New Paul McCartney Out There Tour Thread (Part Three)

I think I was just the perfect age to be in an absolute panic for the 1989 tour. I was 11 when "Wings Over America" passed through my neighborhood, so that wasn't a real option. By the time the 1989 tour was announced, it was, as Frank said, considered a possibility that this might be the ONLY chance we'd ever have to see him. The day that the first MSG show went on sale I probably should have been fired from my job. I was hiding away from my desk on a phone in the back room for hours - not even getting a busy signal, just the "all circuits are busy at this time" message. By the time I got through the show or shows (not sure how many they added at a time, or when) were sold out. So then the next series of phone calls began - everyone I knew who might have an "in" for tickets. In the end, I paid the absolutely ridiculous sum (in 1989 concert dollars) of $125 for that first MSG show, and the nearly just as bad $100 for a second show.

I would have been happy with the same "solo" to Beatles ratio he had done in '76 and '79 ... although "Fool on the Hill" (my favorite), "Hey Jude" and the Abbey Road medley were incredibly cool to hear. But when I pull out "Tripping", it's the contemporary songs that are the highlights for me.

 

I had the same experience with these tours. I saw PM the first time in 1976, Wings Over America, and was blown away. Maybe it was seeing a Beatle for the first time, but the show was just magical for me. The next couple of times, not so much, and I'm a big fan. I remember seeing Ringo's All Stars shortly after seeing one of these later McCartney dates and thinking that Ringo's show was the better of the two. I skipped the next couple of PM tours but decided at the last minute to catch the 2013 tour, opting for nosebleed seats. For me, the magic was back. McCartney seemed energized and the atmosphere in the arena was electric. Really glad I decided to spring for tickets.
On a side note, I was one of the lucky few who got to see Paul at Rollins College late last year. Although the interview didn't break any new ground, it was nice to see Paul up close in an intimate venue.

 

Lucky you! My niece is in the same "class" as Paul's stepson, so she's seen him on campus a number of times, but she just shrugs her shoulders about it - this is not HER music. She was "too busy" to try to get into this event.

 

He'd be starting to drag way before the 12th flight these days.

One flight, two flight
and I'm too tired to rock

Much shorter song

 

1972 I saw Paul with Wing
1989, 1993, 2004 solo
The Wings gig was in many ways the best of the lot-very close after the Beatles, very rough, very rockn roll. No Beatles hits- ok Long Tall Sally. In fact no hits at all but awesome rockn roll
1989 was a great nostalgic feel hearing Sergeant Pepper and all the rest live-for the first time
1993 was musically slightly better - ecspecially Pauls voice
2004 everything seemed more like a giant spectacle with lot s of routines. Still I found Here today moving and Helter Skelter a riot
Conclusion-great but different concert- experiences over 4 decades- impressive.

 

Isn't that the same shirt in post #464, the one that I referenced?

 

TEN? How do you get to ten, sir? I think you're about to get pulled over by...
THE FACT POLICE

 

Here we go (with my eyes closed, honest)

Coming Up
Ebony and Ivory
Ain't That a Shame
20 Flight Rock
We Got Married
Figure of Eight
This One
Put It There
My Brave Face

one more ... don't tell me ...

 

Rough Ride!

 

I didn't think Frank was counting the 50s songs as "from the decade in which we're living in", but I forget his innovative ways to debate.

My story was pretty similar to yours, Ray. Born in '65 and when I heard about the 3-city US "tour" in '89, I HAD to go. I flew from Seattle to Chicago and shelled out $125 for tickets bought from a ticket broker via an ad in USA Today. Whe knew that he was going to return to touring and stick with it?

It's tough for me to pick a "favorite" tour, but I think it might have been the 2002 tour. I was at the first show, so it was all a big surprise to hear the setlist at the time. Here Today? Something on uke? The End merged w/Pepper? The crazy opening with the performers/acrobats? Plus the visuals for that tour were absolutely dazzling - even though I wasn't shelling out the $250 for top seats back then - and his voice was shockingly stronger than it had been on the 89/90 or 93 tours.

A splendid time was guaranteed for all.

 

1989 was hysteria ... 2002, for me anyway, was like a homecoming. I went to see the '93 tour a bit against my will - my buddy got tickets through the Fun Club and insisted that I go with him. With threats from Beatles lawyers and 4 years of work on a book seemingly about to go down the drain, I was down on all things Beatle (including "Off the Ground", which I bought, and then sold - I'd show him ) I had no chance of enjoying that show.

Years passed, the book came out, I got over things. After the dissolution of the "touring band" and Linda's death, I was once again concerned that I'd never to get to see him again in concert. At the 2002 show I felt like I was returning to the fold, and that with his age and my age (how many concerts would I really be going to after 40?) this might be a last shot (little did I know). The 2002 concerts were cathartic. Difficult to compare the tours objectively for reasons such as these.

 

I said "from albums released during the decade you were living in." Not very innovative. He recorded and released them in the 80s.

 

Absolutely true. But you should have said "from this decade in which we're living in", because it sounds so much better.

 

My first concerts were the 1990 shows. I was in college then. I was in the Fun Club back then and ended up getting 4th row tickets fro $28. Hard to beat that.

I like his current band a little more than the Lumpy Trousers band. Loved the weird cirque/club pre-show.

The current show is a really good show. I've noticed 1st timers (and there are a surprising number of those) really loved it. I had an A/V guy sitting behind my son and I last year who had not seen the show before. He was blown away. We could see the soundboard area so he was giving me a lot of details on what was being used (apparently very expensive, very top of the line stuff). But he was amazed at how well he thought the show was put together -as well as the length - he was shocked when he came out for the 2nd encore.

 

I can't agree with that, his voice on the Driving USA era soundboards (undoctored) sounds much much better than the official live releases from 1989 & 1993.

 

Agreed. Not to bring up the whole voice debate again (that was this thread, right?), but I do find his voice on the 2002/3 tour to be stronger than 1989/93.

 

Because I'm a true uniter, I'll bridge this and gap say that the baseline quality of his voice is probably better 89-90, but he used what he had more effectively in 02-03. He, understandably, sounds less old in 89-90 - more like what he was and less like what he's turned into.

 

Well put.

 

Im thinking more about the way the pipes sound now.
Hard to believe, but the Driving Rain tour is already more than a decade ago.

 

Apropos of nothing, I just wanted to say that I think it is weird that Paul never did Ever Present Past in concert. He clearly thought it good enough to make it a single (at least in the UK) and I think it would have translated very well on stage. Could have easily dropped That Was Me for it.

 

I have also always thought that it was odd that he never performed a song that is not only extremely catchy, but one that was also a single and one that would not have been hard for him to sing.

I would be happy to see him perform it live now, but there is no chance of that happening, unfortunately.

 

I am personally envious of all of you, and would have been ecstatic to see any of those tours. All of them seem to have their strengths, and I hope that we eventually get a live Anthology containing performances from all of those tours, and the sound checks.

When I read comments like this, it makes me even more annoyed that Paul hasn't been in the UK over the last couple of years; I am worried that he may never return.

 

- Paul sounded less old 1958 but 1963 he used more what he had.,That bridged the gap to 1976 where he sounded much older than 1966. 1988-89 he sounded more like he sounded. That cannot be said about 2004 where he clearly had lost half an octave compared to 1979. 1993 he sounded happy and much younger than 2015. That s not a real surprise.
Thw decline probably started 1964. . Compared to 1963 there is a more frogish sound. That culminated in the early eighties when he sang duets with frogs.

 

Funnily enough, my favourite thing about this interview was watching the girl behind him who was speaking/miming along to Paul's exact pat interview answer about Yesterday (IIRC - has been weeks since I watched). Guess she'd seen him interviewed before.

 

Latest rumors of concerts in France:

Marseille, Stade Velodrome, June 5
http://www.byzegut.fr/2015/02/paul-mccartney-stade-velodrome-de_28.html

Paris, Stade de France, June 11
http://www.byzegut.fr/2015/02/paul-mccartney-stade-de-france-11-juin.html