|   Do you have the slightest interest in McCartney? | Finch Platte
Nov 26, 2002 3:45 PM | | I'm not the biggest McCartney fan (my favorite is the "Cherries" disc), but I saw an ad in the Tower Pulse mag- he's got a CD ($17 for 2 discs and DVD $20 1 disc) out of his latest tour, and it looked interesting. Then I saw this article in the
i Chronicle.
b Capturing McCartney's Magical Tour
TV special, DVD a treat for fans
By James Sullivan
Paul McCartney's 2002 tour was pop nostalgia, sure, but it had more vigor than most rock 'n' roll return engagements. He'd been a decade offstage, his band was surprisingly gritty and the legacy of the Beatles was looming ever larger with the recent death of George Harrison.
"Back in the U.S.," the McCartney TV special that airs at 9 p.m. Wednesday on ABC, gives off plenty of the same warmth as the concerts themselves. Accompanied by an expanded DVD version that comes out today, the program reaffirms yet again just how deeply the Beatles' music has fixed itself in so many lives. As if we needed reminding.
It's just showbiz, after all, as McCartney freely admits during one voice- over. He has always taken some critical guff for that attitude. The cute Beatle is breezy, often silly. He's no tortured artist.
But that is just what gives "Back in the U.S." its charm. Between live performances, we see Sir Paul accepting an honorary detective's shield from the NYPD, joshing backstage with his new bride, Heather Mills ("Get back to the dishes!"), and serenading a monkey.
The set list, trimmed somewhat from the tour's three dozen songs, might be a magical tour, but it's no mystery. It spans McCartney's public life, from Beatles early ("Can't Buy Me Love"), middle ("Hello Goodbye") and late ("Let It Be") to the Wings era ("Live and Let Die") and the singer's recent solo work (the post-Sept. 11 anthem "Freedom").
In Oakland and San Jose, where he opened the tour in the spring, McCartney was a man in charge, dressed like a banker without the tie. By the later dates of the tour, it's like the weekend -- he's wearing a sharkskin jacket and a red T-shirt. For the finale, it's just the T-shirt.
McCartney is eternally youthful, but on this tour his band was a clear refreshment. Guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, both two decades younger than the boss, grew up as Beatles fanatics. Anderson, grinning broadly, recounts a recurring childhood dream in which the Beatles showed up on his doorstep, guitars in hand: "Wanna play?"
And drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., a mere twentysomething whose dad is a veteran session bassist, drives the band like an All-Pro lineman with his euphoric playing. He's a big man with a shaved head, a furry beard and a store of animated expressions; the camera loves him. Keep an eye out for the snippet of "Hey Jude" during a sound check, on which Laboriel thrashes like a punk cyclone.
Beatles producer Sir George Martin, now in his 70s, marvels at the group's everlasting appeal. "Each generation of kids, the little ones find them for themselves," he says. Sure enough, in one crowd shot an 8-year-old declares himself McCartney's biggest fan.
The squealing 'tweens and middle-aged women are a given. So are the snuggling couples when the band breaks out a ballad. This is real family entertainment. (Much more likable than last Thanksgiving's Mick Jagger infomercial, we might add.)
When McCartney sits down at an upright piano to play "The Long and Winding Road" one last time, on the last date of the tour, he is greeted by dozens of big red hearts held aloft by members of his crew. He chokes up.
Believe it or not, you might, too. |
| Sounds Great to Me | MasterCylinder
Nov 26, 2002 4:25 PM | | I've seen him live 3 times -- all of which were very memorable.
High on my list of great pop musicians -- he is also an excellent bass player while handling the demanding vocals. |
| Paul Rules | BeatleFred
Nov 27, 2002 10:26 PM | | But if you were never much of a fan of his solo career to begin with, other than liking his first record (which is common amongst other lukewarm fans of his music) then I dont think getting his latest tour cd/dvd might do much to change your mind at this stage of the game. Thats ok though, fans like myself will still go on appreciating the man and his music. |
| Wasn't he the bass player in Wings? (nt) | BradH
Dec 1, 2002 12:58 PM | | |
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