Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
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This has got me stumped, why do you think Paul has NEVER played Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey live? It was a numer ONE song, is from that quirky home-brewed solo era between The Beatles and Wings AND has a great refrain that everyone can sing along to live "Hands across the water, heads across the sky". I'm completely baffled why this has yet to see the light of day on a concert stage! Any opinions?
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yankeefan7:
I'll Get you was the B side of She Loves You and I would be willing to bet that 95% of the audience would not know that or care if he played it. I wonder if McCartney really believes his audience would rather hear a obscure B side Beatle song over a top 10 Wings/Solo single.
I loved hearing "I'll Get You" on the 2005 tour!! I would love to hear more Wings/solo stuff too, but I love that he throws in obscure Beatles songs! I'm wishing and praying for some amazing, different post-Beatles stuff on the next tour, just as much as anyone else!! "Too Many People" was a good start, now lets keep going!! The 2005 set list blew me away, so I have no doubt I will be pleased with the next tour. It's all good!
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If the rumours are true that this is going to be his final fully fledged tour once its confirmed, i honestly dont think he will radically change the set list, his 66 in a few days & if its going to be based over 2 years we all know how old he wil be when it ends. I cant honestly see him changing his habits since 2002 & the closer the final "big " gig comes on the tour the more likely it will be filled with "hey jude" "let it be" etc Wherever the final gig is & if I get there & if I wasnt to hear those songs for the "last" time I personally would feel let down. I think the U.S. have been over exposed, compared to the rest of the world after all the UK only had a proper leg of a tour in 2003 (one off's & special promo gigs i dont count). When this is all done & dusted 5 years down the line count yourselves lucky & stop complaining, if you dont wanna hear "let me roll it" again simple dont go!
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In the past I have tried to open discussion along the lines of this thread, and have been howled down by hordes of fans who suggested I was treacherous, rude, ignorant or stupid. That's why I wont add my thoughts this time. Apart from a few posters who manage to discuss the setlists topic with some maturity and perspective, it always degenerates into a personal abuse forum. Bottom line is we all admire, appreciate and respect Paul, but like any other artist in the public arena, he is not beyond constructive criticism. Perhaps the Kiev show might throw up some surprises with the public asked to vote for songs to be played live.
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so when he plays the regular show in Kiev, a place where he's never been in front of literally thousands who have never seen him, this thread will get a bump because he should have played a thousand other songs. He will blow the people away, they will be singing and dancing in the aisle. Yet some will complain about the set list. Let it be again! He can't win, he will never please everyone, so he will do the set he thinks is best. break a leg in Kiev, Paul.
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In my obsverations of this threa as well as in general over time, I've surmised that their are several types of fans: 1) "If Paul just showed up and farted on stage, that would be good enough because 'God' is standing in front of us". 2) "Paul can play pretty much anything he wants and although I would like to see some variation of the set list tour to tour, I wouldn't be disappointed either way - but with the amount of money we're paying, the performances should be at least respectable and just merely having Paul stand on stage wouldn't be good enough" - so there is some level of expectation (and for the record - I don't think Paul has ever let anyone down in this respect). 3) "Screw other fans - I like Wild Life and McC II and Paul should listen to me and only play those songs on his next tour - just for me" 4) "I only want the big hits from the Beatles - the songs that put him on the map" 5) "Paul was also a 'Wing' - he should play all Wings songs" (sort of a more relaxed version of #3) 4) This is a combo of #2, 3 & 4 - the one who says it's 'ok' to play some big hits but wants Paul to pull off some 'edgy' surprises, like some John Lennon songs or throw in Bip Bop because it's a relatively unkown album cut. I think that pretty much sums it up...let me know if I skipped a group
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DennyC:
so when he plays the regular show in Kiev, a place where he's never been in front of literally thousands who have never seen him, this thread will get a bump because he should have played a thousand other songs. He will blow the people away, they will be singing and dancing in the aisle. Yet some will complain about the set list. Let it be again! He can't win, he will never please everyone, so he will do the set he thinks is best. break a leg in Kiev, Paul.
I believe I already said that it is perfectly normal for special shows like Kiev and Liverpool be packed with Beatle songs, this is a once in a lifetime show for these people. I know I said that if he toured the US again, the setlist should be mixed up a bunch becuase he has played there fairly often in recent years. I fully expect the Kiev show to be fairly similiar to the Liverpool show which is fine, hope they all have a great time.
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''1) "If Paul just showed up and farted on stage, that would be good enough because 'God' is standing in front of us". ''' lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol Guilty along with numerous others wink
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"... that would be good enough because 'God' is standing in front of us." That would be Eric Clapton you'd be referring to!
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I'm in the group that says balance it all out, McCartney's show should be equally representative of his entire career, Beatles, Wings, and solo! As it is now, it's always Beatle heavy. Change all the songs up, pick totally new and different gems from his career, he has plenty of them. I don't expect him to do this at a show like Liverpool or Keiv, but when he starts his regular world tour, that's when the setlist needs to be changed!
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DennyC:
so when he plays the regular show in Kiev, a place where he's never been in front of literally thousands who have never seen him, this thread will get a bump because he should have played a thousand other songs. He will blow the people away, they will be singing and dancing in the aisle. Yet some will complain about the set list. Let it be again! He can't win, he will never please everyone, so he will do the set he thinks is best. break a leg in Kiev, Paul.
With all respect I don't really get the argument, that he can't win. Paul doesn't really change his approach. It's not as if he tries to please one mindset sometimes and another other times. He panders to the same mindset all the time. Big Beatle songs, obscure Beatle songs. Smaller amount of solo songs and most of the solo songs are the same stuff with little variety. That's a Paul concert. Yes he's a great showman, and seeing the guy is magical. And yeah I'd take this over nothing any day of the week. But that isn't the point. I don't see the damned if you do damned if you don't appraoch here. If your point is people will be kicking and screaming if he doesn't do obscure Beatle songs like I'll Get You, Till There Was You, In Spite of All the Danger and leave his shows in a huff if he replaced them with blockbuster Wings songs -- I am with your argument. I just simple disagree with Paul's thought process, assuming that's what's driving this that people would rather hear obscure Beatle songs over blockbuster Wings hits. I do get that he needs to do the big blockbuster Beatle songs. But I'll Get You over With A Little Luck or he has to do Let Me Roll It every time over other tracks from Band on the Run just sounds so counter intuitive to me. And for the post about don't go to his shows if you don't want to hear Let Me Roll It again -- that argument just sounds silly to me. We are just kicking around our thoughts of what we'd like to see him do in his shows. If you disagree, cool. Unless I am mistaken this site isn't an agree with everything Paul does OR ELSE forum. When you listen to a Paul album even the ones you love aren't there sometimes a song here and there you don't care for. We are all clearly huge McCartney fans since we are on this site, but lets say you love Flowers in the Dirt but don't care for the track Don't Be Careless Love -- and you tell somebody great album, I just don't care for these couple of tracks. Is the typical response: well if you don't like absolutely every moment and every song of an artist, you aren't a true fan. If you don't like Don't Be Careless Love, you have no business listening to Flowers in The Dirt. That's sort of the analogy that comes to mind when people have issues with people that would like changes with his set list.
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Mikeskapala, amen brother!!
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Mikeskapala, well put. I second and third and fourth the motion!
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The thing I love about mikeskapla's posts is that I don't have to write anything. He writes it for me, and I can just sit back and enjoy reading the threads. Thanks for easing my workload, mikeskapla. Everything that he said...ditto for me.
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left hand man:
Twist it anyway you want, the simple fact is that McCartney has hit the stage with a Beatle heavy setlist for the last twenty years, and that is also fact! People on all kinds of music websites are saying the same exact thing! paul McCartneys core songs have been the same, he just switches them out from one tour to the next. How many times have we heard... Hey Jude Let It Be I Saw Her Standing There Got To Get You Into My Life Yesterday Get Back Lady Madonna Drive My Car The Long And Winding Road Blackbird Eleanor Rigby Penny Lane Sgt pepper reprise/ The End All My Loving We Can Work It Out Back In The USSR Can't Buy Me Love Every single live album I have by McCartney except Wings Over America has a variation of these songs on it. As I said he's been doing these core songs for the last twenty years! FACT!! The Wings songs are exactly the same, the solo songs change very little, and of course he may push his new album. This is what he has done for the last twenty years!! All he does is add more Beatles songs to go along with the Beatle songs he's already performing, resulting in yet another Beatle heavy setlist. Nothing has changed!
Don't bother, boise is on a one way mission.
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Shawn:
The thing I love about mikeskapla's posts is that I don't have to write anything. He writes it for me, and I can just sit back and enjoy reading the threads. Thanks for easing my workload, mikeskapla. Everything that he said...ditto for me.
Thanks, I recall being through these debates before on this subject and you being on them, too. I guess this deabte will live on until Paul stops touring or hopefully mixes it up more with solo songs. I don't think we are asking for the moon here. Acts like the Stones mix up their sets sometimes from concert to concert. I accept that Paul is never going to do that -- we are just talking about him keeping with the spirit of what he says he tries to do when he creates his set list, and that is give people the hits. He's never said just give people the Beatles big hits but he said his hits. And, he has a 46 year music career but he almost exclusively centers on the first 11 years of it. I don't think we are odd balls for wanting to hear a little more from the 35 years he mostly ignores. We aren't saying chuck the Beatles or stop focusing on tracks from Band on the Run -- just give a few more nuggets from his solo career and change up those songs like he does with the Beatles work. Doing Let Me Roll It every tour would be like him doing In Spite Of All the Danger every tour. And of course, he doesn't do that. C-Moon is part of most of his preshows so its easy I assume to throw it in the set list. He just seems a little lazy with his solo work on tour, that's all. Other point is if he's starting to go to his B side and pre Beatle material I don't think we are asking too much for him to do some #1 Wings hits he hasn't done or hasn't touched since 1976. And I don't get the argument from those that say, we who want him to do more from his catalogue appreciate him less -- OK, so we are saying Paul was a great solo artist and didn't just do good work for his first 11 years and then he didn't produce good work ever again, and somehow that means we appreciate him less. Yeah I think Listen To What The Man Says holds up very well to I'll Get You. With A Little Luck to I Will. Juniors Farm to I've Got a Feeling Silly Love Songs to In Spite of All the Danger, etc. And no I don't think we are disloyal to Paul to make that point and as I said earlier I really doubt if we made this point to Paul personally he'd have issues with it. If anything he seems to get a kick of those who are into his solo career as opposed to just Paul the Beatle.
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Beatles songs are old (classic but decades old) wings songs also old, decades old, very good, but old The beatles songs are more familiar, the cds have been reissued and sold tons of copies. wings songs, also reissued, Wingspan, did great. But still not like the Beatles songs. Wait until I tunes gets them. Paul has fabulous career, incredible, no one can match him. The Beatles songs will always be the ones people will know, young and old. The familiarity makes the concert rock. Paul knows this reality, and that's why he plays it. I don't want him to stand there and fart, or sing only Beatles songs either. That's insulting to us fans and Paul. I would want to hear anything and everything. But the reality is, the Beatle songs are the ones people will sing along with. Paul is standing there singing his heart out, and he wants everyone to have a great time. It must suck when only a few fans cheer for a song that is unfamiliar to them. Yankee, this thread was started because of the set list he played at Liverpool. Maybe you gave your okay to it for Liverpool and Kiev, but others have not.
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DennyC:
Beatles songs are old (classic but decades old) wings songs also old, decades old, very good, but old The beatles songs are more familiar, the cds have been reissued and sold tons of copies. wings songs, also reissued, Wingspan, did great. But still not like the Beatles songs. Wait until I tunes gets them. Paul has fabulous career, incredible, no one can match him. The Beatles songs will always be the ones people will know, young and old. The familiarity makes the concert rock. Paul knows this reality, and that's why he plays it. I don't want him to stand there and fart, or sing only Beatles songs either. That's insulting to us fans and Paul. I would want to hear anything and everything. But the reality is, the Beatle songs are the ones people will sing along with. Paul is standing there singing his heart out, and he wants everyone to have a great time. It must suck when only a few fans cheer for a song that is unfamiliar to them. Yankee, this thread was started because of the set list he played at Liverpool. Maybe you gave your okay to it for Liverpool and Kiev, but others have not.
I hear what you are saying is your point concert goers are more familar with songs like I'll Get You and In Spite of All the Danger over a Silly Love Songs, With A Little Luck, etc. Or would know Let Me Roll It but not Helen Wheels? Your point is good but I don't see how it answers what we've been saying in the recent posts.
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To add to the lucid arguments that "mikeskapla" bestows us with, the Anfield crowd went absolutely euphoric with "Hippy Hippy Shake" (not even a McCartney composition), and most of us thought we died and went to heaven hearing Paul play a song NEVER performed live "A Day In The Life", which then segued into John's "Give Peace A Chance". Granted, the former was the show opener and most any song in that slot would have gotten a rapturous reception but its surprising choice was fresh and fit perfectly. The latter two, songs of anthemic proportions, multiplied the thrilling frenzy that permeated Anfield Stadium by the time of the encores. Great choices which by their novelty in the context of the live setting made them all the more special. No one seemed disappointed hearing any of THESE songs. No one I talked to after the concert said he should have repeated some often-played song instead. I bet they wouldn't have felt disappointed hearing many other seldom or never before performed live songs either. It was only next day that I realized that Paul didn't play "Get Back" or "Maybe I'm Amazed", two of my favorite songs. I didn't realize it because I was too happy knowing I had heard 'new' songs. I would also like to point out, at least from my own observations at concerts or ticket lines I've been in, that the majority of people had seen at least one concert previously or were at the very least aware of a lot of Paul's catalog (post Beatles included). I've also met many first timers during these years too, but my impression is that these people were often times introduced to the Beatles, Wings or Paul's solo career through knowledgeable family or friend fans so they in turn weren't totally oblivious to the fact that this man has a solid almost 50 year song writing output. I know there was, and always will be, someone completely green to Paul's music performed live, but that shouldn't be a reason to limit the choice of songs imho. My feeling is that the demographic represented by some vocal adherents of not changing the set list much is not fully representational of the concert going public as a whole. It seems that many posters voicing their opinion on this and other threads bring valid arguments to support the idea of rejuvenating the set list so our beloved Paul doesn't turn into an oldies act. If Paul truly wants to please a majority of his new and old fans, his set list should stay fresher than he has made it in recent years.
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The reason no one complained about the show despite having a couple of different choices thrown in is because they were masked by the typical Macca template. If Paul filled the set list with Hippy Hippy Shake type songs that weren't as well known or not even his songs, they would not be received nearly as well, although I'm also certain that the respect people have for Paul would prevent fans from 'hating' the show. That's why these little Run Devil Run/Unplugged shows are typically 'one off' and in front of small audiences. He couldn't tour that and expect good success (in terms of both box office sales and critical).