[quote="yankeefan7"] I was at two of the four MSG shows back in 1989 and I agree with you, that at best, the IMO - "Live and Let Die" gets loud reaction due to the "firework" display during the song. I wonder what the reaction would be without the "fireworks". Probably wouldn't bomb but certainly not as exciting. ( "Soily" was a good live song during the 1973 Britain tour but really came into its own with the laser show that accompanied it in 1975/76. Can you imagine Pink Floyd music played live without the show that accompanied them? Or Genesis with Peter Gabriel without all his costumes and sets? Or Madonna without all that goes into her shows? Music delivered to the audience with a multi media assault to all the senses simply LIVES more. (Pardon the pun).
Latest posts made by lyceum '89
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RE: Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
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RE: Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
The thing about Macca is that he's in a class all by himself as far as how anyone can classify him. It's as simple to call him an 'oldies' act as any other performer. I think the way some of us in this thread have been classifying him as an 'oldies' act is because the majority of his live act for the past 20 years has been compromised from a relatively short period of his long career. To put it into perspective, one could say he's had three different reincarnations as far as his musical output is concerned The Beatles - the most successful and popular band in the world Wings - a completely distinct entity with plenty of hits and wonderful music to their credit Solo - a period of his life that's now spanning 28 creative years where Paul has outdone himself and his peers by successfully delving into different areas of music no one has done so well before. Rock and Roll, classical, experimental. Most musicians would be happy to settle for having only one of those stages, Paul hasn't. No sitting on HIS laurels. He's kept creating the wonderful music we all cherish throughout all these decades. The only problem with seeing him live though, he IS sitting on his laurels; the majority of his act is from that first period with only a glossing over of the intervening years. Not to try to re-write history, but can any one of you imagine if Paul had played a completely new setlist on every one of his tours, not necessarily rolled out all the biggest Beatles hits right away and every tour. Then we would have more of the excitement that we now have knowing that he's just started playing "A Day in the Life"! We've had the benefit of hearing some great songs played tour after tour, but now the flip side is that has come at the expense of not hearing many other great songs. I know, you can't have it both ways! Well, since he has concentrated on overplaying many songs from the Beatles years, we find ourselves coming to the conclusion that he's an 'oldies' act. It doesn't matter if he he had concentrated on playing songs from any other 8 year period, whatever songs overly repeated would become an 'oldies' act. If we heard a Wings-heavy setlist for the past 20 years, THAT would be tiring and old too. But he hasn't, it's been the Beatles. It's ironic that for any other musical act, to play songs over 10 years old pretty much relegates them to being an 'oldies' act whereas given the perspective of Paul's 50 or so year musical legacy, playing songs 10, 20 or even 30 years old wouldn't in the same way. They'd be fresh only because they had never been played live before. You would think it's a win/win situation; play songs from all those periods giving equal weight to them all thereby keeping the shows fresh because he's got so many songs to choose from never having to repeat things. Instead, by concentrating on one period of his musical life, we're now actually growing tired of listening to some of the Beatles classics. But more than that, we're feeling dejected that another tour has gone by where we've not been able to hear so many other great songs never heard before from the other periods of Paul's musical output. Ok, I've 'whined' enough; most of the regular readers of this thread have heard me express these feelings in many posts. Here's hoping for a new and exciting show the next time around!
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RE: Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
[quote="yankeefan7"]I believe the main resaon McCartney setlists are mostly Beatles is due to audience reaction. I expect Beatles songs to get a huge ovation but most non-Beatle songs are met with at most polite applause. I remember seeing McCartney in MSG in 1989 and he opened with "Figure of Eight" and most of the crowd sat on their hands. Even if audience did not know the song it was a nice little rocker and should have gotten the crowd going. The other "Flowers In the Dirt" songs were met with the same kind of reaction. I have seen him on every US tour and for the most part it is the same thing. McCartney aims to please and he can tell what gets the crowd excited so he churns out the Beatle numbers. I have come to the conclusion that most of the concert audience is Beatle/McCartney fans rather than McCartney fans. Just my opinion. I was at two of the four MSG shows back in 1989 and I agree with you, that at best, the 'Flowers In The Dirt' songs were met with a lukewarm response at that time. But that was then, when the hunger for Beatles songs had not been satisfied to the degree that we've been fed over the past intervening 19 years. No one had ever heard so many of those Beatles songs played live for the first time so, of course there was near universal acclaim for hearing the Beatles hits. At that time, fans could only see or hear several Beatles songs that were recorded on the 'Wings Over America' record, 'Rockshow' film, 'Wings Over the World' tv special or 'Kampuchea' album; they/we didn't have the plethora of DVD's, or CD's that are available today. I also remember from 1989 that songs like "Jet", "Band On The Run" and "Live and Let Die" had just as loud cheering as most Beatles songs. Anyway, it's now 2008; let's see what will happen during any upcoming actual tour beyond the present few special event concerts.
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RE: Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
yankeefan7, I agree with the reasoning behind your alternate choices for solo songs. I also considered "Take It Away", wouldn't mind hearing it either. I like "About You" too; didn't include anything from 'Driving Rain as it's a pretty recent album. I like many of it's songs though, especially "Back in the Sunshine" and "Rinse the Raindrops". "Rockestra" is excellent, maybe invite Dave Grohl again (and other contemporaries) to beef it up a bit too! 'Back to the Egg' has several more songs I'd like to hear live too. The 'Last Flight' bootleg can only do so much justice to that period live. I also like "My Brave Face" but I saw that song live on five separate occasions which is why I didn't include it. SusyLuvsPaul, please tell me when Paul played "Lovely Rita" live. I double checked all my CD's and DVD's and can't seem to find it anywhere. Maybe you have something I've overlooked?!? Singing a cappella takes a lot of self confidence and skill to do well, qualities abundant in the case of Paul. I think it would be a brave way of presenting one or two songs that everyone knows in a different way which the audience would appreciate for its gutsiness. Oh, and by the way, I'm not "telling Macca what to do", I'm just offering up one fan's opinion on hearing the same thing too often and offering up my set wish list. If Paul says he choices his setlist by imagining what his audience would like to hear, I'm making it easier for him by spelling out what I would like to hear; that way he doesn't have to guess. If more people agree, so much the better and maybe our voices will be heard! Btw, I'm also a Gemini D D
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RE: Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
I think the 'artist' in him is alive and well. His creative output isn't complacent, why is his live offering thus?!? I was just re-listening to the Freelance Hellraiser cuts from the Twin Freaks album (and to the roll Anfield pre-show recording I made oops ) and I find listening to them sometimes more satisfying than to the original cuts. If Paul has to play many of his 'mandatory' songs, why couldn't he mix them up a bit, let the band re-arrange them to liven them up. I also just recently listened to the Foo Fighters version of "Band on the Run", talk about a nice injection of energy! Dave Grohl did his bit to liven up it's rendition in Liverpool; no wonder Paul invited him. Anyway, doing things slightly differently also keeps the show fresh instead of turning out note perfect reproductions of what's on vinyl or CD tour after tour. 'Left hand man', I don't exactly know what you mean by "I don't understand the logic behind state your point but don't state it too much? ", who are you referring to. Personally, I'll state it overtly so it's quite clear, I agree with the original premise of this thread, by playing the same majority of songs tour after tour, Paul is already starting to bore many of his fans with his repetitive oldies act (obviously not all, as we all witness by the strong reaction of Beatle heavy fanatics to keep things the same). I'm willing to bet that many of these Beatle heavy fans will also want a change in the setlist if they hear another tour of the same stuff. And if this is their last chance to hear Paul live because he stops touring, in year's to come, I bet they'll say to themselves, 'oh, I wish he had played all those other songs that don't even exist anywhere as live recorded versions'. If I remember correctly, 'left hand man' also suggested a setlist divided up by thirds, 10 Beatles songs, 10 Wings songs and 10 solo songs as a core. If he plays around 36 songs per tour, that gives us another 6 songs to add, perhaps from whatever his newest offering is at the time. So below, I make my personal suggestion which I think would sound original and new. BEATLES - I would agree that there are certain songs that probably needed to be played but I would love for him to do them differently so they sound fresh. 1. Yesterday - how about an a cappella version? Just him and a microphone. Or, with just one snare drum and him slowly brushing it center stage? 2. Hey Jude - drop the boys and girls bit for one. How about dropping the piano too? Do a version on lead guitar with some major feedback, rock it up and crank it up. Then let the crowd take over for the na na na's before reprising with some hard licks and ending with some fireworks here. 3. Let It Be - in my opinion, just let it be (as in don't play it) but if it must be played, I'd like to see him doing this one a cappella too. One voice, one mike and thousands of lighters. Still kind of magic but different. In my opinion, the above three songs suffice as requisites (bathroom anyone?!? evil Don't jump down my throat! lol ) NEW STUFF 4. And I Love Her - Has this really never been played in the last 40 years? 5. Lovely Rita - fun, from the classic Sgt Pepper but not played before to my knowledge 6. Rocky Raccoon - need I say more? 7. Oh! Darling - ditto 8. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - fun, fun, fun 9. She's A Woman - a screamer for the fainting girls 10. I'm Looking Through You - nice replacement for all those other over-played mid-sixties songs WINGS & earlier- perennial favorites 1. Maybe I'm Amazed - play it on guitar though, instead of hiding behind that piano. 2. Band On The Run - His most popular album's title song, better than repeating Jet again. 3. Live And Let Die - I'm a sucker for fireworks and flames shooting into the sky, especially when my hair gets singed in the front row! NEW STUFF 4. Mrs. Vanderbilt - went down well in Kiev, keep playing it now that the band knows it. 5. Junior's Farm - everyone is asking for this one, JUST DO IT! Let's go down to Junior's Farm!!! 6. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five - another song I see on many people's wish lists; there must be a reason and for one I agree. "...shake it, but don't break it!" 6. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - It was a NUMBER ONE SONG and he's still never played it?!? Can't believe this. It's always been one of my favorites, actually, as a small boy I thought it was by the Beatles. Well, I was 25 % right. 7. Helen Wheels - HELL ON WHEELS. Would really go down well live! 8. I've Had Enough - (...of Heather) can sneak in some word changes while he's at it. 9. Getting Closer - good rocker for some heavy guitar licks 10. Goodnight Tonight - I can imagine a great light/laser show during this popular hit SOLO - Sorry, haven't listed all the Wings songs I'd still love to hear. 11. Listen to What the Man Said - 12. Silly Love Songs - "...and what's wrong with that? I'd like to know..." 13. With a Little Luck - might become a new bathroom song since it's a bit slow, but it gives couples a chance to make out. Hey, it was also a number ONE song. SOLO - ok let's move on. I've added three more to Wings so only 7 solo songs to top out at 10. 1. Young Boy - It was the single from "Flaming Pie" and sounds better live than the title song. Bring it out! 2. Back In the Sunshine Again - takes on new meaning AFTER Heather! Lot's of guitars between Paul, Rusty and Brian. 3. Angry - heavy beat, lot's of guitars, great vocals. Begs to be played live! 4. Ballroom Dancing - from 'Tug of War', perhaps not as well known as the other songs but would probably keep the tempo of a live setting better than the other slower songs that might send more people to the bathrooms. 5. Bogey Music - fun, goofy, would get people bopping around ; I think it would be a fitting replacement for C Moon 6. Dress Me Up as a Robber - another one from 'Tug of War'. Lively and melodic. Beats playing Ebony and Ivory which was THE bathroom song on the 1989/90 tour. 7. No More Lonely Nights - I love the guitar solo in this song! THE LAST SIX - a chance for the newest songs and maybe some other gems thrown in for good measure. 1. Come and Get It - Paul's song for Badfinger from 1969. Maybe a reach to ask Paul to play it again but it is one of his better compositions that he gave away and would sound great. Anyone that's heard his demo of it can imagine that. 2. Sally G - flip side of 'Junior's Farm'. Maybe he could play this in Nashville only as a paean to the country/western sound. Or, play it everywhere to show us how easily he masters all musical genres. 3. Only Mama Knows - in the best Wings rocker tradition 4. Dance Tonight - goes down well. 5. Ever Present Past - another single from 'Memory Almost Full' 6. House of Wax - I saw this live last year, Paul sure did charge the audience up with this one. There, that's 36 songs. Obviously, the above songs are in categories and not in the order they could be played. Should Paul begin a tour supporting a new album then obviously I'd like to hear songs from it instead of some of the older ones but generally I would enjoy the above setlist. I think this list would also entertain a majority of the fans attending a concert on a new tour; big hits, lesser hits, some surprises. And if Paul toured two more times, I wouldn't want to hear the same thing twice. PAUL, CHANGE THE SETLIST!!! YOU'VE GOT IT IN YOU. Ok, I'm ready for the slings and arrows...
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RE: Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
I just looked up what iTunes lists as McCartney's (solo) essentials and I'll just list some songs that haven't been performed live in a long time or have never been played live as a suggestion for possible inclusion on a future tour "The Basics" 4. Silly Love Songs 6. Listen To What The Man Said 7. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey 9. With A Little Luck 13. Junior's Farm 14. Hi Hi Hi 16. Helen Wheels 19. Venus And Mars 21. Letting Go 22. Take It Away 25. Goodnight Tonight "Next Steps" 4. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five 6. The Back Seat of My Car 8. Sally G 13. Getting Closer 14. Girl's School 17. Bluebird 18. Smile Away 19. Tug of War 22. Young Boy 24. Spies Like Us "Deep Cuts" 1. Daytime Nightime Suffering 3. Wanderlust 6. Dear Boy 15. Waterfalls 20. So Bad 24. The World Tonight Like I said, these are iTunes suggested songs for anyone wanting to have his essential work. I just chose those that haven't been played often or never that I thought could do well live. I have other favorites that I personally would also love to hear live but in this post I just list the iTunes listed songs
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RE: Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
[quote="Ever-Present-Paul"][quote="PHILLIP"]It would be nice if he didn't think for us.(that's the arrogance of PM) Maybe he should ask us. I'll say once again In the Kiev concert, Paul did a whole new setlist. So why do you (not only you, PHILLIP) keep asking for a new setlist, if he already has a new setlist? You call this a whole new setlist?!? - Drive My Car - 1993, 2005, 2007 (small venues) - Jet - 1975/76, 1989/90, 1993, 2002/03, 2005 - All My Loving - 1993, 2002/03, 2005 - Only Mama Knows - 2007*** - Flaming Pie - 2005 - Got To Get You Into My Life - 1979, 1989/90, 2005 - Let Me Roll It - 1975/76, 1993, 2002/03, 2005, 2007 (small venues) - C Moon - 1972, 1973, 1975, 2002, 2007 (small venues) - My Love - 1972, 1973, 1975/76, 1993, 2002/03 - Let 'Em In- 1976, 1990, 2003 - The Long And Winding Road - 1975/76, 1993, 2002/03, 2005, 2007 (small venues) - Dance Tonight - 2007*** - Blackbird - 1975/76, 2002/03, 2005, 2007 (small venues) - Calico Skies - 2003, 2007 (small venues) - I'll Follow The Sun - 2005, 2007 (small venues) - Mrs. Vanderbilt* - Eleanor Rigby - 1989/90, 2002/03, 2005 - Something - 2002/03 - Penny Lane - 1993, 2005 - Band On The Run - 1975/76, 1979, 1989/90, 1993, 2002/03, 2005 - Birthday - 1990, 2003 - Back In The USSR - 1989/90, 2002/03, 2005, 2007 (small venues) - I've Got A Feeling - 2005, 2007 (small venues) - Live And Let Die - 1973, 1975.76, 1989/90, 1993, 2002/03, 2005 - Let It Be - 1979, 1989/90, 1993, 2002/03, 2005, 2007 (small venues) - Hey Jude - 1989/90, 1993, 2002/03, 2005, 2007 (small venues) - A Day In The Life**/Give Peace A Chance - debuted in Liverpool 2 weeks earlier - Lady Madonna - 1975/76, 1993, 2002, 2007 (small venues) - Get Back - 1989/90, 2005, 2007 (small venues) - I Saw Her Standing There - 1989/90, 1993, 2002, 2007 (small venues) - Yesterday - 1975/76, 1979, 1989/90, 1993, 2002, 2005, 2007 (small venues) - Sgt Peppers/ The End - 1989/90, 2002, 2005 * Only ONE song has never been performed live before (Mrs. Vanderbilt), ** A second one (A Day In The Life) was only played for the first time two weeks earlier in Liverpool. *** Two songs from the "Memory Almost Full" album had only been played in the small venues including the Secret Gigs last year (Mama Only Knows, Dance Tonight). All the rest have been played on whole tours, most on several tours. So, unless you're referring to a whole new set list as being mixing the order around of songs that have been played many times before and inserting one or two new ones, then I would say Kiev was not an indication of a new setlist. BUT, the Kiev concert should probably be judged as a one-off, played to a brand new audience that has never had the chance to see him play before so it can't be considered repetitive to them. I personally am hoping that there's more than just one or two new songs played once Paul gets back on the road for a full-scale tour to places he's been to often in the past. Otherwise, we can just consider it an extension of the last tour. (I hope I got the dates and tours right, but you get the gist of it)
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RE: Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
Yes, but their shows weren't 2/3 Beatles songs, were they?
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RE: Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
[quote="Ever-Present-Paul"]I like the Beatles more then I like Wings. And I think many others think the same. But, I still think Paul's got a good reason for his setlist. You're right to think many people think like you, BUT there are also many people that DON'T think like you. I'm in total agreement with 'left hand man'; Paul has played all those Beatle songs so much that it's leading a lot of us to wonder why he's skipping over a lot of great songs he's put out since 1970. If this was his first time performing in 40 years, I could see why he'd want to play two thirds of his show with iconic songs from his first band, but he's been doing that for two decades at the expense of no longer playing many equally good and sometimes more popular songs from his whole career later. As to why Paul has a good reason for his setlist, yes, I believe he had a good reason for this similar setlist when he played a Beatles heavy tour in 1989/90. He had glossed over his Beatles past during his last world tour in 1975/76 because he had great songs and albums from Wings which were number 1 all over the place. (I don't count Wings' last tour aborted with his arrest in Japan). So finally it seemed like the right time to proudly play his own fantastic compositions from the Beatles day. I think the reason behind this thread is that he's used this same logic and reasoning for the past 20 years (getting old) and in the meantime, he's had to skip much of his post-Beatles work (variety is the spice of life). Besides, during the 70's, John Lennon was still alive and they had not worked out all the baggage between them. Maybe that was part of the reason Paul didn't play so many Beatle songs, for fear that John would call him an oldies act!
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RE: Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.
To all the young fans clamoring to hear basically the same concert that's been played for about the last 20 years, have a listen to all of Paul's musical output, Beatles, Wings and solo. Then make sure you also listen to Paul's live albums since the 1989/90 Flowers In the Dirt Tour "Tripping the Live Fantastic", "Paul Is Live", "Back in the U.S. 2002", "Back in the World", watch "Get Back", "New World Tour", "PM in Red Square" and "The Space Within US". After all this, you'll probably see where some of us on this thread are coming from. While it's undeniable that the songs he's been playing are fantastic, some even iconic to the point that it's unthinkable he wouldn't play them live at every concert for the rest of his days, when you hear a song over and over for so many years, it kind of takes the edge off of whatever made them special to begin with. So, while many of the young fans may have never heard a song live (and would obviously like to), many of McCartney's more experienced fans have probably heard it at least once before. Just like a new hit on the radio, you want to hear a great song again and again, many times, but after awhile, it starts to get old. While in a young or older infatuated fans' perspective, some songs could still be heard again without problem, from another person's perspective, these songs have already been heard too often (been there, [heard] that). Now, while I wouldn't want to deny anyone the thrill of hearing and seeing a classic song performed for the first time, given Paul's output on live recordings and on concert films which already documents his past output, I would put forth the notion that reaching into his vast and excellent catalog of songs, McCartney could easily be able to make a fresh show AND please his many older AND new fans. Of course, if you still haven't heard enough versions of Back in the U.S.S.R., C-Moon, Coming Up, Drive My Car, Eleanor Rigby, Fool On the Hill, Got to Get You Into My Life, Here There & Everywhere, Hey Jude, Jet, Lady Madonna, Let Me Roll It, Let 'Em In, Live and Let Die, Maybe I'm Amazed, My Love, Sgt Pepper, We Can Work It Out, Yesterday; then I'm sure you can look forward to the fact that Paul will keep playing at least some of them every time. I just hope it's not all of them all the time. But that's just my opinion viewed from my perspective. And to all the [fans?!?] that would be happy listening to Paul singing from a phone book, I suggest the following start a separate thread pleading Paul to do a "Yellow Pages Live Tour". That way, when he comes to your town, he'd sing from YOUR phone book! You'd be happy getting YOUR wish, and since each show would be original, I'd be happy getting MY wish! D Just joking [almost].