Newark, NJ/Prudential Center/Sept 11 & 12 - CONFIRMED
-
Just got back. Totally amazing. Possibly better than last night, but that may be because I had an even better view of the production effects (PHENOMENAL) and I preferred many of tonight's setlist replacements. Was really happy there were so many substitutions between the 2 shows. LTWTMS was *awesome* -- I was surprised to hear it come back, and both the sound on it and the visual effects are upgraded and fantastic. And yes, definitely not judging anyone for needing to leave early -- boy did I tear out of 12/12/12 when it was wrapping up within minutes of my last train home. In these cases though it seemed to fit with an overall pattern of being up and down a lot and not always that into what was going on. Things seemed slightly better tonight where I was, though most of the action seemed to be happening with the lucky folks on the floor. (And they had beachballs!) Some great reactions around me though -- LALD and HS had everyone going berserk. The production effects are just overwhelming. I'd say overall that tonight's entire crowd may have been *slightly* more into it. Tons of singalongs, very active crowd on the floor and in the lower bowl. Blackbird was a tiny bit flubbed, but otherwise no real issues with his voice or the performance. Oh and yes, I too heard him mess up Kite a bit last night and I think he did the same thing again tonight! The thing with the ballroom dancing vegetarian librarian brought on stage seemed a tad awkward, but his remark about it "That was good... no it wasn't" was hilarious! Anyway, just the best. I'm so happy.
-
Oh, and is it indeed Bob who keeps getting called out for the "111 shows" signs? He got good airtime on the big screen.
-
AcresOfFun:
Oh, and is it indeed Bob who keeps getting called out for the "111 shows" signs? He got good airtime on the big screen.
Nope, that was not me. That was my buddy Dave!! He has 111 shows and always sits up front and holds up a sign every show. Last night was my 128th show but I am not much on holding up signs.
-
Bob Gannon:
AcresOfFun:
Oh, and is it indeed Bob who keeps getting called out for the "111 shows" signs? He got good airtime on the big screen.
Nope, that was not me. That was my buddy Dave!! He has 111 shows and always sits up front and holds up a sign every show. Last night was my 128th show but I am not much on holding up signs.
Bob...you HAVE TO hold one up for "130" Sunday night!!
-
We all know the man doesn't like to changes the setlist. Although we got 6 changes between the first and the second nights, I was really disappointed to see that are just recycled songs: "I've Just Seen A Face", "Listen To What The Man Said", "Helter Skelter". I love those songs, but come on, Paul! It's almost impossible find a fan that haven't heard any of these songs in the last years. And he just drop out "Here, There And Everywhere" and "The Fool On The Hill". Both are beautiful songs, familiar to the audience and have not been played in a while. Very frustrating.
-
FlowersOnTheRun:
Looks like even the press is noticing- "The set list on Monday was nearly identical to his Jersey set list from last summer, with "Here, There and Everywhere" and "The Fool on the Hill" subtracted, and "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" added. " (NorthJersey.com) "The sprawling 38-song set was virtually identical to the one McCartney rolled out on his first U.S. leg last summer, which visited MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford Aug. 7, 2016" (NJ.com) "Surprisingly, he didn't dip deep into Sgt. Pepper - just "Mr. Kite" and the title-track's reprise - despite all the worldwide celebrations this summer over the album's fiftieth anniversary" (RollingStone)
I wish he'd read some of these reviews.
-
So due to money reasons and a tight schedule, I thought I'd have to miss this grand 8-show run that McCartney is having in the NY metro area. I got lucky enough to get a great deal on floor seats for last night's show, got off work at 4, and was in Newark by 7pm... I feel incredibly lucky. And especially lucky to have shared the show with someone I love. Thoughts: - This is my third time seeing Paul. The first time was 7/16/11 at Yankee Stadium (the height of my teenage Beatles fandom), the second was last summer at Metlife. This was almost certainly a better show than last summer's, but the Yankee Stadium show still has a special place in my heart, especially for the special appearance by Billy Joel. - Paul was, in my opinion, in better voice last night than he was last summer at Metlife. I was shocked at how good he sounded on songs like Jet and Helter Skelter, and even the ballads were sung well. I think Paul is finally starting to understand that his voice isn't what it was in the 70s (or even what it was 15 years ago), and he's started to approach some of the songs a bit differently. I've Got a Feeling certainly had a more conservative approach, but he still lets it rip on Band on the Run, etc. Overall though? He's singing way better than he did last summer. - I just about jumped 10 feet in the air when he started Listen To What the Man Said. I thought I would never get the chance to hear that one in person. One of my favorite Wings songs. - A great deal of the setlist is the same, but last night had been changed enough from last summer at Metlife and from the Yankee Stadium show that I felt I had gotten my money's worth... In any case, it was the closest I had ever been. Any time spent in the same building as a Beatle is priceless. - Probably time to retire Queenie Eye. The crowd responded pretty nicely to New, but Queenie Eye was a "black hole" as Paul said. - Other songs that should probably be retired after this leg of the tour, if not earlier: Can't Buy Me Love, Let Me Roll It (or at least the Foxy Lady ending), My Valentine (which holds up surprisingly well after a few years), In Spite of All the Danger, Love Me Do, FourFiveSeconds (please someone tell him to stop playing this one), Ob-La-Di (which kinda falls flat in the live show for me, especially following a song like Something). - When the 2nd song of the encore was Sgt Pepper's Reprise, my heart sank. I thought he had cut Golden Slumbers and was ending shows with Sgt. Pepper's/The End again. Thank goodness I was wrong. That being said, the reprise doesn't really stand on its own. Why not move a song like I Wanna Be Your Man to the encore, and move the ACTUAL Sgt. Pepper's title track into the main set? - Did I mention that Helter Skelter was just epic? Brought the house down. I can't believe Paul is still rocking the way he does at his age. - I held out hope that I Saw Her Standing There would start and he'd go "ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Bruce Springsteen!" but alas, it did not happen. - Please please never cut Mr. Kite from the setlist! - I wasn't sure how the indoor pyro would look for Live and Let Die, since I'd only ever seen him in outdoor open air stadiums, but it was still a spectacle. - One thing that I noticed from seeing him last summer... He seems less happy onstage. Or maybe just that he's concentrating extra hard. I feel like he's not enjoying it the way he did when I saw him in 2011. He seems less animated on stage, more willing to stand stationary and rigid in front of his mic, less bopping and hopping around... Wonder if he'll stop touring one of these days. While I want Paul to do what'll make him happy, I have to admit it's really a wonderful thing that we can see one of the top musical geniuses of our time in such great shape so many years after his prime. - Last night was the first time I really appreciated the band. When I think about the mishmosh of crap that Elton's band brings onstage, the occasional sloppiness and dirgelike nature of Billy Joel's band, and the lifeless "Beach Boys" headed by Mike Love, I really have to appreciate what Paul brings to the table. This might be one of the best concert tickets you can buy. I'm seeing Brian Wilson in about a week and a half, and while I love Brian and his music, I have a feeling that I'm going to be thinking about Paul for much of that show. If only Brian had held up like Paul did.
-
Congrats! And well said...I agree on nearly all accounts with the setlist. Although, I think very fondly of those other artists' bands! The difference is their inter-personal connections. Paul's band have known each other at least fifteen years now...the other three have revolving doors. Every other year at least one member changes in those lineups.
-
WixRocks!:
Congrats! And well said...I agree on nearly all accounts with the setlist. Although, I think very fondly of those other artists' bands! The difference is their inter-personal connections. Paul's band have known each other at least fifteen years now...the other three have revolving doors. Every other year at least one member changes in those lineups.
Both Billy and Elton's bands have the same problem, which is that they try to make things a little too "thick." Too much muscle and you start to lose your agility.
-
IMO Paul's band is fantastic... But no one will surpass E Street
-
Reading reviews and comments here, etc., I'm reminded of just how difficult a job it really must be compiling set lists for shows! For instance, this reviewer loves FourFive Seconds: http://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/09/13/paul-mccartney-newark-night-two-review-setlist-photos/661233001/ but also loves the Wings songs. Msuts above begged Paul to never take out Mr. Kite; my 19 year-old niece (my Paul shows buddy since she was 9), turned to me at Monday's show and said, "He always plays this lately, and I don't know why; I don't think it's that good." You can't please everyone!
-
I did not feel he seemed less happy at 9-11 show. A couple of times he turned around and shook his butt, which I thought was pretty amusing and even cute, haha. He moved around less than in years past. When he faked crowd surfing, we all gasped, and I said not at his age and then we said not at the AUDIENCES age either. HA. I completely agree that he sounded much better than last summer at Giants stadium. But outdoor venues also suffer with their sound, especially in the cheaper seats. An amateur observation, but he is wise to let the band sing with him, it smooths out his voice, and sounds good too.
-
I actually thought he wiggled more than he usually does during "And I Love Her"! As for not seeming to move around as much, maybe because it was an indoor, smaller venue and he didn't feel he had to, not necessary to exaggerate movements, as it was easier to see him. When we first sat down, I commented on how narrow the stage looked to me, which was good because I could see the whole band at the same time, but not as much space TO move around in. I thought he seemed in a good mood Monday. So funny how different people perceive things differently!
-
Nice review, I agree with most of what you said.
msuts:
- Other songs that should probably be retired after this leg of the tour, if not earlier: Can't Buy Me Love, Let Me Roll It (or at least the Foxy Lady ending)
I would've agreed about Foxy Lady prior to last night, but I thought last night's was epic! That was the first time I really enjoyed that bit. Abe was *killing* it. Super rocking and a show highlight for me. Speaking of which, I agree that this band has become a tour de force. Their chemistry has a lot to do with it -- I love the Lumpy Trousers band for that same reason even though I never got to see them live (together). And I believe Paul was once in another little band that had unrivaled chemistry.
msuts:
- One thing that I noticed from seeing him last summer... He seems less happy onstage. Or maybe just that he's concentrating extra hard. I feel like he's not enjoying it the way he did when I saw him in 2011. He seems less animated on stage, more willing to stand stationary and rigid in front of his mic, less bopping and hopping around...
Interesting, trying to be objective yet, like the others, I'm not sure I'm quite seeing what you're seeing. I think he might run around less, but that's good because I don't want him nearly injuring himself again! But to me he still seems to be having a good time, and seems especially to enjoy the interaction with the crowd. He likes taking the mickey out of folks. And up close you see a lot of great moments of interaction between him and the band. They all seem to have a good time with each other.
-
Thisbe211:
Reading reviews and comments here, etc., I'm reminded of just how difficult a job it really must be compiling set lists for shows! For instance, this reviewer loves FourFive Seconds: http://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/09/13/paul-mccartney-newark-night-two-review-setlist-photos/661233001/ but also loves the Wings songs. Msuts above begged Paul to never take out Mr. Kite; my 19 year-old niece (my Paul shows buddy since she was 9), turned to me at Monday's show and said, "He always plays this lately, and I don't know why; I don't think it's that good." You can't please everyone!
... so you've got to please yourself. I think it's best when he's playing what he wants to play and doing a killer job doing it.
-
Thisbe211:
I actually thought he wiggled more than he usually does during "And I Love Her"!
I thought the same thing when he was in Chicago this summer. He is really milking it!
-
And one last thing! The psychedelic upright is my favorite instrument onstage next to Wix's electronic mouthpiece... The upright had such a nice homey, REAL tone to it, especially apparent during the beginning of Hey Jude. A bit imperfect, a bit bright, but infinitely charming. See here:
-
oobu24:
Thisbe211:
I actually thought he wiggled more than he usually does during "And I Love Her"!
I thought the same thing when he was in Chicago this summer. He is really milking it!
I don't think we're complaining, are we?
-
What was the opening song each night? Fantastic he included "Listen to What the Man Said," unexpected. "I Wanna Be Your Man" doesn't have much of a melody but sounds primal and earthy. He looked like he was really, really feeling it when he held up the 9/11 banner
-
msuts:
So due to money reasons and a tight schedule, I thought I'd have to miss this grand 8-show run that McCartney is having in the NY metro area. I got lucky enough to get a great deal on floor seats for last night's show, got off work at 4, and was in Newark by 7pm... I feel incredibly lucky. And especially lucky to have shared the show with someone I love. Thoughts: - This is my third time seeing Paul. The first time was 7/16/11 at Yankee Stadium (the height of my teenage Beatles fandom), the second was last summer at Metlife. This was almost certainly a better show than last summer's, but the Yankee Stadium show still has a special place in my heart, especially for the special appearance by Billy Joel. - Paul was, in my opinion, in better voice last night than he was last summer at Metlife. I was shocked at how good he sounded on songs like Jet and Helter Skelter, and even the ballads were sung well. I think Paul is finally starting to understand that his voice isn't what it was in the 70s (or even what it was 15 years ago), and he's started to approach some of the songs a bit differently. I've Got a Feeling certainly had a more conservative approach, but he still lets it rip on Band on the Run, etc. Overall though? He's singing way better than he did last summer. - I just about jumped 10 feet in the air when he started Listen To What the Man Said. I thought I would never get the chance to hear that one in person. One of my favorite Wings songs. - A great deal of the setlist is the same, but last night had been changed enough from last summer at Metlife and from the Yankee Stadium show that I felt I had gotten my money's worth... In any case, it was the closest I had ever been. Any time spent in the same building as a Beatle is priceless. - Probably time to retire Queenie Eye. The crowd responded pretty nicely to New, but Queenie Eye was a "black hole" as Paul said. - Other songs that should probably be retired after this leg of the tour, if not earlier: Can't Buy Me Love, Let Me Roll It (or at least the Foxy Lady ending), My Valentine (which holds up surprisingly well after a few years), In Spite of All the Danger, Love Me Do, FourFiveSeconds (please someone tell him to stop playing this one), Ob-La-Di (which kinda falls flat in the live show for me, especially following a song like Something). - When the 2nd song of the encore was Sgt Pepper's Reprise, my heart sank. I thought he had cut Golden Slumbers and was ending shows with Sgt. Pepper's/The End again. Thank goodness I was wrong. That being said, the reprise doesn't really stand on its own. Why not move a song like I Wanna Be Your Man to the encore, and move the ACTUAL Sgt. Pepper's title track into the main set? - Did I mention that Helter Skelter was just epic? Brought the house down. I can't believe Paul is still rocking the way he does at his age. - I held out hope that I Saw Her Standing There would start and he'd go "ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Bruce Springsteen!" but alas, it did not happen. - Please please never cut Mr. Kite from the setlist! - I wasn't sure how the indoor pyro would look for Live and Let Die, since I'd only ever seen him in outdoor open air stadiums, but it was still a spectacle. - One thing that I noticed from seeing him last summer... He seems less happy onstage. Or maybe just that he's concentrating extra hard. I feel like he's not enjoying it the way he did when I saw him in 2011. He seems less animated on stage, more willing to stand stationary and rigid in front of his mic, less bopping and hopping around... Wonder if he'll stop touring one of these days. While I want Paul to do what'll make him happy, I have to admit it's really a wonderful thing that we can see one of the top musical geniuses of our time in such great shape so many years after his prime. - Last night was the first time I really appreciated the band. When I think about the mishmosh of crap that Elton's band brings onstage, the occasional sloppiness and dirgelike nature of Billy Joel's band, and the lifeless "Beach Boys" headed by Mike Love, I really have to appreciate what Paul brings to the table. This might be one of the best concert tickets you can buy. I'm seeing Brian Wilson in about a week and a half, and while I love Brian and his music, I have a feeling that I'm going to be thinking about Paul for much of that show. If only Brian had held up like Paul did.
Brian Wilson's voice is shot and it is sad to see him just sitting at the piano. The music of "Pet Sounds" is beautiful and the band does a good job with it. Al Jardine still sounds great and is McCartney's age. His son Matt Jardine saves the day and does high parts that Brian can't do and lead on songs like "Don't Worry Baby".