OPENING NIGHT ..Macca Review

greg_feo · Post by **greg_feo** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 6:09 am

From www.Beatgearcavern.com a cool report from a great guy..

Here's my quickie report from opening night of the 2005 tour.

Read no further if you prefer to be surprised at unexpected songs in the set list.

Show opens with a biographical film on the screens.
Same backline as 2002 (Rusty thru two Divided By 13 amps, Paul thru Rose Morris AC30 half stacks for guitar and Mesa Boogie for bass) except Brian is now using what look to be Divided By 13 amps as well.

Stage is comprised of panels approximately 2' x 2' underneath the band that arcs up behind them. The panels are programmed to be a large part of the 'light show.'
Downside is Abe and Wix are in dark shadows behind the backline for a good portion of the show.

• Magical Mystery Tour: Paul on Hofner (appears to be the '63), Rusty on natural ES-335, and Brian on what looks to be a mid-'60s cherry SG w/Vibrola. Wix still has his lava lamps in tribute to Linda. Abe is now playing a red sparkle DW kit with the US logo on the kick drum.
• Flaming Pie
• Jet
• I'll Get You: Wix on harmonica
• Drive My Car
• Till There Was You: Rusty on acous./elec. nylon-string, Brian on Gibson (Hummingbird?) acoustic
• Let Me Roll It: Paul on Les Paul, Rusty back on ES-335, Brain on Guild M-85II
• Got to Get You Into My Life: Paul back on Hofner
At this point, the center panels of the stage opens and a Yamaha grand piano emerges from below
• Fine Line
• Maybe I'm Amazed
• Long and Winding Road
• In Spite of All Danger: Paul solo on Martin HD-28. Piano disappears beneath stage
• I Will: Key of E
• Jenny Wren: jumbo(?) Martin acoustic electric tuned down (?)
• For No One: Paul on piano, Wix on synth. French horn
• Fixing a Hole: Paul forgets the lyrics on the Bridge and starts the section over
• English Tea: muddled arena sound obscures the inane lyrics and the music is actually half-way enjoyable. Nice projections of English garden.

The piano submerges again and Paul straps on the D-28. Someone in the audience calls out a request for "Yellow Submarine." Paul launches into an impromptu verse and chorus (joined by the rest of the band). After the first chorus Paul stops and says, "You'll have to save that for when Ringo tours."

• I'll Follow the Sun: with two false endings to extend the songs length after Paul introduces the song remarking on how short it is.
• Follow Me: Abe imiates Paul's 'light' touch on the drums. It could have been stronger.
• Blackbird: Another senior moment as Paul flubs the lyric of the last verse and repeats the verse.
• Eleanor Rigby
• Too Many People: Paul on Hofner, Rusty on white Gibson Firebird, Brian on green Gretsch Anniversarry.
• segues into She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
• Good Day Sunshine: accompanied by footage of the space shuttle Discovery
• Band on the Run: suspiciously sounds like some of the synthesizer may have been sequenced because Wix's hands did not match the sound. Replete with a pair of spinning disco balls over the audience. Rusty plays slide on Les Paul. Brian makes switch from Gretsch to Taylor acoustic 12-string mid song.
• Penny Lane
* I've Got a Feeling: Paul on Les Paul. Vocally, the only weak spot of the evening was Paul going into a falsetto on the Bridge of this song. Rusty and Abe sing John Lennon's part.
• Back in the U.S.S.R.: Paul back on the Hofner
• Hey Jude: Paul on piano (end of set)

1st encore
• Yesterday: on the Epiphone Texan tuned down
• Get Back: Paul on Hofner, Rusty on Gibson Trini Lopez
• Helter Skelter: very impressive backing vocals throughout the show but this song was a highlight.

2nd encore
• Please Please Me: Paul on Hofner, Wix on harmonica. Paul sang John Lennon's descending melody line.
• Let It Be: on the psychedelic electronic piano by candlelight. Unfortunately marred by a rarity, an overplayed solo by Rusty Anderson.
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)/The End: Paul on Les Paul, Rusty on 335, Brian on SG.

A very enjoyable show made more refreshing by the many surprise entries in the set list and extremely strong performances by all members. My favorite moment was the back-to-back inclusion of "Too Many People" and "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window"

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 7:46 am

thanks greg... great review. Sounds like the old guy has still got it. But not a Ricenbacker in sight?.... whats up with THAT?

1ststatestereo · Post by **1ststatestereo** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 8:25 am

let me roll it? Why does he always play this?

simer4001 · Post by **simer4001** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 2:07 pm

He really is proud of that guitar riff

winston · Post by **winston** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 2:36 pm

Great job on the review. I am surprised that he dropped Live or Let Die.

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 8:13 pm

I agree about L&LD... but I'm happy to see Drive My Car and I'll Follow The Sun in there.

beatlefan · Post by **beatlefan** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 3:55 am

Oct 8th won't be here soon enough!! MCI Center, about 50 feet from the stage....

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 11:03 am

Let Me Roll It's a fun one to play live and loud, we'll throw it in occasionally. And 3/4 time is a nice change of pace.

eddied · Post by **eddied** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 12:22 pm

He did live and let die, complete with his explosion stuff, which was new. He should drop I've got a feeling though. I was also at the Miami show (got to meet Heather) no one down there knew who she was),Greg's report is so perfect I can't believe the detail. He must have taken notes. I have a John Hamell story about him tuning the Hofner..... soon to come.

lowendbob · Post by **lowendbob** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 1:45 pm

Greg great stuff, thanks! Sounds like a good set list. I can't wait until Friday.

bottom4 · Post by **bottom4** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 2:13 pm

Greg, excellent review! Some nice changes to the list. Can't wait for that Saturday night at MSG -NYC-USA

lowendbob · Post by **lowendbob** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 6:25 am

I have read mixed reviews but this one is a killer. Judge for yourself.

September 19, 2005 -- Mirror

TIME TO LET IT BE, MACCA

Mirror Music Critic GAVIN MARTIN's verdict on Sir Paul's dire US tour.

Sir Paul McCartney's accomplishments are legendary. But on the opening night of his US tour, he achieved the unthinkable... and made the Beatles' legacy sound tired.

Macca has long looked like a man desperately trying to hide his age. But this performance exposed weaknesses far greater than mere passing years.

First came a supremely sycophantic film about the life of the great man himself that preceded the show. If proof were still needed, it blew away any pretence that Mister McArtless is a modest, down-to-earth bloke.

And while the 18,000 fans at the American Airlines Stadium, Miami - happy merely to be in the presence of a living Beatle - may have tolerated such a film, surely he won't dare show it when he comes to the UK.

But maybe he will - the movie suggests that Sir Paul is under the illusion he was recently made a saint, rather than a knight.

Yes, McCartney's past achievements are great, so are only worth revisiting with deep commitment and raging conviction - qualities conspicuously absent for much of this show.

The opening Magical Mystery Tour was plodding where it should have been spectacular. On Jet, he sang flat over a dragging tempo. Later, he tarnished pop jewels such as Penny Lane with a grating, cheesy delivery.

Of course, with such a rich songbook to call on, it's impossible to play a complete howler.

But while the excitement level rose for Drive My Car and a solo take on the new Jenny Wren had real passion and beauty, even show-stopping rockers such as Back In The USSR and Helter Skelter failed to soar.

Perhaps sixtysomething fatherhood has sapped Sir Macca's energy reserves. But what excuse did his comparatively young American band have? When Macca did manage to work himself into a frenzy - on I Got A Feeling and Maybe I'm Amazed - the band couldn't stop it sounding forced.

Sadly, compared to last month's "all guns blazing" return of Mick Jagger and the Stones, Macca was an embarrassment - a reminder that he founded the school of bland, nice-guy rock performance.

Small wonder, then, that he's content to be the custodian of a musical museum dedicated to himself, rather than be an artist with something vital to impart.

While keen to appear as a good-natured man of the people, McCartney's cynicism and egotism are also never far from the surface.

Indeed, it was shameful that with over half the set consisting of Beatles songs, no meaningful tribute was paid to John and George.

His former colleagues probably wouldn't be surprised to see Macca raid the collective piggy bank so freely.

But some acknowledgement would have been only fair.

After all, if Paul hadn't met them, the pushy Beatle would probably have ended up as some dreadful Cliff Richard-style cabaret rocker... Come to think of it, that's exactly how he appeared for most of this show.

Time-honoured singalongs Get Back and Hey Jude may have sent the crowd home on a high but the humbling of a musical hero was completed by his final entrance onstage - shamelessly brandishing an American flag.

The show that he'd just given didn't warrant it and with the country still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, flag-waving hardly seemed appropriate.

It seems there is no one who'll tell Sir Paul when to let it be. And, as George Harrison would say, isn't that a pity?

10 BEATLES SONGS HE MURDERED

FIXING A HOLE: Rare outing for Pepper classic, spoiled by weary delivery.

COUNT 'EM: Macca

GOOD DAY SUNSHINE: An effervescent soul classic from Revolver goes off without a bang.

GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE: Love song to dope goes to pot.

IN SPITE OF ALL THE DANGER: First recorded with Lennon in 1958 - this version fails to roll back the years.

YESTERDAY: Sadly, it's not half the song it used to be.

HEY JUDE: Nah Nah Nah... a rock proms classic is now a singalong at funeral march tempo.

'TIL THERE WAS YOU: Hotel foyer music with cloying "Can I show you to your table?" Spanish waiter guitar solo.

I GOT A FEELING: Overwrought vocals fail to live up to the song title.

FOR NO ONE: Gorgeous ballad but pale imitation of the 1966 original.

I'LL GET YOU: A wedding band-style approach fails to capture the original's glee and beauty.

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 6:53 am

Aieee! Pretty scathing, but jus' like I pitchered it...I think that opening 'film' sh*te says it all. "The Sycophantic Tour" provides me with yet another way of saving my hard-earned money.

On a lighter note though, I think everyone knows who Heather is now...Thanks to some clever PR work, no one will be able to hear the names J-Lo or P-Diddly-Widdly without thinking of her...at least for a while. Not that I'm taking sides in that pathetic struggle between intellectual titans.

I must say though...Heather sure likes showing off that emaciated vegetarian 'cleavage'...

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 6:57 am

A great review and a perhaps a live CD/DVD will surface with this content. Do you suppose?

expomick · Post by **expomick** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:25 am

"After all, if Paul hadn't met them, the pushy Beatle would probably have ended up as some dreadful Cliff Richard-style cabaret rocker... Come to think of it, that's exactly how he appeared for most of this show".

Geesh, that says it all! I miss George! I miss George!