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Paul McCartney gestures to the crowd during Friday's performance at the Coachella Valley Music
and Arts Festival. (Photo by Chris Pizello/Associated Press.)
Paul McCartney had a big task facing him Friday night. He was playing a show where some critics thought he'd be really out of place at or, at their most extreme, said he had no business being there in the first place.
Surprise, surprise -- or maybe not -- the reviews were positive. The Los Angeles Times said "Pity the poor acts who had to go on opposite him while 95% of those still on hand for the conclusion of Friday’s opening show packed themselves like so many sardines as close to the big Coachella stage as they could."
The Daily Beast was even more emphatic. "When hipster music fans heard that Paul McCartney would play at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival last night, they complained he was too old. But soon they were eating their words: McCartney delivered a fiery performance that drew thousands, and some fans had to settle for standing room more than a quarter-mile away."
A review by Freda Shaw on Paul McCartney's website was, not surprisingly, positive, but revealed what was probably McCartney's plan of action for the show. "The world’s most famous bass player adjusted his settings and turned more electric guitarist for near three hours of festival rock that introduced a whole new generation of kid fans at Coachella to the Mac III Rock Experience, the sound of a harder Paul, playing riffs of metal McCartney ."
But it wasn't all Paul playing metal head. There were tender moments, too. There was "The Long and Winding Road." Then, there was the moment that caught everyone in the throat -- when Paul mentioned the date of the show fell on the 11th anniversary of Linda's death. He dedicated "My Love" to her and all the lovers in the audience. "You know who you are."
The Associated Press called him "energized." NME.com called the set "emotional." The New York Times called Paul McCartney "Ever the Uniter." Rolling Stone just called it "the McCartney effect."
Yeah. We know the feeling.
More on Paul McCartney in Coachella:
- Paul McCartney live in Coachella - webcast report on the run (as it happened)
- Paul McCartney live in Coachella - setlist and pictures
- Paul McCartney - more pictures from Coachella
- More McCartney in Coachella - an on-the-spot report
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Comments
Great news. I sort of groaned when I first read that he did "The Long and Winding Road," a show stopper, as in it tends to bring things to a screaching halt in his concerts. While I'm happy it went over well, according to the news stories, I do wish he would give the song a rest. For some reason he thinks it's one of those "must" songs. It really isn't IMO. Of course I'm a bit mystified as to why he is still including "Flaming Pie" in his set rather than, say, one of the singles from that album or any number of better songs in his vast canon.
Interesting that the song (Long and Winding Road) is known to bring a concert to a screeching halt, yet he does it anyway.
"Flaming Pie" is a good song. It's what he should be doing in concert, especially for a younger crowd. "World Tonight" or "Young Boy" are too pop. "Flaming Pie" rocks. And is he really saying he came up with Beatles with an "A"?
Long and Winding Road is a must do song. By the way, a show stopper means is slang for it was great, not as in it halted the momentum. I've seen so many of his shows that I wish he would do "Another Girl" it's a perfect song to update with it's bluesy guitar and all. I personally think he could throw out most of his solo material (it's great mind you) but he could do any number of rockin' wings songs, really Hi Hi Hi, Smile Away, Listen to What the Man Said, Junior's Farm, Ballroom Dancing, The Pound Is Sinking, Young Boy, Helen Wheels, The World Tonight, My Brave Face, Uncle Albert.... I could go on and on. I also wish he would tackle a complete Beatles Album, like Abbey Rd, Sgt Pepper, revolver etc..
I'll probably be crucified for writing this, but hell, Paul should give most of his setlist a rest. Sure, the guy wrote some of the most memorable pop/rock songs of the last 50 years, but Paul himself has always seemed torn between relishing in the past and being taken seriously as a solo artist. I've seen him in stadium concerts 4 times, and really, "Hey Jude", "Let It Be", and "Band on the Run" haven't changed much. The "live effect" kind of lessens each time I see him. Just do a search on Youtube and see how many live versions of those songs you can find. The highlights of his show for me have become the songs he rarely performs live (ie Too Many People/She Came in Through the Bathroom Window). Paul has proven to be an outstanding live act, even this past decade. I would love to see him do a tour, or even just one concert, where decides, "Screw it, I'm not playing the usual stuff," and comes up with the most unexpected set list. Regardless of what he plays, he has the stage presence and catalog to pull it off. C'mon Paul, put on a show that includes obscurities (well, live anyway) like "I'm Looking through You", "Lovely Rita", "She's a Woman", "Smile Away", "Big Barn Bed", "Hi Hi Hi", "Juniors Farm", "Call Me Back Again", "Venus and Mars/Rock SHow", "Beware My Love", "Letting Go", "Old Siam Sir", "Getting Closer", "Young Boy", "The World Tonight", "Beautiful Night", "What It Is", "Try Not to Cry", "Promise to You Girl", "Light from Your Lighthouse", "Dance Til We're High"...you get my gist. I think everyone would be pleasantly surprised to read headlines like, "Paul Retires Tired Setlist and Delivers Surprisingly Energetic Performance". Don't get me wrong, I'll go to see Paul every chance I get, but lately it's for those four or five songs he's never done before or hasn't done in quite a while.
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