got a Feeling
23. Paperback Writer
24. A Day in the Life/Give Peace A Chance
25. Let It Be
26. Live and Let Die
27. Hey Jude

Encore:

28. Day Tripper
29. Lady Madonna
30. I Saw Her Standing There

Encore 2:

31. Yesterday
32. Helter Skelter
33. Get Back
34. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)/The End

Highlights for me were:

• Got to get You into My Life (loved singing along and trying to hit those high notes; the keyboardist did an amazing job re-creating the horns)
• Let Me Roll It (Paul busted out the 1959 Les Paul to play that sweet, dirty riff)
• Blackbird ('nuff said)
• Here Today (John tribute – that S.O.B. Macca actually made me cry!)
• Calico Skies (special because my wife loves it and put it on a mix-tape for me back in the day)
• I'm Down (unexpected and badass rendition of an old B-side classic)
• Something (George tribute – started out with just Paul on ukulele, then went into the full song with full band; this one made me tear up too!)
• Paperback Writer (Les Paul again – damn, that opening riff sounded good live, and the harmonies were insane)
• A Day in the Life (big surprise that he did this one, and it sounded so good, almost as if it had originated as a Paul-only song; this was probably my favorite song of the night; he also led this into "Give Peace a Chance," which was cool)
• Live and Let Die (not my favorite Wings song of all time, but the fireworks show that went with the two crescendos of the song was awesome)
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band (Reprise)/The End (he blended the two songs perfectly, and ended the show with one of his greatest lines: "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."  WOW.)

Thanks for putting up with the length of this review, but I wanted to share this experience with people I knew would appreciate it.

Sorry for the bad photos; they were taken with a phone ...

Peace,
John

[Geir]

Thank you for sharing John!!! I've been to two Macca-shows myself and think I'm just as big a fan as you are and know that special feeling you get when seeing him live. A great set-list, would have loved to be there ..... Mrs. Vandebilt and A Day in the Life would be great ....

[cuthbert]

Great review and pics! Thanks for sharing it, Bosko.

[Flash Harry]

You lucky, lucky man, and your wife too!

Wow.

I went to the cavern club a few years back, but he wasn't in....

[Bosko Schwartz]

Thank you for sharing John!!! I've been to two Macca-shows myself and think I'm just as big a fan as you are and know that special feeling you get when seeing him live. A great set-list, would have loved to be there ..... Mrs. Vandebilt and A Day in the Life would be great ....

I was glad to share, Geir!   I knew the Beatles fanatics here -- such as yourself -- would appreciate it, and you've all pretty much become a second family to me.  That is awesome that you've seen him twice as well.  Which tours?

Great review and pics! Thanks for sharing it, Bosko.

My pleasure, cuthbert!

You lucky, lucky man, and your wife too!

Wow.

I went to the cavern club a few years back, but he wasn't in....

Indeed, we are lucky, Flash.   Have you ever had the pleasure of seeing him?  Wow, the Cavern Club, even EMPTY, would have given me goosebumps!  You, sir, are also a lucky man!

[Davo]

Wow, just amazing.  You have seen a legend.

[Geir]

I was glad to share, Geir!   I knew the Beatles fanatics here -- such as yourself -- would appreciate it, and you've all pretty much become a second family to me.  That is awesome that you've seen him twice as well.  Which tours?

1989, September 26th, Flowers In The Dirt - When Paul McCartney launched his first world tour for 13 years -- off off Broadway as he expressed it

2004, June 13th (can't remember the name of the tour right now)

Both where GREAT !!!

First one I stood in the front rows sweating like hell, singing/shouting on every song ....

Second I stood by the mixer and had great sound, and not so much perspiration

[SE]

The support band you saw are from Ireland and have had a couple of chart songs this year I think they are more style than substance.

As for Macca one of my all time heros and would have loved to be there.