Is Paul McCartney an oldies act

To back up the claim that some people get cheesed off about "Hey Jude", I can reveal there are quite a few people here in Liverpool I've spoken to who have been to Macca gigs for whom the song has become a tiresome joke in concert. That song has always divided Beatles fans anyway... there are those who love it for all it is whilst I'm one of those who loves the main part but hate the never-ending singalong ending.

Fact is, most do love it... if they didn't then they wouldn't sing along to it!

 

Ron

Why are you wasting your energy?
Here is the wall, just bang your head against it!

 

When I saw him in 2002, everyone cheered when "Hey Jude" started up.

In fact, the crowd went nuts for pretty much every song that wasn't called "Vanilla Sky" or from Driving Rain.

 

That looks like the waveform from Memory Almost Full

 

Some of you jump all over me, and I'm just one guy sharing his opinion! Even with almost everyone disagreeing with me, I don't react the way some of you do?

I've heard all the reasons you guys are presenting many, many, many times and yet I don't take the attitude that I should bang my head against the wall?

Why do some of you react the way you do just because I don't agree? Simply state your view, but it's not necessary to freak out about it, believe me I don't!

Dave D, you're really one of the main ones, chill out my friend it's only my opinion.

Also who asked for b-sides or deep album tracks, I say McCartney should perform his best Wings and solo material?

 

The thing is, when these veteran acts play less familiar songs in concert, the energy drops off palpably. It just does. It happened at the Rolling Stones when Keith croaked through some song from Voodoo Lounge, it happened at the Who when they played songs from Endless Wire, and it happened when Paul played songs from Driving Rain. And IMO, you feel the difference between these songs and the classics more acutely than you do listening to the records; I enjoyed Driving Rain as an album but when Paul played "Lonely Road" after 10 huge Beatles and Wings hits in a row, it just didn't stand up to them -- it lay there, seeming fairly dull and hookless. And so would "The Mess" or "Soily" or "Girls School."

 

If I were any more chilled I'd be frozen!

 

Squealy, I think you're wrong about The Mess, Soiley and Girlschool those are some of McCartneys best rockers and would get the house jumping.

 

I'll give you The Mess but Girlschool is a stretch. I find that track to be tepid at best.

 

They wouldn't, because nobody knows them. I don't even remember how they go and I read about Paul McCartney on this board every frickin' day.

 

Good track but suffers from that awful Venus and Mars type of castrated production.

 

To be honest with you Maccafan, I was at the Sunday show at Phillips Place in 2002 and I probably did groan privately when BOTR and Jet started. I also probably groaned to myself with the singalong--but I don't care for singalongs by anyone. The person I was with pointed out to me that there were many people who had never heard him do those songs before, thus I should just enjoy them.
I still thought it was a great show. Paul is in a tough position. He can alienate the masses by playing less well know songs or frustrate his hardcore fans by doing the same core songs. Do I think Paul is lazy? Not at all. He doesn't have to do it at all--he does it because he loves it. He also does it because he loves the adoration of the audience. I wish there were a radio format that would play his newer music so he could have 'new' hits that people would recognize.

 

Then why does he do 80% Beatles songs if John & George are dead?

With all due respect, you and Maccafan should just PM each other to try and work out what you never will.

 

Wonderwall, I don't have a problem at all with anyone on any forum, it just seems some have a problem with me because I'm adament about my opinion.

 

Who did? YOU!! Witness, Girl's School, The Mess, Soily, One Of these Days, Strangehold, Somebody Who Cares, Rockestra Theme and on it goes. It doesn't mean they aren't good songs, but they ARE b-sides and deep album cuts. Yikes. Ron

 

No, it's because you keep restating your opinion over and over again.

 

I have no problem at all with you at all Maccafan (or Brainwashed). I'm in your camp as far as seeing McCartney play deep solo cuts. It's just not going to happen at an arena show. Brainwashed has made several good points as to the reason why. You guys are not going to convice each other of anything, and we've been down this road several times before. It seems like what ever you say to each at this point, you are not going to change each others minds, so why bother?

 

I consider myself a huge McCartney fan, but the fact is even if he did a set of all Wings and solo stuff he would still be an oldies act. I don't have a Billboard book here at work, but he hasn't had a big hit album or single in over twenty years. Please note I didn't say he hasn't done any good or even great music in that time, but he could not play large halls or stadiums using music he made in the last twenty years.

 

I have to say that I wish Macca would dip into his solo set more. I first became a fan in the mid to late '80s and it galls me that he hardly played any of his material from that period - No Values and No More Lonely Nights would be great.

But Lennon's death put McCartney back ten years. Ten years in which he went from being in a genuine commercial band to being an "old timer". By the time he came back, in '89, not only had he not played some of his Beatles tracks in 20 years, he hadn't had a hit in several.

I was prepared to give him a Beatles-centric set list between 89 and 93 simply due to the novelty factor of hearing Paperback Writer etc live. But since then he's just got into a habit that he obviously doesn't feel he can break. Maybe he just loves playing those songs and doesn't want to leave 'em out.

He probably doesn't vary his sets because of the logistical problem it causes his visual guys - those giant screens are showing themed material much of the time and to start changing his set every night would create huge headaches.

But I also agree that there is much evidence of Beatle-dominated fan interest. I've seen him on every European leg since 89 and the drop in interest when he plays a newer tune is palpable. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I feel embarrassed by it. I've seen people start up conversations during Jenny Wren. The same people that will sit and gaze when he plays Yesterday (for the 1,000th time).

I agree with maccafan that it would be wonderful to hear something more obscure but I also agree that, for the majority, his Wings material is all but obsolete.

 

Well it's a good point, but I think Paul made the remarks himself. Maybe it's because The Beatles were started by John and he joined up with him, and Wings was Paul and Linda's baby from the beginning? I suppose being married to her makes some of the songs that much more personal as well. I know he says it's painful for him to do certain Wings/solo songs because of her absence. Mostly the Beatles tunes he performs live are songs he wrote himself, though he has added a few joint compositions over time, even doing Please Please Me and I'll Get You more closely associated with John than himself.

PS With all due respect, there's no reason to PM Maccafan, this IS a discussion board after all. As long as we are all civil, it should be cool to go head-to-head.

 

Brainwashed you're absolutely right, but in all honesty I thought you ment songs that had never been released or heard in any other form. Most of those songs were on singles, DVDs, films, television etc. They are excellent songs that McCartney should be performing because they've had exposure besides just being on the album.

 

Whoops - duplicate post...

 

This is wrong on a few levels:

1) Macca played four "Chaos" songs in 2005: the three you mentioned plus "Fine Line".

2) Macca played five new songs in 2002: "Your Loving Flame", "Lonely Road", "Driving Rain", "Vanilla Sky" and "Freedom".

3) There's been no real tour behind "MAF". He did a few promo dates, but I wouldn't refer to that as a tour and make judgments about how much new material he'd play on a real tour...

 

Yeah, I think this is the right perspective. I think the Wings thing is just too intimate/painful for Paul given Linda's absence...