Still recovering from my tenth or eleventh Paul McCartney since 1990. Still under the strong impact of a magnificent repertoire from one of the most important artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Paul McCartney's show is truly impressive, not only because it lasts over two and a half hours with a repertoire full of countless hits, but also because Sir Paul is 81 years old and has the vitality of a 30-something. The show also impresses with the charisma, talent, and charm of one of the greatest personalities in the artistic world of all time. Charisma is something inexplicable, intangible, and makes us wonder, how can someone be born so talented?
A true star, an excellent musician, a great singer, and an unparalleled songwriter, Sir Paul has an inexplicable magnetism. You feel close to him, as if he were family. The funny thing is that John Lennon also had that, George Harrison too, and Ringo Starr too. Maybe that's what makes the Beatles the greatest phenomenon in pop music history? Maybe, that and the songs, obviously. In short, a guy who leaves "Yesterday" out of the setlist without anyone missing it, except Paul McCartney. And he even makes some changes to the setlist: on Saturday the show opened with "A Hard Day's Night," on Sunday with "Can't Buy Me Love."
On Saturday he played “She's a Woman”, on Sunday “Drive My Car”. On Saturday he played “I Saw Her Standing There”, on Sunday “Day Tripper”. The Beatles songs are certainly the highlights of the show, “Got to Get You Into My Life”, “I've Just Seen a Face”, “Blackbird”, “Getting Better”, “Lady Madonna” (highlighting the tributes to incredible women, including Greta Thunberg, on the screen), “Sgt. Pepper's Reprise”, “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite”, “O-Bla-Di O-Bla-Da”, and the ever-present “Get Back”, “Helter Skelter”, “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude”.
With “In Spite of All the Danger,” from his Quarrymen , and “Love Me Do,” Paul and his excellent band recount the beginning of it all. The duet with John on “I’ve Got a Feeling” and the now-traditional tribute to George with “Something” are moments that literally brought me to tears.
But Paul is much more than "just" one of the main songwriters for the Beatles; he's the guy behind Wings, and Wings also had many hits, such as "Let 'Em In," "Let Me Roll It," "Live and Let Die," "Band on the Run," "Jet" (a fitting tribute to his recently deceased former bandmate, Denny Laine ), and "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five." "Maybe I'm Amazed," from his first solo album, pre- Wings , is one of the most beautiful, and "Golden Slumbers" brought me to tears again near the end of the show.
A concert ending with "The End" couldn't be more perfect, also marking the end of the Beatles' career back in 1969. What's also impressive is Paul's ability to incorporate more recent songs into the historical repertoire, the excellent "New," from their penultimate studio album, and the already well-known "My Valentine," a tribute to his third wife, Nancy Shevell , and the great "Dance Tonight." We can't forget "Here Today," another moving moment in homage to John Lennon, a track from one of Paul McCartney's best solo albums, "Tug of War" (the first released after the death of his "buddy" John).
Besides his friendly demeanor and attempts to speak Portuguese – “I’ll try to speak a little Portuguese, just a little bit,” “Dad’s ON,” goodnight “my,” my “bro” George, my “buddy” John – which brought the audience to laughter, one of the highlights of the show was the return of a real brass section: the excellent Hot City Horns . The London trio has accompanied Paul McCartney since his iconic show at Grand Central in New York. The band that has been with him for over 20 years is also extremely competent; guitarists Rusty Anderson and guitarist/bassist Brian Ray provide the original arrangements, the sensational drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. is a show in himself. And the keyboard wizard, Wix Wickens , has been with Paul since his first shows in Brazil in 1990.
Paul is difficult to describe in a few words. The thoughts that come to mind after watching two incredible and perfect shows (the last one under a light downpour) are: How can Paul be so good? How does he manage to enchant so many generations? How can he be so creative and talented? How come these songs never get old? How can someone be born with such a strong and bright light and star? It's truly incredible the mix of sensations that a Paul McCartney show brings us, from the butterflies in our stomach before it starts, and then we give back, singing his songs at the top of our lungs, and being moved by his lyrics, his melodies, and his story.
What luck and privilege we have to live in the same era of humanity as Paul McCartney and to be able to witness one of the greatest shows on Earth, more than once. That's the feeling after waking up from a dream: going to a Sir Paul McCartney concert.