Paul McCartney
MCI Center
Washington, DC
Tuesday, April 23, 2002

I'm a worrier. And I had lots to worry about. We attend a lot of shows at the MCI Center and always take the Metro. But most shows start at 7 or 7:30 and we have never worried about having to leave before the Metro system shuts down at midnight. We knew the McCartney show was scheduled to begin at 8 pm, and would run at least three hours, and we knew that the Toronto show was delayed by the security checks and didn't begin until 9. In typical fashion Metro told one caller that the subway system would shut down at midnight, exactly, whether or not the show was over. Another caller was told the system would stay open until the end of the show and until every one waiting at the Gallery Place Station had been picked up. Since none of us wanted to have leave before the end of the show we decided to drive. But where to park?

Believe it or not, my Paul drove into Washington on Monday and drove around the MCI Center neighborhood looking for parking lots.

I had other worries. A friend of a friend had a bunch of extra tickets. One of my Board members was going to the show with the wife of another Board member. Her husband works in El Salvador and had returned home unexpectedly. She wanted a ticket for him. Instead of dealing directly with the person who had the ticket, every one was calling me.

We planned to meet friends for dinner before the show, so I told the person buying the ticket and the person selling the ticket to meet us at the restaurant. This generated loud complaints about why they needed to meet us an hour before the show. My anxiety level shot up another notch or two.

A number of people were meeting us at my house to drive in together, including Tom Carswell from New Jersey. I met Tom in 1994 when we went on Charles!!! Rosenay's Magical Mystery Tour. Tom is one of those great Beatle fans who is very gregarious and knows just about everybody. He is a real fan on the run with a knack for getting great seats (we always look for him in the front row) and on this tour had tickets for eight shows. Amazingly enough, I had better seats than he did for any of the eight shows he saw!

Tom arrived at my house around 2 pm giving us enough time to chat. Every one else arrived on time and we actually left early for Washington. There was an accident in the middle of New York Avenue but the back up wasn't that bad and we made good time.

Welcome to Washington. Squeegee people are back at a light on New York Avenue. One of the them started on my window as the light changed. Fortunately I got away without incident. But my Paul had a really unsettling experience. As they waited at the light one of the squeegee people went to the car in front of them. When the driver told the man to get away from his car, the man broke the wiper off. Paul watched the man in the car reach for the glove compartment while a female passenger in the car began screaming "Don't!" Paul told our friend Harriet to hang on in case he had to floor it to get away. They were saved by the changing of the light. Washington really is the pits. One of the highest crime rates anywhere. An appalling murder rate. What an embarrassment.

We arrived at the MarcParc lot at 6th Street at around 5 pm and walked over to Jaleo which is on Seventh Street, NW, just a block from MCI. The restaurant wasn't crowded when we arrived and Harriet and Anna's friends were already there so we were quickly seated. It is a Spanish restaurant featuring tapas. I should have known. This caused great consternation among the unadventurous diners in our group.

Paul and I enjoyed it immensely. We had a wonderful salad with apples and cheese, some potatoes in a cheese sauce, a wild rice dish, an eggplant dish, and asparagus with Romesco sauce. The apple and potato salad was outstanding. The asparagus was the only real disappointment. For dessert I had an apple Charlotte that was just about perfect: sweet enough for me, but not overwhelming, and with an amazing texture. Paul and I would go back. Tom Carswell seemed to enjoy his meal. One of our group whined loudly about the food.

I just about died when the cell phone rang and the person meeting us to buy the ticket told me they were on the Baltimore Washington Parkway. I decided NOT to ask where they were on the Parkway. I don't need that much anxiety. This was followed by another complaint about why we were meeting so early and would they have time for dinner.

Both the ticket seller and the buyer arrived on time and although the restaurant was packed they ordered something quickly. They seemed to like it.

We heard via a cell phone call that it had taken someone half an hour to get through security at the MCI Center but I think that must have been the back up before the doors opened. We arrived around 7 pm and got right in. They were using metal detection wands, something that we had never seen before at MCI, but they were doing an excellent job about moving people in quickly. One member of our group got in with a tape recorder.

Once inside we joined an enormous and slow moving line at the souvenir stand. I was getting very anxious as it got to be 7:45 pm. I was annoyed when one thoroughly obnoxious woman (Tom Carswell says she founded a fan group) who started out behind us had pushed her way in front of us before we got to the front. Then she dithered about t-shirt sizes and styles and how to pay. I bought a program, a Drivin' USA red convertible t-shirt, and denim tour shirt.

Around 7:50 pm Paul and I rushed over to Guest Services for an escort to our seats. To get to the handicapped seating on the floor or the front of the lower bowl you have to take elevators and be escorted through backstage areas. The staff is really very nice. The woman who escorted us said she had been told people could not be seated after 8 pm so we had to run. I figured she was just indicating we would have to hurry but, bless her heart, she took off on a dash.

While Paul was waiting for the escort he overheard a conversation with the Center staff about getting the "governor in". I don't know if Maryland Governor Parris Glendening or Virginia Governor Mark Warner or some other governor was at the show. I do know that there was a group in the middle of the front section, five or six rows from the stage, where people sat through most of the show. At least one of the people was a man in a suit with the grim demeanor of a security person.

We arrived at our seats. Geoff Baker was seen walking around in front of the stage. We were seated next to a couple I recognized from the Elton John/Billy Joel show, where they also sat next to us. As soon as we sat down a security guard came over and confiscated the sign I had made. On one side it said "THANKS FOR CARING ABOUT THE ANIMALS" and was decorated with paw prints of dogs, cats, deer, and birds. The other side was sky blue poster board with clouds and said "FAN SINCE FEBRUARY 9, 1964. IMAGINE!" The guard said that they were told "no signs, no gifts". The people sitting around us were very upset. The guard blamed it on McCartney. When a woman came in with a sign and sat down next to me every one sitting around me wondered what would happen to her. The same guard came over to confiscate her poster. She had done a beautiful portrait of Paul and Heather with an American flag as the back drop. It was extremely well done. She was very upset and argued with him and then went out to argue her case with some one else.

In about the middle of the auditorium we could make out a couple we know waving wildly at us. The man made his way towards our section. I met him and he urged me to take his camera. He said I didn't have to use it but if it was obvious that every one else was taking pictures I would have it available. There were ushers everywhere so we went out to the concourse to make the exchange. But it seemed there were staff people everywhere on the concourse as well. I had an idea to go into one of the entry ways for the boxes. As soon as we were there and my friend had pulled out his camera a staff person came around the corner to ask what we were doing. I nudged my friend who did not see the staff person approaching. It must have looked like we were executing a drug deal. But the staff person didn't say anything. As we transferred the camera I saw what I thought was a statue of a man dressed as an 18th Century Frenchman with a huge white wig. I knew the show would start at any moment so I rushed back to my seat.

I never attempted to use the camera. There were three security people seated directly in front of my throughout the show and we were at the corner of the stage where a large group of security people were standing. Not a lot of people attempted to take pictures, and security seemed to be going after those few who did.

The show began at 8:20 pm with the circus: people in costumes moving in very slow motion down the aisles: the Frenchman, an 18th Century Frenchwoman with a model of a sailing ship affixed on top of her wig, a man in a suit with an umbrella (the underside of the umbrella pained like the sky) with an apple hanging down from the front (an image from a Magritte painting), six Harlequin clowns carrying gigantic (think of the smaller balloons in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade) helium balloons with a sky design. There were dancers costumed as Indian gods. There were 5 or 6 people dressed in white Indian clothing waving colored flags. There was a weight lifter, a contortionist who was carried on stage inside a tiny box, a Spanish dancer, two Chinese acrobats, a stilt walker, a woman who rolled across the stage while balancing on top of a large ball, three women dressed as ancient Greeks who posed as a statue. This was all done to music by the Fireman. I am listening to it right now and it is much more interesting than I thought when the CDS first came out. I enjoyed the opening immensely. I think I would have done it differently (I would have had the performers do a few more circus tricks) but it did an excellent job of getting the audience into the arena and in their seats. And it got the audience looking around and focusing in anticipation: what's happening? Where should I look? What's going on next?

There was a circular blue curtain around the front of the stage. Hanging from the ceiling were a huge array of video screens of various sizes. During the evening the screens moved up and down. There was a gigantic screen at the very front of the stage.

This set the stage for the most dramatic entrance I have ever seen at a live show: the music stopped. The giant screen at the front of the house showed a Honer bass. And Paul McCartney emerged holding his guitar aloft!!! Wow!

The show was amazing. McCartney looks fantastic and sounds great. There were one or two flubbed lines, some notes missed, and one place on the second night were his voice broke at the beginning of a song, but these were a few seconds in an otherwise flawless performance.

I like to be surprised so I deliberately did not read a lot about the show beforehand. And I am extremely glad I didn't. It helped make it a more enjoyable experience. One of the surprises for me was the band. Its no secret that I did not like the Driving Rain CD and I was appalled to read that Paul was going to tour with the musicians who made it. I needn't have worried. This is the best band Paul has ever toured with!!! I've seen all four US tours and this one is the best.

Abe Laboriel, Jr. is a delight. He is a great drummer and I love his enthusiasm. I was delighted to find out that he worked with k. d. lang on her Invincible Summer CD. I saw two shows on her Invincible Summer tour so I guess I must have seen Abe before although I can't say I remember. But he co-wrote three of the songs on the excellent CD including When Worlds Collide which is my favorite. I loved the way he gestured his appreciation to the crowd.

Rusty Anderson also did a good job of working the crowd, although more subtly than either Laboriel or McCartney. And what an outstanding guitar player. And Wix Wickens is a lot of fun to watch and another excellent musician. These guys all look like they are having a blast.

Hello Goodbye was the opener. What a clever way to start a show. When Paul waved hello every one waved back. And then right into All My Loving followed by Getting Better. What a thrill to hear this live!

Coming Up got the audience in a good mood. Let Me Roll It is not one of my favorites.

Lonely Road made excellent use of the video screens with scenes from the video of a red convertible being driven around the desert. Driving Rain sounded much better than on the CD. I think Paul extended the catchy bass line at the beginning of the song which helped a lot.

I thought the next number was From A Lover To A Friend and wondered why I liked it so much live when I disliked it so much on the CD. Only later (after seeing the show twice) did I realize it was Your Loving Flame!

The solo set was awesome. How amazing it is to have the opportunity to hear Paul sing Blackbird, solo. He said that the song was written in response to the civil rights movement. He was thinking of a black woman and using "bird" which is British slang for a woman.

Every Night is one of my favorite Paul songs. There is one live recording of this song where when Paul reaches the break where he sings "ooooh oooh" the audience sang along. A great live concert experience. Didn't happen here.

We Can Work It Out was nice, followed by Mother Nature's Son (another favorite of mine). The backing video photos of flowers and nature were spectacular.

Vanilla Sky was the least impressive song of the evening. The weight lifter and the 18th Century Frenchman carried out the psychedelic yellow piano and Paul sang You Never Give Me Your Money. He worked a corny joke about forgetting the lyrics into the song. Then Fool On The Hill.

One of the many high points of the evening was Paul's tribute to John Lennon: Here Today. When he asked the crowd to acknowledge John the audience went wild. It was very moving.

Then it got even more moving. A ukelele was brought out and Paul talked about how guests at George's home were frequently asked to play ukeleles. While Paul played Something beautiful images of George appeared on the videos.

This was followed by Eleanor Rigby and Here, There, and Everywhere. Here, There, and Everywhere is a favorite of mine and at the Blackbird poetry reading in New York, Paul said it was one of his favorites. The audience was not as enthusiastic as I would have expected.

The energy level came up again as the band launched into Band On The Run. This is a perfect live song. The video images of crowds lining up for Wings performances were perfect.

Back in the USSR was one of the high points of the evening. The images of the SovietUnion provided a perfect background. The audience went absolutely wild on this one.

Maybe I'm Amazed is one of the greatest songs ever written. The guitar solo by Rusty Anderson was blistering. Wow! This guy can really play.

C Moon is obviously one of those songs Paul loves, and I do too. The audience seemed surprisingly reserved for this one. My Love is one of my least favorite Paul tunes.

Can't Buy Me Love was another crowd pleaser. The images of Beatlemania that accompanied the song were wonderful.

Another emotional high point was Freedom. About two dozen people near the front waved small American flags. I was the only person with a full size flag. Paul turned, looked me straight in the face, winked at me, and then thumped his heart twice. I thought I would die. This was followed by Let It Be, perhaps my favorite Beatles' song. Lots of lighters held aloft.

I nearly did die during the next number. I was so engrossed in watching Paul that I wasn't paying any attention at what was going on right in front of me as they prepared for Live and Let Die. When they got to the explosion, the flash pots were only about ten feet from my seat. I am told that I nearly fell over backwards when the explosion went off.

Hey Jude is one of those songs that I have grown tired of over the years. It used to be my favorite song but not any more. But the live performance was moving and the use of panoramic views of the audience on the video screens was effective.

The encores were The Long and Winding Road, Lady Madonna, and I Saw Her Standing There. Lady Madonna was the best use of video I have EVER seen at a live show. It was a series of images of famous women: Princess Diana, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Janis Joplin, Billie Jean King, the Queen Mum, Mary Tyler Moore tossing her hat in the air. It was beautiful. And I was very impressed when they got to the line "see how they run" and the image was a long-distance runner.

The second encore was a stunning performance of Yesterday with the Sgt. Pepper reprise sequeing into The End. What a staggeringly wonderful to end a great show. As the show ended red, white, and blue confetti dropped from the ceiling. A spectacular end to a spectacular evening.

For one of the encores Paul returned to the stage carrying a large American flag, followed by Rusty waving a large District of Columbia flag, and Wix waving a small Union Jack. I was amazed when my Paul didn't recognize the DC flag.

One disappointment for the evening: We had front row accessible seating. There was no one in front of us, but because we were on one end of the stage and McCartney was on the other my Paul hardly saw him all evening. And because we were in the front we couldn't see the overhead video screens. So my Paul did not have much to look at during the evening and was not enthusiastic about the show.

It took us a while to get out of the MCI Center. The staff quickly moved the wheelchairs to the elevators and we got to the elevators while people were still leaving the floor but there was a press conference going on and the elevator took a long, long time to come. We quickly found Tom and our other friends once we got outside. When we got to the parking lot that was supposed to be open 45 minutes after the event the attendant was locking the gate even though it was only 11:45.

Paul McCartney
MCI Center
Washington, DC
Wednesday, April 24, 2002

I decided I wanted to be at tonight's show so I got up early. I listened to Rouse and Company on WQSR in Baltimore. They were raving about how good the show was and urging people to go to this evening's show.

I called Russ Lease who I knew had been trying to sell extra tickets on Monday. After seeing the show on Tuesday his wife, Becky, had decided she wanted to see the Wednesday night show.

I went to the Ticketmaster outlet at Hecht's as soon as they opened. Much to my amazement I was able to purchase an excellent $250 seat right next to the stage. But the purchase went over the limit on my charge card. I was really impressed with how quickly and efficiently they raised the limit so I could purchase the ticket. The woman at the ticket counter said one of the Hecht's employees had been at the Tuesday show and was simply ecstatic.

Tom and I spent hours discussing what to do before deciding to drive into Washington, try to park near MCI, and spend a few hours looking at the sights on the Mall. We spent the better part of an hour driving around the MCI Center. Fortunately there wasn't a whole lot of traffic. We learned that many parking lots in the neighborhood are not open after 6 or 7. Finally an attendant at one lot directed us to a lot owned by their company which was a block from MCI. We parked. One person there said the garage would be open for thirty minutes after the show, the other person said sixty minutes. Great.

Tom and I walked down to the Mall. It was a beautiful day. Tom particularly wanted to see the Air and Space Museum. When we walked into the lobby he began to accurately identify the different space capsules without looking at the labels. I was amazed. Tom apparently is a space buff and I was delighted to be able to indulge him. His enthusiasm made it more fun.

We stopped briefly at the Museum of Natural History and had enough time to look at the dinosaur exhibits. Then we walked up to the neighborhood around the MCI Center. We had dinner at Ruby Tuesday's which is across the street. It was crowded. We had nice conversations with a woman who had seen the Beatles at Shea Stadium and with a man who had come from Charleston, West Virginia to see the show.

The restaurant was not as good as the Ruby Tuesday's restaurant in Annapolis, and our waitress was arguing and complaining loudly about her co-workers. "I'm a professional" she was loudly proclaiming although her service was lousy. She did reduce the price of my dinner salad because she said my French fries were an entree.

Differences in between the two nights were small: Paul's show is pretty much always the same. Everything is scripted including the gag about forgetting the words. The one difference was that during the Tuesday show Wix launched into a bit about playing Cranium (apparently this is a game). No one in the audience knew what he was talking about.

My seat for the Wednesday show was in the first section on the side (on the left facing the stage). I was directly in line with the microphones. When Paul, Rusty, and Brian lined up, Paul would be in the middle, and I couldn't see him, but I had a better view of the action away from the front of the stage. I could see Wix and Abe making faces and gesturing at each other. I could see Paul and the others when they would step away from the mikes to jam.

One thing I noticed during the second show: McCartney is famous for gesturing at people in the audience during his live performances. The cynical view is that he just winks in a direction and more than one person would assume that gesture was meant for them. But on Wednesday there was a woman at the front of our section who danced enthusiastically throughout the show. She wasn't a hot young thing, but she was clearly having the best time. Because we were at the very end of where people were seated (there was no seating behind the stage) and because we were next to the stage there was no section in front of us, so it wasn't like there were huge numbers of people in this area. Paul actually turned in the direction of the dancing woman, and kicked up his leg in a clear dancing motion. If he had a hat he would have tipped it. Rusty also acknowledged her.

I am simply amazed that some one can be singing and playing to 20,000 people, notice someone in the audience while doing this, and then acknowledge that person without missing a beat!

The Tuesday night show was probably a genuine sellout. If there were empty seats it wasn't obvious. The Wednesday night show was close to sold out. The only obvious empty seats were about two rows at the very back of the very top section at the very back of the arena.

I thought the audience was more enthusiastic on Tuesday, Tom Carswell thought they were more enthusiastic on Wednesday. From my perspective, most of the audience at the front of the arena was on their feet for nearly the entire show. There were areas on the floor where people were seated, but the majority were on their feet. On Wednesday only the people in the very front couple of rows remained on their feet for the entire show.

Washington audiences are frequently extremely rude. They talk loudly during performances, answer and make phone calls, wander around during the show, and rush to leave before the end. The Tuesday night audience was particularly polite. No talking around us. No drunks. No rush to leave before the end. Not much walking around during this show.

The Wednesday night audience may or may not have been just as polite but there were three different sets of people sitting around me who talked throughout the show. These are people in $250 seats for pity's sake. I just don't get it. It certainly reduced my enjoyment of the show. There were two young women in front of me who gabbed through Here, There, and Everywhere! One of my favorite songs of all time. And yet every time McCartney turned in our direction these girls went nuts. I just don't get it.

My favorite moments of the two evenings (other than getting winked at by Paul) came every time he struck that pose with the guitar held aloft over his head. The crowd went wild every time. But what a truly magnificent sight!

Sometimes when I wake up there will be a song going through my head. On Thursday afternoon when I finally got to work I was sitting at my desk and the guitar break from Maybe I'm Amazed kept running through my thoughts, over and over, and Paul singing those dramatic "oh's" that follow the break. What an experience.

The shows made me give Driving Rain another listen and there are now a number of songs I quite like: Lonely Road, Driving Rain, Your Loving Flame, Freedom (which I liked from the outset), Tiny Bubble, Riding Into Jaipur, and, most of all, Heather. Heather does sound uncompleted but the long instrumental lead-in is wonderful and I love the loopy, hippy dippy, sci-if lyric.

One of the unique and fun aspects of the Washington shows was The Washington Post Online invited fans to post their own reviews. By Friday afternoon 175 reviews had been posted. It was fascinating reading. 174 people commented on The performance. One person had not seen The show and just wanted to complain about The ticket prices. Two people hated it, one review was mixed, The other 171 ranged from great to ecstatic. 27 people commented on The cost: with 17 saying it was worth The money and 10 complaining about The prices. The only truly negative response was about The opening with 10 people saying they disliked it and only 4 saying they enjoyed it.

I am not happy about the high prices for this show but I paid a scalper $250 for tickets to The McCartney show in Milwaukee in 1994. One thing The high ticket price does is undercut The scalpers. If I'm going to pay $250 for a show I would rather have The money go to The performer and not a scalper.

My favorite comment was that people today sometimes wonder what it must have been like to live in The 17th Century and see a Shakespeare play at The Globe Theatre. Two hundred years from now people will know The work of Paul McCartney and they may wonder about The people of our time who saw him perform live. I really believe this. Paul McCartney is The Shakespeare, or The Beethoven of our generation. His legacy is going to last long beyond The lives of any one around today.

The reviews in The Washington Post and Washington Times were ecstatic. Post reviewer David Segal (Sgt Pepper Still Worth His Salt) was overwhelmingly enthusiastic: "The crowd filed out of The arena glowing. With a love like that, as The Beatles once put it, you know you should be glad." He did not like The opening "one of The oddest, clumsiest, and most perplexing spectacles ever to open a mainstream rock show" and, if you can believe it, did not like Let It Be and The Long and Winding Road. After September 11, how could Paul not perform Let It Be.

The Washington Times (a newspaper owned by The Moon Church) review by Ken McIntyre (McCartney Touches Hearts) was an out and out rave. McIntyre even seemed to like The opening. Strangely, The Baltimore Sun reviewed The Philadelphia show. Chris Kaltentech's review was also a rave (Rock Steady: Paul McCartney proves he hasn't lost any of The charm or musical ability that fans loved since his Beatle days): "Paul McCartney's been making people happy for nearly 40 years, in a way and to a degree few other human beings can match. Few have embraced The role of cultural statesman so warmly and so responsibly." . . . "When in Getting Better, Paul sings The line, 'Getting so much better all The time', its nice to hark back to a day when that seemed true - - and to hear those words from a guy able to make us believe, if only for a few hours, it still is."

Update (4/27/02) From Arthur Cimiluca:

Steve,

We saw the show in DC on Tuesday. It was absolutely fantastic. Paul's enthusiasm was evident. He still had all his Beatle zeal and trademark gestures. His voice was great - he did sound a bit raspy when he performed acoustic/solo - but, overall, he was fantastic. My wife would have preferred a few less ballads and more rockers, but I liked the mix. "Back in the USSR" was a real raunch rocker as was "Live and Let Die". His band was fantastic, the drummer was a real standout. For those who belittle his latest work: "Driving Rain" (the song) sounded fantastic, much better live than on the album- way more energetic, and "Freedom" worked very well live with the audience clapping. Hey Jude was interesting when he had the men and then the women in the audience sing. For such a long song, it seemed to pass too quickly. For the most part he stayed pretty true to the original arrangements and feel of his songs which suited me just fine.

Paul told some stories about his many massages around the world and gave funny interpretation of a Lady in Tokyo who sang "Yesterday" while giving him the massage. Luckily, he stated "she could not remember the middle eight." He also told an interesting story about the meaning of C-Moon, but I won't spoil the surprise.

We had seats on the side of the stage which made it impossible to see much of the opening show and background video, but we did have a close view of Paul which is why we went in the first place. Yes the show was very expensive, but he performed non-stop for two and a half hours, so it was well worth the cost. I always regretted having been too young to see the Beatles live, but not anymore!

Sincerely,
Art Cimiluca

Update (4/26/02) From Larry Granger:

Hey everyone! What a fantastic show at MCI Center last night! FABulous! The opening "drama" was a bit long with all of those costumed charaters, but still it was very cool and surreal! THEN it went dark and there was the Hofner on the screen and then Paul and bass! That was just bone chillingly cool! The crowd went absolutely crazy! He opened with "Hello Goodbye". Paul sounded fantastic! His band was great!!! He was very relaxed during the show and as always totally enjoying himself! Only Paul can be Paul! He shared a very interesting story about "C Moon". He said there was a song from the 50's (?) that had the line "L7" which he said meant a square (if you hold thumb and pointer fingers in an "L" and the other as a "7" together you get a box). He thought "what is another way to make a box" and he came up with a "C" and a "cresent moon" (like a backwards "c" -together make a box! Thats how "C Moon" came about. I have been a diehard fan since I was in elementary school (in the late sixties)- I never knew what "C Moon" meant. The evening was just beautiful, seeing the "Beethoven" of our time in person. All of the classic tour songs were there. Live and Let Die was thrilling as always! The Long and Winding Road really brought me back in time- very moving experience. The backdrop he used for the show had fantastic videos and stills- they really made the show extra special. Just an absolutely wonderful evening with Paul. If I was ever to give my hard earned money to an entertainer, it would ( and was) be to Paul. I just thought, of my almost $300 I spent for a pair of tickets, I am paying for his dinner tonight! Enjoy Paul!!!! You've given me countless days and evenings of fantastic memories with your music. Here are a couple pics!

From Mark Potts:

Hi Steve:

Just got back from Night 2 in DC, and I have a slightly different perspective than most people on this great concert.

That's because I saw the first show in DC from seats at the back corner of the stage (they have some nerve charging $125 for that!). I saw a great rock n roll show--but I saw virtually none of the spectacular video and lighting displays that accompanied it (we could barely even see the circus performers--which is a grand opening--from where we were). We saw a lot of Paul and the band's backs, but that was about it--in fact, at times the descending video screens blocked our views entirely. Not pleasant, though the music (and sound) was great.

We thoroughly enjoyed night 1, but knew we were missing something. By the end of the second or third song I knew I was going to have to come back for the second show just to see what everybody else was seeing. I went on Ticketmaster.com today and landed a $125 back-of-the-floor seat--quite an upgrade--and saw what was, essentially, a totally different show! Definitely a spectacular evening.

One cute moment: The first night, somebody in the front row threw a copy of the White Album and a pen onstage at the end of the show. Paul, walking off the stage, spotted it, reached down, gestured toward himself, and with a big smile, signed the album cover and threw it back into the crowd. (We had a great view of this from our perch behind the stage!) Tonight, for the second show, somebody did the same thing with a copy of Abbey Road (could see it from way back where I was sitting), and Paul dutifully signed it. I imagine they're both on eBay already!

Keep up the great work!

Mark

From Jack C.:

This is the April 24 show. That was amazing! The circus bit could have been skipped, but when Paul came out, everyone had forgotten about it! He jumped into "Hello Goodbye" and "Jet," then did an excellent "All My Loving." He then explained that the next song was from the 60s and he had never performed it before. It was "Getting Better." He delivered a few more songs.

A highlight was in "You Never Give Me Your Money," where he says "This is the line that I forget and probably won't remember for the rest of the tour." Then he told us of some interesting massage stories. "Here Today" and "Something" both got standing ovations, and after the latter, he said that George would say he was doing it wrong, then played it how George would, very fast.

I don't want to give too much away for those who haven't gone yet, but be prepared after the first verse of "Live and Let Die," because if not, you might wet your pants. Luckily, I was prepared. After "Hey Jude" he left the stage, but came back to do 2 encores.

That was the best show of my life. Jack C.

From Moptop48:

Hello everyone, I just got back from both of Paul's D.C. shows and thought I'd give a brief review of my experiences there. For Tuesday's concert, I arrived early in order to see Paul as he arrived at the arena. While a large crowd was waiting, a film crew was doing work and indicated they were filming for a DVD, which would feature behind-the-scenes moments from the tour. Also, a man on the street playing saxophone seranaded the crowd with "Yesterday," which drew the admiration of the audience. Finally, as Paul arrived, the crowd of people jumped up and down and basically blocked my view. A middle-aged woman grabbed my arm and was ecstatic, giving a 21-year old like myself a taste of what Beatlemania must have been like.

The first show was phenomenal-the band was playing well together and I can't speak highly enough of Rusty's guitar work. Listen to his solo on Back in the U.S.S.R.-phenomenal is an understatemtent. Other highlights of the show for me included Band on the Run, Hey Jude, Fool on the Hill-I could name every song and the performance would have been great. I did not see many fans rush towards the exits during certain performances of songs from Driving Rain or during "C-Moon," however it was clear that most of the audience was not familiar with this work.

The second night was pretty much the exact same show, but I am glad I went nonetheless. I can't decide which performance was better, for both were exciting and had the crowd involved (the crowd the second night seemed to be a bit louder). Now that I have been to see Paul, it was without a doubt the best concert I've ever seen. As I sat and watched the shows, I couldn't help but be amazed at the magnificent catalog of songs this man has. For those of you attending the concerts-enjoy!

Scott

(4/25/02)

From Big K:

I was fortunate enough to attend as Paul McCartney rocked Washington DC in the first of his two sold out shows in the MCI Center on April 23 & 24, 2002. I had avoided reading any reviews prior to the show so I'd be surprised at the set list.

The crowd was quite orderly going into the venue, despite slow entrance due to fairly extensive security. Each person had to stand as a handheld metal detector was passed over them. (It was sensitive enough that my key chain set it off.) I should note, however, that the venue staff were unfailingly polite and helpful throughout the show, a pleasant change from the usual big venue experience. Interestingly, they scanned the bar codes on each ticket, but didn't tear them, so each person had their untorn ticket for a souvenir. (Of course, they had rather overpriced plaques available at the merchandise counter to treasure them in forever.) No free books this year, unfortunately. The $30 programs, in fact, were quite similar to the free ones from years past.

Merchandise was the usual concert assortment, though a few of the items seemed steep to me. Shirts were the usual $35 and up, but they had several different enamel pins at $20 each. $15 for a poster was a bit much as well, IMO. The key chains, at least, weren't too bad at $7. And hey, there was always the option of buying one of the "shirts of questionable origin" from a guy outside the venue for something like $15 if none of the ones inside met with your approval.

Speaking of the "questionable" shirts, there was actually someone selling them INSIDE the venue prior to the show. One has to wonder how that happened given the screening everyone was supposed to get at the door.

The show was scheduled for 8PM, but due to the delays in getting everyone inside it was something like 8:15 by the time all the people waiting had been admitted. Some time around 8:20, the lights went down and the "Fireman" music began over the PA system. A rather bizarre pre-concert show involving a number of oddly costumed characters coming from various places in the arena commenced, which was interesting but at ten minutes (or more) probably ran a bit long.

As this came to an end, the final image was the silhouette of the famous Hofner bass, replaced in a moment by that of McCartney himself holding the instrument. As the first chord rang out, the screen rose, revealing Paul and the band. It was a great opening that really had the crowd responding.

Here's a complete track list, with a few notes, which I assume is pretty much the same as the rest of the tour:

(Intro music from the Fireman "Rushes" CD)
HELLO GOODBYE
JET
ALL MY LOVING
GETTING BETTER (I almost fell out of my seat when he went into this!)
COMING UP (Nice rocking version with a somewhat different arrangement)
LET ME ROLL IT
LONELY ROAD
DRIVING RAIN
YOUR LOVING FLAME
[Acoustic set]
BLACKBIRD (Very good rendition. All of the acoustic tracks seemed very intimate.)
EVERY NIGHT
WE CAN WORK IT OUT
MOTHER NATURE'S SON (Cool choice to include in the set.)
VANILLA SKY (A surprisingly strong reception for this, maybe the crowd saw the Oscars?)
YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY (I quite liked the arrangement of this one.)
THE FOOL ON THE HILL (EXCELLENT rendition.)
HERE TODAY (Introduced with talk about John. HUGE cheer for John. I was stunned he was doing this!)
SOMETHING (Done on ukulele. Could not have been more perfect! Not a dry eye in the house after these two.)
ELEANOR RIGBY (Whole band, but mostly acoustic arrangement. Quite nice.)
HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE
[End of acoustic set]
BAND ON THE RUN
BACK IN THE USSR (Excellent rocking version.)
MAYBE I'M AMAZED (Paul's voice sounded great on this. Throughout the show, in fact.)
C-MOON (A surprise to me!)
MY LOVE (Not a personal favorite, but it went over well with the crowd.)
CAN'T BUY ME LOVE
FREEDOM (With the banner from the Super Bowl. Works much better live than as a record, IMO.)
LIVE AND LET DIE
LET IT BE (Less lighters than the last couple of tours, but still got a huge ovation.)
HEY JUDE (The usual singalong ending, but it never fails to make the crowd feel connected to the show.)

[Encore:]
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
LADY MADONNA
I SAW HER STANDING THERE (Crowd ate this up.)

[Encore two:]
YESTERDAY
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (REPRISE)
THE END (No question in anyone's mind that this was the end of the show.)

Some general comments:

Paul was relaxed and seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit throughout the show. His voice was in great form, even on some of the tougher stuff like MAYBE I'M AMAZED and the high parts of HERE TODAY.

The combination of HERE TODAY and SOMETHING worked very well and seemed quite classy. Playing the latter on a uke was the ideal way to handle it, and gave Paul a nice "out" at the end to lighten the mood again. I was blinking back a few tears myself after this.

It was a long show (almost three hours), but Paul was "on" throughout. There were a couple of very minor flubbed vocals, but no one seemed to notice or care. The DRIVING RAIN stuff obviously didn't get the response some of the classics did, but I didn't see hordes of people running to the restrooms either. Basically, Paul had the crowd eating out of his hand for the whole show. The two friends who were with me are fans but not huge ones, and had never seen him before. After the show, one of them told me it was the best show she'd ever seen, and the other said he's list it "at least in his top ten." Both of these are people who go to a lot of concerts, so I was a little surprised at how positively they responded.

In all, it was a great show. Paul may have chosen the set list a little conservatively, but it's hard to deny the power of all those songs one right after another. I would heartily recommend this show to anyone who enjoys a good concert, and would rate it as essential for any Beatles fan.

-Big K

From Doug:

First of all I recomend getting there early. Radio station 97.4 was broadcasting from the event and giving away t-shirts and the new CD with the new slip-on cover.They stated Paul had sound check earlier but at 6:30 I could here him downstairs . Some song I knew I couldn't hear clearly enough to identify. I was hoping that was because it was "Washington".

There was about 3 memorabilia booths mobbed at the beginning. I spotted and talked to Bruce Spizer, auther of "The Beatles on Capital Records" and "The Beatles on Vee Jay Records." I saw no other celebrities.

The intro / seating music was interesting. It was definately Paul .One song he sung kind of crooning but an unknown title to me. It was again difficult to here due to the light volume of the music as well as the "Dickie Birds " around me. My seat was on the right side ,stage level, at the center. I would say only 100 seats were not filled nosebleed center upper level.

At first I thought the crowd was going to be a dud. They didn't seem that receptive on the first 2-3 songs .After that they stood up on all but the love songs.They were not as enthusiastic on the "Driving Rain" songs . But cordial.

When I first saw the play list a month ago I was not that interested or enthusiastic ,but they worked. Paul was in excellent voice. I didn't miss a note on the 7 different instuments he played. He changed instrunets the way that Cher changes clothes.

The band was tight only a few minor glitches that most people probably didn't catch.

For some reason I still liked his 89/90 , 93 band. Maybe because they were my first.They interacted with Paul better.They seemed genuine.If this band rocked more which it would appear it was because of the set list and familiarity. He only did 4 songs from the new album, so the crowd was easy to please.

He did some nice additions to a few of his old songs. He dedicated"Loving Flame" to someone in the audience that he wrote it for. I didn't see Heather there.Maybe she was backstage.

Paul was Mr. Congeniality with the audience as usual.My only regret was that he didn't play "Washington " after Freedom for those in DC. But who knows what the song is about only that it's a folk song. The concert was over at 11:30 pm.- Doug

From Joseph Culotta:

Paul was great!! The show was a full 2 and a half hours of all Paul McCartney. He played tons of songs from his first band he was in "The Beatles". The best part was when he was out on stage solo. Just him and his guitar. He talked to the audience in-between songs all night. When the show was over it wasn't over. He just kept coming back. He did three encores and came out for a forth time just to wave good night. Great Job Paul!! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT, HE PLAYED WITH THE BEST. Well I'm on to the next show.
Joe

From Juan Carrera:

Hello to all, well seeing Paul again was quite thrilling, the opening theater act was quite avant garde and interesting...maybe some flashbacks from the 60's indeed! Well Pauly didnt really deviate from the past set list of songs that this website had mentioned from previous shows. The tributes to John and George were nice but maybe a bit political in nature: During Lennon's tribute not one photo was shown however, during George's, nothing but total tribute of various poses throughout Georges life as a beatle and without. All n all, had a great time and mostly likely will head up tonite(4/24) to scalp or win a ticket..plenty of them on the street if you desire....Rock on, Juan Carrera, Arlington,Va

From Lorene Applegarth:

I was there at the Washington DC MCI concert last night! I was on the ground floor, twenty rows away from him. It was so cool!!! He explained the song C Moon, one of his poems, and he acknoledged me a few times when I screamed or shouted something out. I have no regrets AT ALL in spending $260 to see him!!!

From Corinne White:

My FIRST (albeit a little late in the game) Macca concert was amazing!!! Saw him last night in DC and the show was well worth the 3 1/2 hour drive home (to NJ)!

I've heard some mixed reviews about the show opener. However, as soon as I saw it I thought of the avant garde movies Paul made in the sixties (which I've only read about) and thought the presentation was very appropriate and WELL DONE. It's awesome to see something different once in a while!

The rest of the show, every song, every story was exactly as I had imagined it would be. One of the high lights for me was the pyro-technics during LIVE AND LET DIE! I was psyched! Paul certainly hasn't slowed down or mellowed out.

Can't wait for the show on Friday night at the Garden!

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