Introduction

I have been a Paul McCartney fan for as long as I can remember. My first memory of listening to a record (vinyl), was listening to Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings. He is one of those artists that I always told myself that I need to go see at least once in my lifetime.

I was lucky, I was able to go see him in 2011 for the On the Run Tour. I remember the show being awesome and my jaw had dropped. At one point in the show I remember him playing Purple Haze which made my jawdrop.

When my good buddy messaged me and asked me if I wanted to go to the latest tour in Montreal, my response was an astounding, "YES!!!". Let us see if the show lived up to expectations.

Playlist

Set list:

• A Hard Day’s Night

• Hi Hi Hi

• Can’t Buy Me Love

• Letting Go

• Who Cares

• Come On To Me

• Let Me Roll It, with Foxey Lady coda

• I’ve Got a Feeling

• Let ‘Em In

• My Valentine

• Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five

• Maybe I’m Amazed

• I’ve Just Seen a Face

• In Spite of All the Danger

• From Me To You

• Michelle

• Love Me Do

• Blackbird

• Here Today

• Queenie Eye

• Lady Madonna

• FourFive Seconds

• Eleanor Rigby

• Fuh You

• Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite

• Something

• Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da

• Band On the Run

• Back In the U.S.S.R.

• Let It Be

• Live and Let Die

• Hey Jude

Encores

• Yesterday

• I Saw Her Standing There

• Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

• Helter Skelter

• Golden Slumbers

• Carry That Weight

• The End

Sample Clip

Bottomline

Did the show live up to expectations? The answer is yes.

We kind of knew what we were getting when seeing this show. Paul McCartney rarely disappoints. I also know that not everyone is a McCartney fan. In fact, some fans only love parts of his career like Beatles and Wings. However, I am a fan of his whole body of work.

Having said that, he played something for everyone. He played earlier Beatles stuff, Paul McCartney and Wings and also his solo material. He played a few songs from his new album Egypt Station. The rarer and newer songs were well placed in the show. These areas did not feel like they were dragged on and you were forced to listen to them. He manages to balance the new and old very well so that you always feel engaged in the show.

The newer material actually sounded better in concert than on the Egypt Nation album. Although, Fuh You is still one of the weaker songs on the album.

Most of the songs played were great, however the highlight for me was when he played Live and Let Die. The clip above is from the Montreal show. The video does not give it justice. My buddies and I did not expect the big *** pow *** of the explosions. The Bell Centre shook when this happened. This was in tune to the rapid pace of the song. I can honestly, say that this was one of the best moments that I have experienced going to see a show. It brought everyone to their feet and you were going along with the ride. I have seen many shows that have pyrotechnics on display, such as KISS, but none were as impactful or well done as for this song.

Although that was the highlight for me, there were many other songs that were awesome as well. Let Me Roll It from Wings was good. Helter Skelter packed a good punch as well.

McCartney had a few bits where it was only him and his acoustic guitar. He played Yesterday and Blackbird. Some have said that his voice has wained in the last few years but I think he still was able to carry those songs very well.

The only little disappointment for me is that he did not play much from the Flaming Pie album. Little Willow or Heaven on a Sunday, would have fit perfectly. It is only a disappointment for me because I loved that album and I think this is one of his last good complete albums. However, this does not take away from the show. This is only my opinion.

The most impressive about this show is that Paul McCartney is 76 years old and he played a 3 hour show, with no intermission. I could have fit, 3 other concerts into one. He played longer than Van Halen, The Killers and Def Leppard combined. To cap it all off, there was no opening act.

Very rarely do you leave a concert thinking to yourself that it was worth the price of admission. No matter what your price point was, it was worth it. In fact, the show is so good that it feels like your ticket was a bargain. He is a true entertainer and he loves to entertain. You can see it and feel it. He has been doing this for over 50 years and you can see that he still loves the rush of playing the guitar and getting the crowd to participate and sing along.

I do not know how many more tours that he is going to do at his age, but you owe it to yourself to go see him at least once in your lifetime. He is a true living legend. Yes, his albums are not always top chart sellers such as Run Devil Run or Press to Play. There are always one or 2 songs on the album that are gems and that his fans will love. If you are a music fan, this was a real treat. May be newer acts could take a lesson or two from this rock legend.

What do you think? Did you like the show or was it only meh? Let us know below.

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