Set List critique
-
You must swap Beatles for Beatles songs & solo/Wings for solo/Wings songs though. (I'd much rather have him do away with a few Beatles songs. ) He has so much in his catalog that we all want to hear.
-
Can't believe that "Save Us" is still in the set list. It's a lame/weak excuse for a rocker and a mediocre B side at best IMO. Just no punch to it and rather ugly chorus and harmonies as well. With exception of the song "New" - a truly great pop song - most of the New album is quite mediocre. Nowhere near on par with MAF or Chaos.
-
audi:
It baffles me that a guy who's had TWO hit singles in the past year is content opening his show with "Eight Days A Week." It's like Madonna opening with "He's So Fine." Befuddles me.
Huh? The only hit singles he's had in recent years are the Kanye collaborations. I can't really picture the crowd on here clamoring for him to open with those.
-
audi:
WixRocks!:
oobu24:
^ From your list I'd rather have Temporary Secretary & Save Us to remain in the line up. TS has just been added & many of us haven't heard Save Us live yet. If all you want is more/different Beatles songs just swap your list for some of the ones he has in there now & are getting old & tired.
... Swapping them for the old tired ones is pretty much what I suggested. ... Save us has been in the show three full years now...
"Save Us" has been in the show two years this month, actually. But your point stands.
My mistake, but yes. Has he kept new album material in the show this long before? "Dance Tonight" is the only one that has been longer than these that I can think of...and that's purely because of how easy it was to get into in concert, even if you didn't know it.
-
My Salamander:
Can't believe that "Save Us" is still in the set list. It's a lame/weak excuse for a rocker and a mediocre B side at best IMO. Just no punch to it and rather ugly chorus and harmonies as well. With exception of the song "New" - a truly great pop song - most of the New album is quite mediocre. Nowhere near on par with MAF or Chaos.
Perhaps, and I tend to agree...but having heard it live in concert many times, I can attest to this fact; it ROCKS hard!
-
Bruce M.:
audi:
It baffles me that a guy who's had TWO hit singles in the past year is content opening his show with "Eight Days A Week." It's like Madonna opening with "He's So Fine." Befuddles me.
Huh? The only hit singles he's had in recent years are the Kanye collaborations. I can't really picture the crowd on here clamoring for him to open with those.
Me either. Would be shocked if more than 10% of the audience he normally gets for a show would have any idea he did those collaborations.
-
yankeefan7:
Bruce M.:
audi:
It baffles me that a guy who's had TWO hit singles in the past year is content opening his show with "Eight Days A Week." It's like Madonna opening with "He's So Fine." Befuddles me.
Huh? The only hit singles he's had in recent years are the Kanye collaborations. I can't really picture the crowd on here clamoring for him to open with those.
Me either. Would be shocked if more than 10% of the audience he normally gets for a show would have any idea he did those collaborations.
I think the audience would be shocked to hear "All Day N-" :
-
Just read one review of last night's State College PA show and as usual the local reviewer loved the show because he realized a childhood dream of seeing Paul McCartney for the first time. Paul's team has a formula and it works so well that they will not "fix something that is not broken". Hitting more secondary markets makes their formula work especially better. Even the reviewers in some cases have never seen Macca live. It was funny reading 2 local State College PA reviews and each one had glaring mistakes. One review called Maybe I'm Amazed...Baby I'm Amazed. And they repeated the incorrect title twice. The 2nd review mentioned Paul doing a few songs from his latest Album called NEW. Then they listed one of those "New" Songs as Temporary Secretary and how Paul at 73 keeps up with the latest trends. Maybe I should write in and tell him that Temporary Secretary is like 36 years old. Well, it doesn't really matter because so many of the people are seeing a Beatle for the first time. They at least know that Paul is going to play their favorite Beatle songs. The shows sell out in like 5 minutes and the 1st and 2nd timers witness one of the best shows they have never seen In all honesty I'm thrilled for all of those people. I remember seeing Paul for the 1st time live back in 1989. Hearing songs like Let It Be, Long and Winding Road, Hey Jude for the 1st time was a thrill. Like many of us here (his hardcore fans) however it is very frustrating that Paul goes out each night and basically plays the same songs. So many are the same that I'm sure he can do them in his sleep. The frustration is that he doesn't challenge himself and play great Solo songs that he has never played before. His shows unfortunately are no longer for the real fans who have seen him multiple times and continue to buy all his CD's and products including the remasters. I saw him in 2005 and 2011 and he was still adding Beatle/Wings songs he hadn't played before and they were excellent shows for the real fans and 1st timers alike. Now that he has basically exhausted his Beatle Catalog, it is the ideal time for Paul to bring out some of those long neglected great Solo Songs. His Tug of War Remaster has just come out. Tug of War is just one of his best Solo albums of all time with great songs as good as many of his great Beatle songs. You would think for his legacy he would be anxious to perform a few of them but unfortunately I guess he is just too comfortable. That is a shame for the real fans who have followed his career for the last 50 plus years. I still love him and he is my favorite music artist ever but for a performer who amazingly still plays 3 hours shows, I just wished for his career he would be more adventurous with his setlist. He certainly has the Post Beatle Catalog to draw from.
-
B J Conlee:
Just read one review of last night's State College PA show and as usual the local reviewer loved the show because he realized a childhood dream of seeing Paul McCartney for the first time. Paul's team has a formula and it works so well that they will not "fix something that is not broken". Hitting more secondary markets makes their formula work especially better. Even the reviewers in some cases have never seen Macca live. It was funny reading 2 local State College PA reviews and each one had glaring mistakes. One review called Maybe I'm Amazed...Baby I'm Amazed. And they repeated the incorrect title twice. The 2nd review mentioned Paul doing a few songs from his latest Album called NEW. Then they listed one of those "New" Songs as Temporary Secretary and how Paul at 73 keeps up with the latest trends. Maybe I should write in and tell him that Temporary Secretary is like 36 years old. Well, it doesn't really matter because so many of the people are seeing a Beatle for the first time. They at least know that Paul is going to play their favorite Beatle songs. The shows sell out in like 5 minutes and the 1st and 2nd timers witness one of the best shows they have never seen In all honesty I'm thrilled for all of those people. I remember seeing Paul for the 1st time live back in 1989. Hearing songs like Let It Be, Long and Winding Road, Hey Jude for the 1st time was a thrill. Like many of us here (his hardcore fans) however it is very frustrating that Paul goes out each night and basically plays the same songs. So many are the same that I'm sure he can do them in his sleep. The frustration is that he doesn't challenge himself and play great Solo songs that he has never played before. His shows unfortunately are no longer for the real fans who have seen him multiple times and continue to buy all his CD's and products including the remasters. I saw him in 2005 and 2011 and he was still adding Beatle/Wings songs he hadn't played before and they were excellent shows for the real fans and 1st timers alike. Now that he has basically exhausted his Beatle Catalog, it is the ideal time for Paul to bring out some of those long neglected great Solo Songs. His Tug of War Remaster has just come out. Tug of War is just one of his best Solo albums of all time with great songs as good as many of his great Beatle songs. You would think for his legacy he would be anxious to perform a few of them but unfortunately I guess he is just too comfortable. That is a shame for the real fans who have followed his career for the last 50 plus years. I still love him and he is my favorite music artist ever but for a performer who amazingly still plays 3 hours shows, I just wished for his career he would be more adventurous with his setlist. He certainly has the Post Beatle Catalog to draw from.
"Paul's team has a formula and it works so well that they will not "fix something that is not broken". Hitting more secondary markets makes their formula work especially better. Even the reviewers in some cases have never seen Macca live. It was funny reading 2 local State College PA reviews and each one had glaring mistakes. One review called Maybe I'm Amazed...Baby I'm Amazed. And they repeated the incorrect title twice. " Reviews of a McCartney concert is going to be the same from city to city with few exceptions. They are thrilled at seeing a Beatle for the first or second time and they never do much research and make mistakes like you mentioned. They will mention his stories between songs and they get so excited and have no idea he has been telling ths same ones for many years. "Like many of us here (his hardcore fans) however it is very frustrating that Paul goes out each night and basically plays the same songs. So many are the same that I'm sure he can do them in his sleep. The frustration is that he doesn't challenge himself and play great Solo songs that he has never played before. His shows unfortunately are no longer for the real fans who have seen him multiple times and continue to buy all his CD's and products including the remasters. I saw him in 2005 and 2011 and he was still adding Beatle/Wings songs he hadn't played before and they were excellent shows for the real fans and 1st timers alike" What makes the frustration worse is Mr. McCartney has challenged himself in the recording studio and I would say the last 20 yrs have been some of the best and most creative time period of his career. We could only dream that he would challenge himself on stage in the same manner. "Now that he has basically exhausted his Beatle Catalog, it is the ideal time for Paul to bring out some of those long neglected great Solo Songs. His Tug of War Remaster has just come out. Tug of War is just one of his best Solo albums of all time with great songs as good as many of his great Beatle songs. You would think for his legacy he would be anxious to perform a few of them but unfortunately I guess he is just too comfortable. That is a shame for the real fans who have followed his career for the last 50 plus years. I still love him and he is my favorite music artist ever but for a performer who amazingly still plays 3 hours shows, I just wished for his career he would be more adventurous with his setlist. He certainly has the Post Beatle Catalog to draw from." I agree 100% that this would have been an ideal time to bring out a few neglected solo songs. He could actually promote the re-issues by playing them in concert and like I said before it is the same as promoting a new album/CD (exp."New"). It would have been good idea to do this because "Tug Of War" is one of the most critically acclaimed records Mr. McCartney has recorded in his life after the Beatles. It also had two commercially successful singles (Ebony & Ivory & Take It Away). Unfortunately, I have given up thinking he will ever do some of these songs. He is 73, making tons of money playing a mostly Beatle concert and loves the adoration of the people who are thrilled to hear Beatle songs.
-
Glad to see that Mull of Kintyre made it into the setlist in Toronto!
-
yankeefan7:
Bruce M.:
audi:
It baffles me that a guy who's had TWO hit singles in the past year is content opening his show with "Eight Days A Week." It's like Madonna opening with "He's So Fine." Befuddles me.
Huh? The only hit singles he's had in recent years are the Kanye collaborations. I can't really picture the crowd on here clamoring for him to open with those.
Me either. Would be shocked if more than 10% of the audience he normally gets for a show would have any idea he did those collaborations.
The first track -- the ballad about Kanye West's mother -- charted first, right? That, along with "FourFive" makes two hits. Anyway, I wasn't suggesting that he open with either song. I just think the success of those songs would steer him away from the oldies-mentality of "Eight Days A Week."
-
The big takeaway for me from attending the show last night in. Toronto was 1) the quality of his voice 2) the energy he had 3) the energy of the crowd Best of three concerts I have seen him perform this year What a treat! Check out any of the you tube videos posted from last nights show...
-
I was checking the current setlist of the Out There Tour and I found two big surprises. First of all, 'Mull Of Kintyre'. Really? is he playing it? I mean, is the original version or is a kind of live reedition? A wonderful song, a kind of national anthem And second... 'Temporary Secretary'??????? What is that? I make the same question, is he playing it in a normal way? I don't understand, however it's a big surprise! Maybe the prime question would be: Does Paul change the setlist in every concert? perhaps, 'Temporary Secretary' will be part of the next concert (today or tomorrow in Canada) and nothing else. The same for 'Mull'.
-
WingsOfMacca:
I was checking the current setlist of the Out There Tour and I found two big surprises. First of all, 'Mull Of Kintyre'. Really? is he playing it? I mean, is the original version or is a kind of live reedition? A wonderful song, a kind of national anthem And second... 'Temporary Secretary'??????? What is that? I make the same question, is he playing it in a normal way? I don't understand, however it's a big surprise! Maybe the prime question would be: Does Paul change the setlist in every concert? perhaps, 'Temporary Secretary' will be part of the next concert (today or tomorrow in Canada) and nothing else. The same for 'Mull'.
Mull is always in for Canada. Temporary Secretary was added earlier in the year...England 1st time?
-
oobu24:
WingsOfMacca:
I was checking the current setlist of the Out There Tour and I found two big surprises. First of all, 'Mull Of Kintyre'. Really? is he playing it? I mean, is the original version or is a kind of live reedition? A wonderful song, a kind of national anthem And second... 'Temporary Secretary'??????? What is that? I make the same question, is he playing it in a normal way? I don't understand, however it's a big surprise! Maybe the prime question would be: Does Paul change the setlist in every concert? perhaps, 'Temporary Secretary' will be part of the next concert (today or tomorrow in Canada) and nothing else. The same for 'Mull'.
Mull is always in for Canada. Temporary Secretary was added earlier in the year...England 1st time?
Excellent choice!!!!! Paul should play more songs his solo career. I never understood why he doesn't play songs like My Brave Face, No More Lonely Nights, Pipes Of Peace, The World Tonight or Young Boy. I know he thinks in the fact that people pay a lot of money to see him and probably they will demand more Beatles's songs. Anyway, is hard to understand the reason of his attitude about his own catalogue.
-
Paul playing Mull in Toronto is nothing new. He plays it every time he performs there.
-
WingsOfMacca:
I was checking the current setlist of the Out There Tour and I found two big surprises. First of all, 'Mull Of Kintyre'. Really? is he playing it? I mean, is the original version or is a kind of live reedition? A wonderful song, a kind of national anthem And second... 'Temporary Secretary'??????? What is that? I make the same question, is he playing it in a normal way? I don't understand, however it's a big surprise! Maybe the prime question would be: Does Paul change the setlist in every concert? perhaps, 'Temporary Secretary' will be part of the next concert (today or tomorrow in Canada) and nothing else. The same for 'Mull'.
Does Paul change the set list every concert?? You are joking, right???
-
I've just seen the setlists of Paul's shows in Pennsylvania and Canada - I had hoped he might play some songs from "Tug of War" (other than "Here Today") and "Pipes of Peace", as these have just been re-issued. No luck though... It's a shame he always neglects his solo career and sticks to the same formula (60% Beatles 30% Wings, the tributes to John and George plus a few token songs from the latest album). Don't get me wrong - the shows are great, but I would love to hear "Pipes of Peace", "No More Lonely Nights", pretty much the entire "Flowers in the Dirt" album etc. etc. as well.
-
Ian_1001:
I've just seen the setlists of Paul's shows in Pennsylvania and Canada - I had hoped he might play some songs from "Tug of War" (other than "Here Today") and "Pipes of Peace", as these have just been re-issued. No luck though... It's a shame he always neglects his solo career and sticks to the same formula (60% Beatles 30% Wings, the tributes to John and George plus a few token songs from the latest album). Don't get me wrong - the shows are great, but I would love to hear "Pipes of Peace", "No More Lonely Nights", pretty much the entire "Flowers in the Dirt" album etc. etc. as well.
________________________________________________________ Ian, Many of us hard core fans are in total agreement with you. Much has been discussed so you might want to check out our comments too. Go to the Rock Show thread and check out the 20152016 Setlist Posts and also the posts about the current Columbus OH, State College PA and Toronto shows. Yankee fan, myself and many others were very disappointed that Paul didn't add at least a couple of Tug of War songs to these last 5 North American shows considering that Tug of War and Pipes of Peace have just been released. You are right, he has in generally (and unfortunately in our opinion) neglected his Solo Career. Unfortunately the formula that his team has created for his live shows are far more for the casual Beatle fans who are 1st timers to his shows and mainly want to hear all the Beatle songs because that is what they know. Sad for Paul's legacy in my opinion. His Solo Career is so underrated.
-
B J Conlee:
Ian_1001:
I've just seen the setlists of Paul's shows in Pennsylvania and Canada - I had hoped he might play some songs from "Tug of War" (other than "Here Today") and "Pipes of Peace", as these have just been re-issued. No luck though... It's a shame he always neglects his solo career and sticks to the same formula (60% Beatles 30% Wings, the tributes to John and George plus a few token songs from the latest album). Don't get me wrong - the shows are great, but I would love to hear "Pipes of Peace", "No More Lonely Nights", pretty much the entire "Flowers in the Dirt" album etc. etc. as well.
________________________________________________________ Ian, Many of us hard core fans are in total agreement with you... ...His Solo Career is so underrated.
...by him.