Las Vegas reviews

Update (5/22/02) From Peter White in Melbourne:

I travelled 8,000 miles to get to see THE concert of a lifetime. My friend Chris and I travelled all the way from Australia to see "The Man". First we saw him in San Jose on April 2 and he was FAB that night.
Anyway, the Vegas concert was even better. We had nosebleed seats way up the back of the MGM. But not for long! There was a single row of empty seats right at the front beside the stage. My friend Chris refused to go for them bit I did. After the sixth song, off I went and ended up within 5 rows of him. The people in the nosebleed section just sat and didn't get into it but the nutters up front (well most of them) sure got into it. Paul was absolutely brilliant - his voice better than in '93 (when we saw him in Australia). The band was better than - this was a real Rock Band with attitude. The sound was superb and EVERY song was great.The only disappointing thing about the concert was the people leaving during the Driving Rain section. Hardly anyone sang the songs. Surely, if you are a true Paul fan you'd have the CD and know it by heart? Remember Folks: If he hadn't released Driving Rain, there wouldn't have been a TOUR!
Even though it has been 50 long days since the concert I cannot get it out of my head. The man is nearly 60 years young, ahs the voice of a god and if he was American would surely be the next president. This man has it all. He even acknowledged me! I had a Ringo T-shirt on and after the first encore he pointed at me and said "Ringo". This made my day, my month, my year, my life! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!
But seriously Folks, it would have been a better concert if he had done 59 songs (to match I\his age) instead of the 36/37. I would have added:
1. Young Boy - Flaming Pie
2. Flaming Pie - Flaming Pie
3. Beautiful Night - Flaming Pie
4. The World Tonight - Flaming Pie
5. Too Many People - Ram
6. Heart of the Country - Ram
7. Smile Away - Ram
8. That would be something - McCartney
9. Stranglehold - Press To Play
10. Press - Press To Play
11. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
12. Oh Darling
13. She came in through the bathroom window
14. You never give me your money
15. Honey Pie
16. All Together Now
17. Rocky Raccoon
18. Lovely Rita
19. You won't see me
20. I'll follow thew sun
21. Till there was you
22. And the 22nd song would be  
a dedication to Ringo, Yellow Submarine
Now, I know that is asking a lot, but the 
form that Paul was in, he could have done it. 
 If I had to pick my five favourite songs  
for the night, I would have picked:
1. Every Night (voice like an angel)
2. Back in the USSR ( R/R at its best)
3. Driving Rain (Brilliant)
4. Let it BE (Greatest Song Ever!)
5. Freedom ( enough said) 
When he sang "Let it Be" it brought a tear to my eyes. I sang that song (to myself) at my dad's funeral in 1971 when I was 12. I sang it to stop me from crying.
Freedom is a classic song that we McCartney fans should be proud of.
Just one more short note: Paul, if you are thinking of touring Australia and are concerned about our Hotel Prices, I am prepared to let you and Heather use our spare room - I'll even go vegan whilst you are here.
Paul, I sold my guitar, my amp and 300 CDs to finance my trip to the USA to see you and believe me, IT WAS WORTH IT! You is the Man, Paul.

Update (4/27/02) From Ellie Titus:

I went to the Paul McCartney concert on April 5th...words can hardly describe it. I am 12 years old - obviously I never got to see the Beatles live - but anyway: I mean I always LOVED the Beatles, but seeing Paul there, in person, singing all the great ones, in the great shape that he is - oh man, I came full circle in my Beatlemania. WOW.
We got there to MGM - a LOT of people. When the theatrical characters started infiltrating the theather, well you know 'hmmmm...' but anyway then Paul comes on and 'Hello Hello...' oh my gosh. [I read one other guy's review on your page, about how there weren't many people dancing and all that..I found that was true where I was sitting too - nosebleed section nobody payed $250 but still...] But still it was great, singing all the words, and also I had not previously known much of the Wings stuff, but now - Wings all the way man.
We were all singing and crying, crying our eyes out...'Let It Be' my all time favorite in the whole world, goodness gracious. Of course all of them are. And he kept leaving and coming back for encores (4 or 5 of them) everytime I thought 'Ellie get a good look at him, this is probably the first and last time you will ever see this man...' It was magical...I will never forget it. Beatles forever...
Cool site - A very devout Beatle fan...Ellie T.

Update (4/23/02) From Phil and Kathy Annarino:

My wife Kathy and I flew in to Las Vegas Friday night from Columbus Ohio for my fifth PM show and her third I believe. My first was 1976 with Wings. It is hard to fathom that it has been over 25 years since I first saw him. My ticket was $8.50... big bucks then! Hell that will buy you a "driving rain" sticker now! No complaints here, it just seems a bit absurd. But if the Eagles get... if CSNY gets..... well you know what I mean.
We enjoyed a great day at the MGM pool and my wife has a fine massage at the Spa as we prepped for the evenings show. As we were heading back to the room to shower and get ready for the show we saw that they were selling shirts and programs at the Grand Arena entrance. So I decided to get my stuff then. After I bought, I saw a few folks hanging by the doors. I couldn't resist. So that is where I met Jack Gale from California. We chatted for a while waiting for the soundcheck. With us was a lady who was obviously a very big fan and young man who flew in from Japan just for the LV shows (a big fan!)
Then one by one the band approached us. First Abe and last was Wix. They all stopped for autographs, pics, handshakes and kind words. All were terrific! Thanks guys it was great bit of fun even for this 45 year old! But no Paul. Oh well.
The show was as good as you have read already. The man is HUGE!!!!! My wife and I kept pinching each other saying don't take this moment for granted... it is Paul McCartney we are seeing. With all the theatre, video etc. going on, you sometimes found yourself not focusing in on him!
The crowd where we sat seemed to to be there because seeing Paul is the right thing to do. Not BIG fans! So a lot of sitting around. My wife kept wanting to get up and dance and the folks behind her would just set there! It is a little imposing to stand in front of someone all night who paid $250 for the seat. (I was always impressed with Neil Young concerts. Some of you may know what I mean. I always leave a Neil show raving about the crowds as it seemed everyone there was big fan!!! Makes the show a bit more up!)
That being said the show is great. If you go don't take it for granted. I am not surprised one bit that a PM show is great. He is a great performer, he is a great singer, songwriter, bass player, guitar player, piano player....... he is HUGE! So don't take it for granted. I have been a Paul fan since that Sunday night February 1964... all the way through the Beatles, Wings, solo, etc.... That is a bunch of years for someone to be that awesome (toppermost!)
Some of our faves of the night.... Getting Better, Here Today, Something, Every Night (not a great song but one of my favorites of his) Freedom (we were a little surprised that we liked it so well, thought it might have been dated, but it is great fun to see him do it), Carry that Weight... oh hell, it is ridiculous to do this. Do you realize that I have mentioned some of the great jewels of the past 40 years not to mention some of what he does in concert are the greatest songs that have ever been written (let me say that again... the greatest songs ever written!!!!)
Thanks Paul for a great weekend in LV! Keep making music and best of luck with our new bride!

Update (4/22/02) From Steve, then Annabelle:

Paul McCartney April 6th 2002 (MGM Grand-Vegas)
Steve: Checked for tickets on line at the last minute. Found two, great seats, section 12 front row just off the floor about 100 feet from the stage. Looked at the price, looked at each other and said why not? You only live once. Digital camera made it past the metal detectors but then I had a security guy in the middle of a bad day sitting right across from me, so I was unable to sneak a couple pictures.
He started late, which is the fashion with concerts now. The concert started with a very surrealistic pre-show. Costumed players including several ladies in Victorian dress; one with a ship on her white wig, two gorgeous Las Vegas showgirls, Geisha girls, a man in a bowler hat twirling an umbrella and a man in a Victorian suit with a macaw mask, came from different sections in the audience and slowly made their way to the stage. Some huge helium type balloons on ropes were carried around the arena by some of the performers. I got the feeling that he was trying to put some tie-ins to the music we were about to hear. He even had some circus like performers on stage. A man on stilts, a weight lifter and a lady in costume walking on a large ball. All this ended with Paul’s silhouette on the big screen holding his famous Hofner bass over his head. The screen slowly raised and he opened with Hello/Goodbye.
You could tell from the first note that this was going to be THE concert of the year. The band behind him was tight and very good. They progressed without stopping through the first several songs before Paul spoke. The drummer had that thunderous sound that you could FEEL as well as hear. On the Beatles tunes it was as if Ringo was up there. The sound was recreated very accurately. The guitar work was flawless and LOUD. Paul brought us the Beatles as only Paul could. Overall the mix was pretty good. The voices were a bit overshadowed at first but the sound crew soon made the adjustments needed. Like I said it was loud. That was a good point but did cause a couple of problems. The Grand Piano was a bit distorted and a couple of times the voices were distorted a bit. Not enough to spoil the song just not as easy to listen to as one would like. This may not be a problem in all venues though because of differing acoustics, so anyone that has not yet heard it should not be concerned.
During the entire show the whole thing could be seen on the large screen that had been raised above the stage. There were also easily a dozen smaller screens that constantly flashed pictures and short little videos that went with the songs or just swirling colours that danced with the music.
I enjoyed the concert immensely. It woke in me memories long past and made me feel like I was listening to the Beatles themselves.
I am going to turn the rest of this revue over to Annabelle now so she can put the emotion into the music we heard.
Annabelle: Thank you honey! Well, all that Steve said above and so much more…it was Vegas and we were at the MGM Grand….a perfect setting for a the concert of a lifetime!
Prior to the concert, we were pleasantly surprised by the arrival of one of our own Forum members, “Appaloosa”, who broke all the “rules” just to get to our section and say hello to us. I gave her a big hug and thanked her….she was lucky enough to have seen the concert on Friday night. Thanks friend…I’ll be waiting for your review as well.
Paul wore jeans, a long sleeved black shirt and a white sport coat (no pink carnation) which he shed after the fourth song. He looked so great...even better in person! As far as the music goes….MAN.…it was the BEST ever….and I’ve been to a lot of concerts. When Paul sang JET….the crowd got to their feet…I didn’t want to sit down again but we did….and got up again and again….he had the audience mesmerized with the Beatles tunes he did. A total of 22 in all! For the very first time since he recorded the song, he sang GETTING BETTER…and it did too!!
Two of my absolute favorites were MY LOVE and HERE, THERE and EVERYWHERE. I was taking copious notes, even paying great attention to what guitars he was playing. He started out with his Hofner and would switch to a left hand acoustic, which looked like a Gibson and a Les Paul electric, and also had another acoustic, which was strung left, not built left. I loved the song BLACKBIRD, which he explained, was about the plight of black females (birds as they referred to them back in his day) during the 60’s. This was the first song of his solo act, and the band took a much deserved break. During the song, pictures of many prominent and famous females of all colors were displayed. He also did EVERY NIGHT, WE CAN WORK IT OUT, and MOTHER NATURE’S SON where he was joined by “Wix”, the keyboard player, who accompanied Paul on the accordion. He continued with VANILLA SKY, GOLDEN SLUMBERS/CARRY THAT WEIGHT, THE FOOL ON THE HILL, HERE TODAY, the song he wrote for John, which brought me to tears along with most of the crowd. A great tribute to George followed (more tears), with pics of them together and clips from their movies, with the tune, SOMETHING while strumming a Ukulele….which he says that George would always bring out after dinner…it was his way of honoring him. He finished the solo set with ELEANOR RIGBY and HERE, THERE and EVERYWHERE.
Then he was rejoined by the rest of the band who I was so impressed by, especially the drummer, Abe Levario Jr. from L.A., a big guy with a sound to match. Where did Paul find this guy? The lead guitarist, Rusty Anderson was just amazing…. his sound was right on…. I could have sworn that George was playing. Brian Ray was on bass whenever Paul was playing guitar and also played rhythm on certain tunes. All of the band members could SING too…only the BEST for Paul eh? The tune that really rocked the house…literally was LIVE and LET DIE…. with fireworks accompanying the music at just the right time….LOL…I hit Steve (almost did a back flip) so hard that he almost knocked the girl next to him out of her seat! There was a section of folks sitting up in the rafters…and during LET IT BE and HEY JUDE, they had their lighters on..in unison..it looked amazing from where we sat. The audience was treated to not one but two encore performances…three songs each… all so perfectly orchestrated too. THE LONG and WINDING ROAD, LADY MADONNA, I SAW HER STANDING THERE and finally, YESTERDAY (cried again…take tissue ~!) SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND and THE END…..the love you take is equal to the love….you make.
For those of you who will be attending this concert, I hope that this is a good heads up on what to look for and pay attention to….we noticed a lot of unnecessary roaming around of the Vegas crowd…getting up and down…they either had weak bladders or couldn’t stay away from the crap tables! As for us, we made sure that we literally didn’t miss a beat….it was so worth every dollar that we spent. Like Paul said, he gambled and won on Blackjack and then lost it all on Roulette…it’s only money eh? Whole lotta money….Wow….I give it a four thumbs up….one for Ringo, one for John, one for George and one for the man, PAUL!!
Annabelle (still riding the Pablo Macca high!)

From William Bush:

My take on Rusty's Friday night introduction of Paul is a bit different. I felt like he absolutely hated talking to the audience (as in fear of public speaking). I think his joke about White Jill may have actually worked, in the hands of a professional comedian (ala Johnny Carson). I believe the punchline was something to effect of, "you would then be able to use your gambling losses to pay off your comic debt". Realizing his comic timimg was a bit off, he then said, "he made me say that". Paul's reponse was perfect, ackowledging the awkward delivery, "Rusty, want to do another half hour of stand-up?".
The next night, Rusty's introduction was overly simple, "here's Paul McCartney". To which Paul responded, "What, no stand up tonight, Rusty?". To which Rusty reponded by jumping up and landing loudly on stage with both feet (like an angry child). To me, I knda felt for the guy. He truly is a gifted guitarist. Public speaking has probably never been a concern for him, let alone a goal where one take steps to improve. I think the guy's been focused on his guitar skills (and, it's paid off; hasn't it).
Except for, Kim Basinger's attendance Saturday night (was told by neighbors, they had seen her go backstage 10 - 15 minutes before I spotted her), I can't add much more to the reviews already posted.

(4/2/02) From Barb Siler:

Also- I just got back from the two concerts in Las Vegas. Upon arriving at the airport you couldn't miss the video screens running a Paul interview (in his Paul concert t- shirt). The screen also said "Prime Tickets just released - call #####. We had tickets for both nights (travelled from NYS and wanted to make the trip worthwhile).
Went to MGM box office to see if we could upgrade - we could but it was for floor seats- not good as my niece is 5 ft 2 in. We stayed where we were and the seats worked out well. We were just off the floor facing the stage the first night,( half way up on the right the second night). This gave us a complete view of the preshow - which we both loved.
A guy from England sitting in front of us said that the preshow was a direct result of "the man not eating enough meat". I thought that was hysterical. This same man said Paul, George, Ringo, and Julian were all ready to perform at Live Aid but that Yoko told Julian he couldn't go on- so Paul performed alone- I thought that was hysterical too. Sad part is everyone around us seemed to believe it, after all he was from England so he must know the true story. The seats also gave us a good view of the video screens, which worked great the first night. The sound was really good.
After "We Can Work It Out," Paul did say "excuse me, I need to have a word with one of our sound men- Hey Pablo (?) Knock off the feedback, man."
After Rusty was introduced he went into this whole story about since there is a game called Blackjack there should be one called White Jill. He said he lost at the casino and that he thought it would be a good way to pay off your karmic (sp?) dept if you could use chips that you lost gambling. He was so into his story I think he forgot about Paul. When he said "Oh and here's Paul" Paul replied "Rusty- want to do another half hour?"
The next night Rusty kept his intro so short Paul had just arrived at the piano when he finished. Paul said "What no comedy routine tonight- it's Vegas you know". Rusty just shook his head no and laughed.
Paul mentioned Mike Tyson twice. First night "Mike Tyson- forget about him" Second night was "Mike Tyson huh, I won't bite anyone's ear off , At least not tonight."
The second night there was someone yelling from the front- Paul then went into his impression of him "Hey man-(mumbling words)- yeah- go have another drink".
Second night he said he won at Blackjack and lost at roulette the night before. "Win some- Lose some. It's only money right!" It is less of a worry to him than most ;).
We saw Alice Cooper the first night - he waved at my niece (she was thrilled- oh to be 17).
The second night he dedicated Loving Flame to "the person he wrote it for in the audience". He didn't say that the first night- but I think Heather was there both nights.
The crowds loved him. The second night the video screens were not working. The audience was filled with a lot more real fans the second night. There was a large number up front and a large number in the very back facing the stage. We knew who we were as we knew all the words. It was almost electric. I honestly have never had that feeling before and this is after 25 years of attending concerts (including 5 Paul, and 2 Ringo).
The first night when John H. handed him the uke someone must have made a comment because he looked at them in the front and said "Yeah I know". Something is one of the songs that I never wanted anyone to touch. The Abbey Road version is perfection- no one could improve on it. There should be a law protecting it. Having felt this way since I was 11 in 69, imagine my surprise when I loved this version. It could help that I love the uke (have a CD of Hawaiian music by a guy named Izzy). It would have been wrong to copy the original. The original still wins but I thought this version was really nice.
Quite a few people were buying shirts on the way in both nights- TONS of people were buying them on the way out. I want to buy all the pins but only one was available. People were buying 5 - 7 shirts and I'm talking the $125 ones too. I tried to get someone to adopt me and get me one too but no luck:).
I would say people loved the shows- I know my niece and I did. She also has a crush on Rusty.
Overall - he seemed more relaxed and real this time around. He seemed to really love playing and it showed.
I forgot to mention the fact that there was veeerrryy heavy security at the concerts in LV. Metal detectors and searchs thru bags. No bottles at all- plastic or glass.
I didn't meet anyone from Las Vegas at the concerts- they were all from somewhere else.
This was a little wordy but I hope you enjoyed reading it. Next stop MSG.
Thanks,
Barb S

From Sylvia Giustina:

Hi Steve, I had the pleasure of attending both shows in Las Vegas, and I am so grateful that I did. Fans who have tickets, and have yet to see him, will be very glad they spent the time, energy and yes, money. It was well worth it.
Paul looked healthy and happy. His shorter hair style is reminiscent of the Beatles' early days, and it was a little eerie to watch video of them in 1964 with the current version standing in front of us and singing "All My Loving" in 2002. His lines are well-rehearsed, yet Paul has a relaxed affability that makes it seem adlib.
The audience for the second night was livelier. As Paul introduced his tribute to John, someone called out "he's my hero" and Paul replied, "Me, too." Then, before his tribute to George, Paul said, "he's also my hero." During "Let It Be", a group of people on the second tier stood and swayed with the music, lights aloft. It was a lovely moment. Someone held up a Liverpool football scarf during "Hey Jude" and I contributed a U.S. flag.
After the shows, I talked with fans aged 10 to 60. I don't know many musicians who can appeal to such a broad range.
The atmosphere of this show is different from the rock extravaganzas of 1989 and 1993. Paul seems more aware of his age, his recent losses, how time has marked all of us. It was a more intimate show. There was a sense of anticipation. Since the focus is so heavily on Beatles material, the audience knows what's coming, and awaits it. It's as if Paul is sitting around the campfire with us, and saying, "hmmm...what else shall I share with you?" With the opening guitar strums of "Yesterday", it was if the audience was just waiting for the cue, and they started singing the song with Paul from the very first line.
Paul is back where he belongs, on stage, and I'm very grateful that he is!
Sylvia M. Giustina
Portland

From Peter Kierst:

Steve:
As always, thanks for the great work on getting the news out. My wife, daughter and I saw Paul in Las Vegas Saturday. The concert was astounding. Paul looked and sounded well, fit and happy. He seemed in very good spirits. "We came to rock you tonight," he said, and so he did. Contrary to the reports you heard, we detected nothing wrong with the video. We all liked the set/lights quite a bit. The opening bit with all the characters was interesting but that's all. It wasn't until I read the program that I knew what they were getting at. But no matter. It's about the music. And what music. We all know all the songs and have heard them many times, but when Paul is up there playing, 2 1/2 hours, wonderful song after wonderful song--and then you ! realize that there's a ton of them he didn't play. That one guy has so much talent continues to amaze me. And to think he was only 1/2 the songwriting partnership and that George Harrison was in the same band. No wonder the music will never die.
Oh, I could quibble with this choice or that. I would have loved to hear some of Flaming Pie and Run Devil Run but who can complain when Paul McCartney spends the night playing rock n' roll for you? Aside from this amazing range and depth of musicality and talent, one other thing struck me again. I've always known it and admired it, but I was moved again by the power of the positive, life-affirming, joyous push behind Beatle music in general, and Paul's in particular. It's not a "message" because that (to me) denotes a kind of self-concious, "preachy" quality. And for all of Paul's advocacy of causes he supports--and they're all fine causes--he isn't preachy. I never received what the Beatles, as a group or individually, were saying like that. I've always thought they were communicating themselves to us, as artists are supposed to do, through their art. Reaffirming the joyous possibility of human connection and love; and when w! e hear them, we come in contact with our own human selves. And we are rocked. It was a beautiful night.
Peter Kierst