Raleigh, NC & RBC Center, October 7, 2002.
I think I have wished my entire life to finally be able to declare that “I saw Paul McCartney live last night!!!” My beloved hubby and I experienced Sir Paul and band last night in Raleigh NC. It will forever be one of the most fun, memorable, and exciting nights of my life! Sir Paul was just awe-inspiring and I am at a loss for adequate adjectives to describe his performance. I will do my best. We had excellent $85 seats which looked down on the floor’s $250 section. I could’ve tossed popcorn on them, but didn’t of course. Just saying that’s how close we were. Section 127, row L, dead center in front of stage. I felt a bit sorry for the ones on the floor, as their padded folding chairs were jammed in just as tightly as our seats in the lower level and the elevation of our seats really made it easy to see everything. The thing about RBC Center, it’s just a gorgeous venue, but they wanted to squeeze in every possible seating opportunity (and at ticket prices these days, who can blame them?) and there is ZERO leg room. It’s really disconcerting being a 5’6” woman and having my knees rub on the seat in front of me. Back to Sir Paul. I liked the circus visuals during the preshow, but to be honest…the music became annoying and tedious after 15min. Loved the giant balloons and the Magritte bowler dude as well as the troupe prancing amongst the audience, that really pulled you in. The preshow really did build up your anticipation to see Paul. He makes a great entrance! I was so glad the show was sold-out in Raleigh. I have seen other great performers here, only to be disappointed in the turnout or the disposition of the crowd. This crowd clearly loved Sir Paul and they were not shy about letting him know it! The thing that struck me throughout the show is that Sir Paul is so humble and gracious and just plain happy. He made me feel like he loved those songs as much as we all do and that he absolutely loved playing them for us. It seemed to me that his mindset isn’t so much “Hey, I am Sir Paul and yall really love ME” but rather, “Hey, I love this music just like yall do, let me play for you and we’ll all sing together, alright now?” I was blown away watching his level of energy and excitement and it really does spill into the crowd. Its just infectious watching him enjoy the tunes so much. He made us all feel 25yrs younger. Sir Paul did not take ONE break from the stage, he gave us his sole attention for the entire show. I never even saw him take a drink of water. He liked to chat and took a bit of time between the songs to talk to us, told some cool stories and joked with the crowd. That is, when the crowd would hush enough for him to do so! Let me say again, Raleigh NC loves Paul McCartney! I think the song list has been put in past reviews so I wont do it again. One of the best high-highlights for me was when the band took leave of the stage and Paul shed his blazer and said “This is the spot in the show when they let me be alone with you, alright now?” My favorite Paul McCartney stuff has always been the live stuff from the Unplugged album and sorts, and this acoustic bit with just him, his guitar and us was exactly like that. He even called us a “grand bunch” like I have heard him say a million times on Unplugged. “Every Night” has always been one of my faves and it was beautiful. I truly loved “Here Today” and his spoken words about John. “Something” was done on a gifted ukulele from George and was also a very sentimental, endearing rendition musically while images of George played on the screens. Geesh, I really miss him too. The camaraderie that was felt with the Beatles (and in my opinion was always and integral part of their worldwide appeal), that underlying sense of truly enjoying each other and the moment, was there in the stadium when Paul spoke and sang about John and George. It was obvious that he truly appreciates the lost loved ones’ contributions to who he is as a man and musician today. Again I say, what a truly gracious soul he has. Another high-highlight was the hard rocking “Back In The USSR” with its popping red spotlights and too “Hey Jude” was just fantabulous with the drawn- out, fun NaNaNaNaNaNas! (can you believe spellcheck is letting me keep fantabulous?) I also loved “Cant Buy Me Love” with the screens showing multiple images from “Hard Day’s Night.” “Freedom” was so cool! Bring a flag to wave and revel at the gorgeous banner that drops during this song, I loved, LOVED it! Also have a lighter in your pocket for “Let It Be.” “Band On The Run” was also excellent. “Live and Let Die” is accented with explosions and fireworks, pretty cool. The video screens were really cool. The graphics fit in so well with the music and the activity. Paul did a lot of keyboarding on a piano with a brightly colored front and then he was wearing a red shirt and his image just popped out from the screen, it was great coordination all around. Lots of little details made me realize that every aspect of this show was done by real professionals. I want so badly to see it again. I am already craving the cds/dvds from the tour that are coming out this November. I really need to hear it all again. Paul’s voice is strong and gorgeous. He looks so fit, healthy, happy and content. The boy-crazy girl in me found him just beautiful to look at. The band playing with Sir Paul is very strong and excellent! The songs sound totally great. They really click, you would think that they have been together for a long, well-played time as they are so comfortable together. The guys were all truly loving the time on stage and were great fun to watch, especially Abe the drummer who is really animated and energetic! They were all so enthusiastic and physical with their musical contributions to the tunes. Abe has a beautiful, soft voice that accented “She’s Leaving Home.” I read in the program that most of them were inspired musically at a very young age with the Beatles and Wings. Can you imagine what a trip it is for them to now be on stage and touring with Paul McCartney??? Ok, if I have to find a downside, it would be $30 for a program, but then again the program is pretty cool and I am really glad I have one. Lots to read and many fun photos. It’s probably the best program I have seen. In conclusion, this is just a magical night spent with the musical genius that gave us a stunning list of hits and who’s non-hits are even hits. I mean even stars become star-struck by Sir Paul. He has given us all a beautiful gift almost beyond comprehension, and to our delight, its ever enduring and timeless. Thank you, Sir Paul McCartney.
(10/9/02) From our longtime friend Big K:
Just got back from last night's concert in Raleigh. I had hoped to be 'sitting in the stands of the sports arena waitng for the show to begin', but it didn't happen. The venue was very nice, but parking was a joke. From the time I took the exit off I-40 (within sight of the sports arena, maybe a mile away at most) until I got to park my car was an HOUR's delay despite five lanes going into the place. There were some police standing around here and there with little light batons, but it didn't seem to help much. Because of the long wait getting in, the pre-show with the circus performers was already starting as we came into the lobby of the building. Fortunately, a 'Hard Day's Night' type outright run got us to our seats just as the curtain was dropping for Paul to go into HELLO GOODBYE.
The show more than made up for the parking headaches, though. Paul, the band and the crowd were all very 'on' and everyone attending was into the show from the first minute. The energy level in the place was amazing! I didn't see a lot of people taking bathroom breaks even during new stuff. It really enhanced the whole experience. The band sounded tighter to my ears than the show I saw a few months ago in DC, presumably a result of playing together for all those shows. The sound was great, allowing you to really appreciate little bits of interplay between the various musicians. The set list was slightly changed from the previous leg. (As before, I avoided reading spoilers so I could be surpised. I'm glad I did!) Here's the full set list, presumably the same as other shows this leg:HELLO GOODBYE JET ALL MY LOVING GETTING BETTER (This was better [!] than the studio version! Absolutely superb guitar work.) COMING UP (Same rocking arrangement as the first leg.) LET ME ROLL IT LONELY ROAD DRIVING RAIN YOUR LOVING FLAME [acoustic set] BLACKBIRD EVERY NIGHT WE CAN WORK IT OUT YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY ("This is the line that I haven't learned/and not gonna bother for the rest of the tour" - at least he was honest.) THE FOOL ON THE HILL HERE TODAY (beautiful rendition) SOMETHING (Done on uke, like previous leg of the tour.) ELEANOR RIGBY HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE MICHELLE [back to full electric lineup] BAND ON THE RUN BACK IN THE U.S.S.R. MAYBE I'M AMAZED LET 'EM IN MY LOVE SHE'S LEAVING HOME (I was stunned that he was doing this one!) CAN'T BUY ME LOVE FREEDOM (This definitely works better onstage than as a record.) LIVE AND LET DIE LET IT BE HEY JUDE (Done with the usual singalong ending, albeit not quite as long as some previous performances.) Encore 1: THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD LADY MADONNA I SAW HER STANDING THERE (We shouted 'Mach Show! Mach Show!' at the end.) Encore 2: YESTERDAY SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (REPRISE) THE ENDOverall I thought the changes in the set list were for the better. I was a little surprised not to get FROM A LOVER TO A FRIEND, but I am now more convinced than ever that YOUR LOVING FLAME should have been the single. It easily got the best response of the new material. It did seem to me that LIVE AND LET DIE into LET IT BE made a strange transition, which might have been a better spot for FREEDOM, perhaps. Still, that's a minor quibble about a very strong performance. Paul's voice sounded great, if anything it may have been better than it was in DC. It's unquestionably still one of rock's great instruments. Speaking of instruments, my heart still skips a beat when I see him toss the Hofner to a roadie at the side of the stage. Sooner or later that guy is bound to miss! Paul did his duty and signed some LPs and such for people who tossed them onto the stage at the end of the show. At least half a dozen of them went sailing up there, so presumably word is getting around that he's signing some at the end of concerts. Overall I was really glad I went to the show, despite having to worm my way through NC's usual mess of torn-up highways. Even though the set was pretty close to the last show I saw, the new additions (particularly SHE'S LEAVING HOME) and the great response from band and fans made it a memorable night.
From Jon Jepson:
By sheer coincidence, my 3 teenage daughters school vacation jived with this Macca show, so I had the opportunity to take them to see the man again (the last time being in 1990 at the now levelled Foxboro Stadium, and they were all so little, they barely remember going!). I managed to score decent seats up in the rafters, parallel to the stage, so we had a good view, along with the video screen on the side for us to see things close up.
The set list was the same as it has been on this leg. I had been genuinely concerned about how Paul's voice would hold up - saw him in Oakland and SJ, and by the time I went to Staples as well, you could tell his voice was getting a bit tired, but was still good. I'm pleased to say that his voice is holding up better on this tour than any other he's done! (the cynic in me wonders about "fly-in" vocals at times, but.... nahhh, he's got too much pride to pull that kind of crap!). The 3 song change was welcome, although "Michelle" wasn't something I would have chosen - the other new additions, "She's Leaving Home" and "Let Em In" were great, as I'd never seen him do those live before. (Didn't he do Michelle in 93? Age is playing tricks on the mind - I could have sworn he did Get Back during the Spring part of the tour, but I guess I dreamed it!) Paul looked splendid in a royal purple narrow collared suit coat, and he removed it after the first few songs. Having seen 3 shows already this year, I have to say the Raleigh crowd was the LOUDEST of all! They were fervent in applause and cheering throughout! The between song patter was a bit different, but basically the same stuff. The "forgotten the words bit" in "You Never Give Me Your Money" is totally superfluous at this point - just sing the damn words man, you've got a teleprompter for goodness sake! Abe had different facial hair - going for the King Tut or Sam The Sham look beard-wise. And Rusty had a peace sign prominent on his right hand - and he also said hi to "Parthenon" during his little speaking part - Mr. Huxley, perhaps? The only real "glitch" in my mind was Rusty's solo on "I Saw Her Standing There" - it was COMPLETELY TWEE! Stick to the program son, it's safer than you trying to wing it! (I would almost swear that after that song, he hugged Paul and apologized for such an awful solo!) As has been noted in a few other reviews, Abe gets a little carried away sometimes, and misses a beat or two (thought Paul got a look of irritation about that at one point), but you gotta love his enthusiasm! Some very cool merchandise, particularly what appeared to be some kind of printed button down shirt with a collage of all the different t-shirt poses of Paul - that $65 stayed in my wallet, thank you very much! And the flyers for the new live album were in the seats on the upper level, so I imagine they were in the seats on the lower levels too. A splendid time was had by all. See you in Sac in a couple of weeks!