Paul McCartney/”Out There” Tour
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
May 19, 2013
Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars
Even though it was only six months ago that I caught Paul McCartney live it was a no brainer when I had the chance to see him again this past week. And I’m glad I did.
One thing fans like about Macca is that he always changes up his shows…every few months the set list changes….so that the performances seem fresh and new. This show was no exception. Added bonus: the performance of (5) Beatles and (2) Wings songs he had, until this tour, never performed live as a solo performer, including opening the show with “Eight Days a Week,” which he had performed live exactly once – while with the Beatles in 1965. Other debut song included “Your Mother Should Know,” “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” “Lovely Rita” and “All Together Now.” The Wings’ songs were “Listen to What the Man Said” and “Hi, Hi, Hi.”
Even the more familiar tunes he played were re-arranged in his set, making it a game among the audience to sit in the silence between songs and strain to hear the first notes of the next to see what it could be. As in recent shows, he included touching tributes to the late John Lennon and George Harrison, as well as a more recent song, “Valentine,” that he wrote for his current wife, Nancy. His first wife, Linda, was also honored, first with a performance of “Maybe I’m Amazed” and then with some background film footage shot during the photo shoot for the “Band on the Run” album cover.
Paul and his most excellent band (guitarist Rusty Anderson, drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., guitarist/bassist Brian Ray and keyboardist Wix Wickens) played for almost three hours, including encores. These guys have played live together for over a decade (longer then Paul played with the Beatles or Wings) and their comradery on stage is obvious and honest. If you’ve seen Paul and company play before (this makes my 8th time) I urge you to see him again. If not, I urge you to see him for the first time. I had the great fortune of seeing Elvis Presley perform live right before his passing and I’ve always been grateful that I had the opportunity to see a true musical legend in concert. I get the same feeling every time I see Paul McCartney.
Track Listing:
Eight Days a Week, Juniors Farm, All My Loving, Listen to What the Man Said, Let Me Roll It (with a little bit of Jimi Hendrix’ “Foxy Lady” thrown in), Paperback Writer, My Valentine, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five, The Long and Winding Road, Maybe I’m Amazed, I’ve Just Seen a Face, We Can Work It Out, Another Day, And I Love Her, Blackbird, Here Today, You’re Mother Should Know, Lady Madonna, All Together Now, Mrs. Vanderbilt, Eleanor Rigby, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite, Something, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Hi, Hi, Hi, Band on the Run, Back in the U.S.S.R., Let It Be, Live and Let Die, Hey Jude
First Encore
Day Tripper, Lovely Rita, I Saw Her Standing There
Second Encore
Yesterday, Helter Skelter, Golden Slumbers, Carry that Weight, The End