Set List critique
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Duly noted.
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favoritething:
And hey, R Martinez, you're right, he was absolutely an edgy, current artist in 1976, but then he let that reputation slip away over the next several years (with some of the single choices), to the point where his audience was no longer composed mainly of people who want to be challenged on a nightly basis, just entertained.
Fair enough!
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RMartinez:
favoritething:
mr.flamingpie:
yankeefan7:
favoritething:
Yes, in the Rolling Stone interview he does address the "controversy" of his setlist, and what it includes (I've edited the Q&A a bit). After talking about a Bill Haley concert that was mostly someone else, and a Little Richard album where he was only on one track, the conversation turns to: Q: Do you ever feel like ... just tearing up the set list and playing whatever you like? A: Yeah, we occasionally do that, just for the fun of it. But it's not like I'm Phish, you know. Certainly, there's a load of people in the audience that would want us to do that, but I have to be a bit conscious that there's a load of people that wouldn't.... I don't want to cheat those people. So we mix it up occasionally, but mainly we hope we're pleasing the various facets in the audience. People say, "But why do you care, man?" Someone like Bob Dylan doesn't necessarily care ? he'll just do what he wants, and that's cool. I say, "Yeah, but I have these memories that haunt me of these concerts that I went to and these records that I bought." I don't want those people in my audience thinking, "Hey, we came for big hits, and you played a bunch of s**t." This is his mindset, and we might as well accept it or just not go to his shows. I'm sorry, it's always a good time, even though my eyes do glaze over a bit when "Band On The Run" starts AGAIN, or the "Hey Jude" singalong starts, but hey, the vast majority of the audience loves it, so that's his barometer. He couldn't do the kind of setlist WE would want except maybe in a "Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road" kind of setting.... or if his career came to the point where only WE are buying the tickets (yeah, like that's gonna happen!).
The problem is that Mr. McCartney does not understand his "diehard" fans. We understand he needs to play the hits but isn't 20 Beatle songs enough instead of 24 -25 out of 37 songs. Add 3-5 Wings songs and you are still giving fans close to 2 hrs of hits. All we are asking is the remaining 12 songs that it reflects your entire solo career and if it is something you have never done live even better. I am sure Mr. McCartney is skilled enough to arrange a set list so the Beatle fans do not have to put up with more than two dreaded solo songs in a row - lol. At this point, Mr. McCartney is plugging "New". Mix it up and do "Appreciate", "I Can Bet" and "Early Days" every other night instead of "Queenie Eye", "New" and "Save Us". Play songs you have never done live before like "Take It Away" from TOW which was a top 20 single. "Little Willow" from FP would be a great addition to acoustic part of show. "Promise To You Girl" from CHAOS would be neat and it has nice little guitar riff. I think "Dance Til We're High" is a great song form EA and has not been done on tour. Revisit MAF album and perform "House of Wax" or "That Was Me". FITD was a great album no song has been done live from it in 25 yrs. Would be real cool to hear "Figure OF Eight" or "My Brave Face" again as an example. DR has great rocker called "About You" that was not done, would be great in concert IMO. The above paragraph is all that it would take for me to see Mr. McCartney again live. I know he will not do it but it is a shame because people like myself think he has had a wonderful career writing great songs. It is a shame that thousands of people will never hear this great music but if Mr. McCartney does not want to challenge his audience and himself a little bit I guess it is time to "Let It Be' - LOL !!
I absolutly think like this two comments. The "bulky" setlist scheme (incl. all his comments between the songs) since 2002 (of nearly 2/3 standard fab4 and wings songs) is like a wastage of pauls creativity. It's really a sad fact, that we have to pay for soundcheck to get songs like sun is shining or ram on. I really wish that Paul reflects comments particularly from this thread. We're his strongest fans and we only ask for only some of his solo juwels, songs like quoted or like the world tonight, put it there, ever present past... and a little bit more variations.
Well, sure, all of US would love it if he did that. But I think he's had too many experiences of playing an unfamiliar song and seeing people stream up the aisles to the bathrooms and the concessions. He clearly does not want people to tell their friends, "Oh, he did a lot of weird songs I'd never heard before." He'd much rather hear them tell their friends, "It was like a party! I knew almost every song, and everyone was swaying and singing along the whole time." I mean, really, this is Paul McCartney, the guy who gazed up at the Cavern ceiling meaningfully while singing "Till There Was You" (with John clowning in the background). He has a long, long history of being a people-pleaser in live concerts, and he's not about to change now. He says very clearly in the interview that he gains energy from the audience, and he'll only get that energy from them if he's playing songs that everyone knows and reacts to.
That was not the case in 1976. He was a modern, edgy current artist promoting his own material, throwing in five Beatle songs as a tip of the hat to his past. It could be argued 1976 was the only time he has toured the USA as Paul McCartney the SOLO ARTIST. 1989-1990 was a "come back" tour which started the Beatles-heavy set lists, and he has not looked back. And what's wrong with that? I guess hardcore fans can maybe decide to start voting with their pocket book, by no longer attending concerts or buying new CDs. But at this point, I don't see him doing a "solo artist" tour. It is mainly a celebration of Beatles hits and even Beatles misses.
At least in 1989 he opened with brand new song "Figure of Eight". I looked back at set list of the show I saw in 1989 and he did 12 Beatle songs out of 27 songs in the main part of the concert. He did one encore (5 songs) and all were Beatle songs. BTW - I have seen Mr. McCartney 7 times from 1976 to 2010 and I never saw people around me run to the bathroom/concession stand during the concert. Hardcore fans know he is not going to change but it is such a shame IMO that he has such little esteem of his solo work for over 30 years. If I was him, I would have no problem doing songs from my whole career especially if I was giving the fans in the audience close to 2 hrs of "hits". I also would be incredibly bored not mixing it up more night after night and tour after tour. Mr. McCartney basically did "on My Way To Work" pretty much spur of the moment for him so it proves he can do it if he really wanted to mix it up night after night.
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favoritething:
And hey, R Martinez, you're right, he was absolutely an edgy, current artist in 1976, but then he let that reputation slip away over the next several years (with some of the single choices), to the point where his audience was no longer composed mainly of people who want to be challenged on a nightly basis, just entertained.
In 1976, he wanted to establish himself as an artist and distance himself from The Beatles. Today he basically is saying the audience thinks he has no music worth playing since 1979. (that is sad)
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If a full set of obscure '50s covers didn't clear the room (the '99 Cavern Club thing), I don't think a few performances of "Beautiful Night" or "Rinse The Raindrops" would either.
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audi:
If a full set of obscure '50s covers didn't clear the room (the '99 Cavern Club thing), I don't think a few performances of "Beautiful Night" or "Rinse The Raindrops" would either.
Well, yeah, but the Cavern is only big enough for the most devoted fans, not tens of thousands of people. I'd pay to see him do the Miley Cyrus catalogue in a small place. Well, not really, but you know what I mean!
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Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
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oobu24:
Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
Do the Beatles really need keeping at this point? With all the re-issues of LPs and movies, that really is taken care of. Lord knows, there is no danger of the Beatles being forgotten.
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RMartinez:
oobu24:
Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
Do the Beatles really need keeping at this point? With all the re-issues of LPs and movies, that really is taken care of. Lord knows, there is no danger of the Beatles being forgotten.
Yes, but people still crave the experience of seeing the Beatles live, and Paul provides that.
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favoritething:
RMartinez:
oobu24:
Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
Do the Beatles really need keeping at this point? With all the re-issues of LPs and movies, that really is taken care of. Lord knows, there is no danger of the Beatles being forgotten.
Yes, but people still crave the experience of seeing the Beatles live, and Paul provides that.
...unlike Ringo, who to this day refuses to mention "Beatles" during his show. Even when he introduces "Boys" as a song he's done with his "previous group...Rory Storm and the Hurricanes".
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favoritething:
RMartinez:
oobu24:
Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
Do the Beatles really need keeping at this point? With all the re-issues of LPs and movies, that really is taken care of. Lord knows, there is no danger of the Beatles being forgotten.
Yes, but people still crave the experience of seeing the Beatles live, and Paul provides that.
Except Paul is NOT The Beatles. He was one of four.
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RMartinez:
favoritething:
RMartinez:
oobu24:
Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
Do the Beatles really need keeping at this point? With all the re-issues of LPs and movies, that really is taken care of. Lord knows, there is no danger of the Beatles being forgotten.
Yes, but people still crave the experience of seeing the Beatles live, and Paul provides that.
Except Paul is NOT The Beatles. He was one of four.
But now he's one of two, and he's the one with all the hits.
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audi:
A little encouragement:
Such a stab to see, haha... Rehearsed, soundchecked, performed (!). Then put away. Wow. *hums intro 'I've Got A Feeling'.
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favoritething:
RMartinez:
favoritething:
RMartinez:
oobu24:
Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
Do the Beatles really need keeping at this point? With all the re-issues of LPs and movies, that really is taken care of. Lord knows, there is no danger of the Beatles being forgotten.
Yes, but people still crave the experience of seeing the Beatles live, and Paul provides that.
Except Paul is NOT The Beatles. He was one of four.
But now he's one of two, and he's the one with all the hits.
Ok, then why not name the tour BEATLES HITS? OUT THERE implies something out of the ordinary in the vernacular!
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RMartinez:
favoritething:
RMartinez:
favoritething:
RMartinez:
oobu24:
Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
Do the Beatles really need keeping at this point? With all the re-issues of LPs and movies, that really is taken care of. Lord knows, there is no danger of the Beatles being forgotten.
Yes, but people still crave the experience of seeing the Beatles live, and Paul provides that.
Except Paul is NOT The Beatles. He was one of four.
But now he's one of two, and he's the one with all the hits.
Ok, then why not name the tour BEATLES HITS? OUT THERE implies something out of the ordinary in the vernacular!
They're ALL Paul McCartney's songs, whether Beatles or Wings or solo or NEW. He wrote them all or if he does one that's more associated with Lennon, he had a major hand in its creation. The only one he's doing now that's a tribute written by someone else is George's Something.
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favoritething:
Sadly, I believe that if hardcore fans just stayed home, he would still have a very profitable tour. In different venues online, I see people all the time who say they're devoted fans who clearly don't know anything beyond what he plays live already. OK, maybe "Take It Away" would work in the "Flaming Pie" spot in the set.
What's sad is that you have tons of people who attend these shows who own every single Beatles album, but they don't give Paul's solo career a chance. I can pick 50 Paul solo songs that would fit well on Beatles albums, and had they been there, these same people would love them. But under the solo name? They don't want to hear it.
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DrivinFan:
favoritething:
RMartinez:
oobu24:
Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
Do the Beatles really need keeping at this point? With all the re-issues of LPs and movies, that really is taken care of. Lord knows, there is no danger of the Beatles being forgotten.
Yes, but people still crave the experience of seeing the Beatles live, and Paul provides that.
...unlike Ringo, who to this day refuses to mention "Beatles" during his show. Even when he introduces "Boys" as a song he's done with his "previous group...Rory Storm and the Hurricanes".
Really? He refuses to mention The Beatles? That seems silly.
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beatlesfanrandy:
RMartinez:
favoritething:
RMartinez:
favoritething:
RMartinez:
oobu24:
Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
Do the Beatles really need keeping at this point? With all the re-issues of LPs and movies, that really is taken care of. Lord knows, there is no danger of the Beatles being forgotten.
Yes, but people still crave the experience of seeing the Beatles live, and Paul provides that.
Except Paul is NOT The Beatles. He was one of four.
But now he's one of two, and he's the one with all the hits.
Ok, then why not name the tour BEATLES HITS? OUT THERE implies something out of the ordinary in the vernacular!
They're ALL Paul McCartney's songs, whether Beatles or Wings or solo or NEW. He wrote them all or if he does one that's more associated with Lennon, he had a major hand in its creation. The only one he's doing now that's a tribute written by someone else is George's Something.
Mr. Kite is NOT a McCartney song by any stretch. He may have been in the room when Lennon was putting it together, but it is clearly a Lennon song. The Word is mainly Lennon. All You Need Is Love is TOTALLY Lennon. Please Please Me was written by Lennon. Day Tripper is a Lennon song. He did NOT have a major hand in any of these songs. Sorry.
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DrivinFan:
favoritething:
RMartinez:
oobu24:
Yoko barely acknowledges that John was a Beatle...Paul IS the keeper of the Beatles. shame that he ignores the rest of his career.
Do the Beatles really need keeping at this point? With all the re-issues of LPs and movies, that really is taken care of. Lord knows, there is no danger of the Beatles being forgotten.
Yes, but people still crave the experience of seeing the Beatles live, and Paul provides that.
...unlike Ringo, who to this day refuses to mention "Beatles" during his show. Even when he introduces "Boys" as a song he's done with his "previous group...Rory Storm and the Hurricanes".
It's just his way of joking. Out of 12 songs he sings lead on in his set, 9 of them are Beatles songs. One comment about the "bathroom break" conversation...I think in general these days, concertgoers do have shorter attention spans, so while they may not go to the restroom or to buy beer during songs they don't know, I have seen people texting and watching stuff on their cell phones, or having loud conversations, during those unfamilar songs. It is very easy to lose an audience's attention these days.
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thenightfish:
One comment about the "bathroom break" conversation...I think in general these days, concertgoers do have shorter attention spans, so while they may not go to the restroom or to buy beer during songs they don't know, I have seen people texting and watching stuff on their cell phones, or having loud conversations, during those unfamilar songs. It is very easy to lose an audience's attention these days.
Which is why Shelley makes it clear that people are not allowed to use their cell phones during the soundcheck, as it is considered rude by Paul and his staff. Too bad those same folks (along with everyone else) forget that during the actual concert.