I was lucky enough to be at Anfield last night along with fellow TV Cream-ite Chris Hughes and 36,000 others to see Paul McCartney's contribution to Liverpool's otherwise utterly-ignored and (as far as I can see) justly-maligned year as the European Capital of Culture. And it was the best gig I have ever seen.
The atmosphere probably wasn't captured in full on the TV highlights, but the air inside the ground was crackling with excitement, awe, wonderment and a dozen other emotional extremes. This was heady stuff indeed.
The man was on peak form, playing for almost two hours, doing everything from Penny Lane to C Moon to Blackbird to Jet to I Saw Her Standing There. It was captivating. I've never experienced anything like it, and the fact I assuredly never will again just made it all the more overwhelming. To be hearing the person who wrote Let It Be, The Long And Winding Road and Yesterday singing those songs in front of you, songs that the whole world knows, left me about as moved as I've ever been. To be singing along with so many thousands of others in unison, word perfect, was heartbreaking.
And coming 24 hours after one of the best episodes of Dr Who to date, it made for about as good a weekend as you can get.
Anyway, that is all. Back to mundane boring observations about old telly and stuff tomorrow.
Here's a list of songs he played (not in the right order, mind):
BEATLES
I Saw Her Standing There
I'll Follow The Sun
Yesterday
Drive My Car
Got To Get You Into My Life
Eleanor Rigby
Penny Lane
Day In The Life
Lady Madonna
Back In The USSR
Hey Jude ("Now c'mon, just the ladies, let's hear it girls!")
Blackbird
The Long And Winding Road
Let It Be
Something (dedicated to George and played on a ukelele he gave Paul as a present)
WINGS
Live And Let Die
My Love (dedicated to Linda)
C Moon
Let Me Roll It
Jet
Band On The Run
SOLO
Flaming Pie
Calico Skies
Dance Tonight
Plus
A new song about Liverpool I didn't know
Give Peace A Chance
Hippy Hippy Shake
6 comments:
A Doctor Who episode and a Paul McCartney gig? Mate, if that what passes for the best weekend ever then you need to get a life!
I've not seen Paul McCartney live in the flesh, as I've always been put off by how bad he sounds whenever he does anything on TV, like he's losing his voice.
That said, there's nothing that compares to the thrill of live music, and this sounds like it was an absolute corker.
I felt the same way when I saw Simon and Garfunkel a few years back. I know I would never see it again, and everyone singing along to all their hits was moving in the extreme.
Perhaps I should check Paul out while I still can.
That sounds great, although I'd question the picture which appears to say 'El Poo' - which may or may not have been what was over the stage.
You're absolutely right about the thrill of seeing the man who wrote songs that seem to be hard-wired into your brain in the flesh,and the singing along. Casting an eye around 30,000 people all mouthing the words to Let It Be was one of the highlights of my life.
Thought the voice was distinctly ropey on Sunday, mind...
(The song about Liverpool was a bit of the Liverpool Oratorio that he removed at the last minute, first heard on a documentary 15 years or so ago)
F-C, the quality of his voice was something I was thinking about beforehand, but it was immaculate on the night. Perhaps it helped that it was a one-off gig rather than a tour.
He really doesn't do much of his solo stuff, does he? I quite like some of it - No More Lonely Nights, This One, even Hope Of Deliverance was okay. Still, would we expect a reformed Slade to do Radio Wall Of Sound?
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