Paul McCartney Live! New Orleans Arena: October 12th 2002
I consider myself most fortunate to have seen Paul twice on this tour and I have posted my review of Paul's first Atlanta show on this site. Plan A fell through opening my door to plan B, a trip south from my Mississippi home to New Orleans! The BIG EASY, BOURBON STREET, PAT O'BRIEN'S! FELIX'S! YEAH!! Where we country boys get away from small town life for a taste of big city fun, food and music. Easing down the road....Paul and the city of New Orleans brought back fond memories of the hysteria created when Paul visited New Orleans before the release of Venus and Mars. Knowing Paul's fondness for the city, I felt sure I was in for a splendid time. This trip, due to its spontanaity, was done solo, which allowed a somewhat different perspective. Hey! Sometimes its nice to get away from it all and go it alone! I arrived in the big Easy early that morning, picked up my ticket before spending the day relaxing as I cabbed around Downtown, and the Quarter. The arena is attached to the Superdome and is part of the Dome complex which is special in itself. Staff and crew members were already busy finishing up last minute details while others were cooking large amounts of food...one could allready sense the excitement in the air. I had seen Page/Plant in a different arena near Lake Pontutrain(sp) and I was pleased to see that this venue was in a class of its own. The acoustics were all you could hope for and its location to the finest hotels made the experience that much better. During hotel check-in, I visited with first timers, many from my home state as well as fellow veterans from Atlanta and still others from Tampa. Plan B required the purchase of a cheaper seat and I found myself squarely in front of Paul and in position to study the video equipment. Thus, I decided to focus more on the visuals this concert. Next to me were three ladies...one in her fifties/sixties, one in her thirties/forties and an Gen X'r. At the hotel, and also, as I made my way into the building, I noticed that most every man had a date or was with his wife and many couples had an older child (child being technically incorrect since they were twenty-something). I didn't see as many young men running together like the Atlanta show. At 8:00p.m. SHARP! McCartney music (Junk from "McCartney et el) began echoing quietly throughout the arena as Paul kicked off the show by entertaining his audience with solo work which would not make the setlist. After the cool theatre opening, supported by still more solo work, Paul opened with Hello/Goodbye as the New Orleans crowd got right with it...singing along with enthusiasm to the opening numbers. While obviously pleased, Paul seemed to notice that this crowd was less rowdy, but being the veteran, he didn't force the energy. Ever the showman and much to our delight, he worked the crowd between songs as people around me went on about his personal charm and CHARISMA. It was interesting to observe the difference in the New Orleans crowd vs the Atlanta crowd, which was more raw. In my Atlanta review, I explained how great Paul's VOICE was and how suprised my wife was at this fact...I had laughed at her reaction. Also, his voice sounded tired during the Queen's performance I enjoyed on VH1...so you might imagine how suprised I was to hear him now, even STRONGER; after such an active year and so deep into this his second leg of the U.S. tour. He must have exercised his voice during his honeymoon, getting ready for what has turned into a WORLD TOUR! Much to my delight, he was LITERALLY SHOWING IT OFF!! To me, Paul and John's talent always started with their voice's but they TRANSENDED TIME with their songwriting talent. I enjoyed the changes in the set list allthough the transistion from Coming Up to Let Me Roll It wasn't as effective. Coming Up represents a different style in Paul's songwriting and appeared out of place with his Beatle and Band On the Run work. Overall, and despite the obvious joy throughout the crowd, early-on, I sensed an uneasyness as the band worked through the first few songs, especially during "Getting Better" where they appeared a bit self-concious about the high notes. I have recognized and commented on Paul's NEED for feedback from the audience. He has gone on record as "needing it" and touring was an issue during the Beatle breakup. This trip, with no friends to entertain, I really tuned into his connection with the audience. He seemed extremely pleased at the reception of Lonely Road (which also played out beautifully in video). The crowd treated it like a single from 1964 which to me is squarly where Paul "was" when writing this new hit song. This was the highlight of the first group of songs. As in Atlanta, the unplugged segment really took the crowd to a different time and place. One could have just as easily be in your favorite local haunt from "anywhere, U.S.A." with the intimacy developed by Paul as he ran through his solo unplugged segment. Paul peeked again, as the crowd gave him a standing ovation for explaining the history followed by the performance of Beatle (White Album classic) Blackbird. Truely, these are enlightened Southerners! Now quite at ease, he moved from one song to another and played the pied piper as he entranced the crowd....hitting high points again on The Fool on the Hill, tributes to John (you could here crowd members respectfully shouting Lennon's name) & George, with Here Today and Something, respectively and finally the story behind and the beautiful cover of Michelle. Eleanoir Rigby was delightful AGAIN, but the bands performance of She's Leaving Home absolutley stopped the show, carrying it to its zenith with Brian Ray taking John's lines. EXQUISITE! It was worth the price of admission to here this song finally covered live by Macca! Please Paul! KEEP IT UP... SoutheRner's love to rock 'n roll and they were ready TEDDY! when they broke out the electric guitars and cranked out their next set starting with Band On The Run. Upon completion of another White Album classic, and again peaking with Back In The U.S.S.R., one knew by the wry smile on his face and the swagger in his gate that he had achieved success.... He openly acknowledged to the crowd that he felt their itch to rock and he assured everyone that he intended to deliver as he moved through reworked versions of Maybe I'm Amazed and peaking yet again on Wings hit and another Driving Rain Tour newcomer "Let Em In"! Was it just me or did I detect a bit of suprise in Paul's eye to the roar of crowd? In his prelude to Wings classic My Love, he spoke of Linda and dedicated the ballad to lovers everywhere and delivered more rock on demand with another early Beatle smash hit Can't Buy Me Love. It truly is difficult to type the correct words to explain just how powerful this band performs early Beatle rockers. I loved his previous band. One really appreciate the talent and work to recreate early Beatle work to technical perfection. But there must be something said for taking timeless pieces of ART, especially rock 'n roll and bringing them into the new millineum. Paul and his band has handled this delicate matter to perfection. I could be delerious, but it appears that in this process, the band has picked up the tempo of the ballads and organized the songs into a fashion which allows lead guitarist Rusty Anderson to air his "dogs out" if you know what I mean! Paul openly praised all bandmembers and I do believe this is his best lineup yet. A quicker Hey Jude was as expected, the solid show closer, yet the sing-along was more tentative so I believe the ovation caught Paul by suprise for even if the crowd was less bodacious at times, they were certainly not ready to let the MAN out of the HOUSE...as they absolutly went BONKERS while calling for the ENCORES! During the initial encoure, before playing Yesterday, Paul showed off his old acoustic guitar and pointed out how this was the "one I used for Ed Sullivan!" And the second encore, Sgt. Pepper (reprise) & The End were more polished and the solo's were more organized with each guitarist working harmoniously with the other carefully, not to step on the other's work. BRILLIANT! The tour break which allowed Paul to measure his early success, entertain his Queen and take his wedding vows also proved that there was little rest in this work-a-holic as the second leg is proving the band to be much tighter and more organized as they work through each song and venue. It becomes even more apparant how exceptionlly talented this group is to step out of the studio after DRIVING RAIN and produce the live work I loved so much in Atlanta. The crowd wouldn't let him stage right as he let the band break as he signed autographs for those lucky enough to beat the sucurity. I truly believe if it had been left up to him, he would have come back out solo and picked and grinned and visited for much longer. This man absolutly loves the adoration of his fans and the feeling is mutual. My! How did it take ten years to get to this point? This show and the second leg of the tour is better than before. In checking out the next morning, I confirmed my feelings with others headed back home. All veterans agreed, this was surely better than last spring! I traveled home feeling I got my moneys worth AGAIN...yet I couldn't help wondering just a little if I am a little off center with my support of Mr. McCartney. That lasted a day or two, only to open this weeks paper to see the group "Beatlemania" playing with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra in Jackson October 18th. The story, complete with "Southern Style" front page bold headlines with color photos center around how the powers that be in Classical music organized this event to increase interest in the demographics of Baby Boomers and specifically the Gen X'rs who have now been quantified as card carrying Beatle fans. Crazy? Nope. Maybe they were sitting next to me!
(10/16/02) From Tony Culotta:
Thanks for your great job, as usual!
A little about the New Orleans show...I was lucky enough to catch Paul in Denver in May, and was thrilled to see him again in such magnificent form. His voice was even better than the earlier show, slipping only once or twice here and there, most noticeably during "Here, There and Everywhere," but otherwise still a freak of nature! How can this man who just turned 60 sing a 40 year old song in the same key...still hit the high notes of "She's Leaving Home"? I can only imagine he leaves his contemporaries in stunned amazement. I caught Billy Joel and Elton John last year, and both of them had adjusted their songs down a key, and didn't even TRY for the high notes. Not to mention how youthful Paul still appears...and he is almost a decade older than both of them! Macca flubbed a lyric during "Here Today"...after the "What about the night" line, he started the next line with the same words....I wondered for a second what he would do...he just stopped dead for a beat, and picked it right back up...a magnificent recovery. Wix mentioned that the band had had a night off, and that they had heard of a drink called "...a...Hurricane?" and then protested in vain that they had not been near one! Overall, another magnificent night...the band was tight and Macca was in top form. He mentioned that they had been in a club the previous night when the owner said "I believe you know one of our musicians," who turned out to be Thadeus Richard, the sax man from the Wings tours. He then brought Thadeus out for "Lady Madonna," and it was quite a treat to get a magnificent REAL sax solo...and if I'm not mistaken they gave him twice the normal solo break than is usually in the song. Paul put his arm around him as the song ended and seemed genuinely pleased to have had him on. Again, a wonderful surprise and something unique to this show. Can't wait to see him again!
From Rich Hart:
Hi Steve:
The concert in New Orleans was, of course, spectacular! This was the 4th time I'd seen him this year (twice in Atlanta, once in Columbus two nights earlier, and here in New Orleans) and each time the show surpassed what I expected. The band clearly enjoyed being in New Orleans Rusty lamented that he didn't have any Mardi Gras beads to toss to the crowd; Brian remarked that he first joined the band in New Orleans, about 8 months earlier just for the Super Bowl in February, so that this felt like a second home; Wix enjoyed those 'alcohol free-drinks called Hurricanes' (which, for those not familiar with them, are loaded with rum and who knows what). Paul said that it felt great to be so warmly received in a city so identified with great music. He also said that while seeing a band in New Orleans the previous night (Friday) that he was told there was someone there he would remember Thadius Richard who had played sax in the horn section during the Wings concerts in the 70's (I've seen it spelled this way and as Thaddeus). With that he announced that Thadius would join the band for the next number and they launched into 'Lady Madonna' with a new, slightly extended sax solo. The set list was the same as he's been playing elsewhere on this leg of the tour. The vocals on 'She's Leaving Home' are outstanding, and watching Abe's movements as he sneaks up on the mike (he is 'just' a background vocalist on this, not back on the drums) is especially entertaining, and he's singing for all he's worth. A couple of unusual things happened also there was a false start in 'My Love,' so they just started again. Paul's voice was very strong and he had no trouble with hitting even the highest notes (although two nights previous in Columbus he sounded somehow even better). At the end of one of the songs I think it's I 'Saw Her Standing There' -- he tossed the bass successfully to John Hammel. However, during a later song (must have been 'Yesterday') he stood the acoustic guitar on end and let it go for John to catch however John was too far away and despite a leaping dive to the floor, he missed. (Paul remarked that it was the very first time he'd missed). I don't believe the guitar was damaged; it may have been cushioned by John in the fall. Still, I wish he would stop throwing the bass, it would be a mess if John missed it! The songs are all great -- full of energy, fresh and, of course, completely familiar at the same time. I think these concerts are such a blast because Paul and the rest of the band are clearly having so much fun playing for and to the audience. Paul makes the effort to read all the signs held up, points, gestures, smiles and/or winks to audience members in the first few rows, and also makes a point to acknowledge the audience members on the sides and the back. It doesn't seem like an act it really seems like he's grateful to be on tour and playing music. I sure hope that I'll be able to take him up again on his promise 'See you next time!' PS: This morning's paper, the Times-Picayune, had a column by Chris Rose that reported that Paul had gone to the French Quarter Bar at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Friday night for dinner, and during the break by the band invited Jeremy Davenport, the bandleader, over to the table and said 'Do you mind?' and picked up his trumpet and played 'While the Saints Go Marching In.' Paul asked him if he knew 'The Very Thought of You' and when Davenport said yes, Paul said that if the band played it, he'd like to join in on vocals. And that's what happened! Rose's article quotes Davenport as saying "It was the most impromptu and incredible experience I've ever had. Not to get touchy-feely or warm and fuzzy, but this was such an inspiration. That one's definitely going down in the books." Thanks, again, for your great web page!