Is Paul McCartney an oldies act

Point taken. Enjoy.

 

Correct. And he did lots of Off The Ground cuts in '93. The show I saw featured:

Off The Ground
Looking For Changes
Hope of Deliverance
Biker Like An Icon
Peace in the Neighborhood
and C'mon People

In early shows (non-US) he also did Get Out Of My Way.

 

I hope you continue to weigh in too. Your posts are always insightful. In all honestly, I'm not trying to convince Maccafan or anyone that they shouldn't voice their opinions or wishes. I'm just a pragmatist who realizes Paul will never vary his set widely, and apparently millions of fans hope he doesn't either. I imgaine if he toured every year, we may get fatigued, but he tours every 3 or so years (and yes the MAF shows were strictly publicity events) and changes the setlist enough for it to feel fresh. Now if one is want to see him in LA and Seattle.... then travel to Europe and see him at a few more shows, to expect changes nightly is just silly. His show is too choregraphed (filming, lighting, etc) that wholesale changes would be exceedingly difficult for all involved. Maybe he'll do one of those Arts & Entertainment request shows someday? Maccafan will be heaven... oops, til he sees 75% Beatles requests Ron

 

Squealy, isn't that what everyone posting here is doing, sharing thier opinion? So what thier opinion is going to change from one post to the next??

If you're still discussing the same subject how is your opinion going to change, especially if you really believe in your opinion?

It's my firm belief and opinion that McCartney could and should perform more of his Wings and solo material because it is excellent music that many people around the world love and enjoy!

I totally understand that he may never ever do it, but that doesn't change my belief and opinion that he could and should! Because I believe if he did, he would bring a lot of joy and happiness to many people.

He does it with the Beatles, he could do it with Wings and solo material.

There's absolutely nothing obscure about...
uncle Albert
Silly Love songs
Juniors Farm
Listen To What The Man Said
Take It Away
No More Lonely Nights
With A Little Luck
I'll stop right there, these are all top ten hits, four of them were #1s and one was #3, they should be performed live.

How do you choose to perform...
I'll Get You
You Won't See me
Hippy Hippy Shake
C moon
I lost My Little Girl
Jenny Wren
English Tea
and many others over your #1 hits?

As I said ultimately it falls on McCartney, he's the one that has chosen not to perform these wonderful songs.

 

What, I think, is interesting, is that throughout his career, McCartney has rarely played to small, relatively attentive audiences. The Beatles went, very quickly, from playing Hamburg (where no-one was paying too much sober attention) to Beatlemania with little in between.

He's never had to learn how to communicate with an audience because he's rarely been in a position to be able to do so. He seemed much more relaxed and chatty during the Chaos At Abbey Road set than he does in front of 35,000.

I think that "wow, huge crowd, must keep 'em all happy" mentality is what drives his set list selection. He can't afford to lose an audience that big.

Maccafan, without wanting to pick holes in your arguement, I think you need to appreciate that a #1 or top ten hit 30 years is still obscure. I could look through the UK number 1's list for the 70s (or 80s or 90s) and wouldn't recognise half of em. Chart success often only reflects temporary popularity.

 

Are you not satisfied with the answers people are giving on the "official web site"? Is there a reason this question continues to be beaten into the ground here?

 

Jose Jones, It's not a matter of if I'm satisfied, the question wasn't asked to satisfy anyone, I think the person who asked the question just wanted to know if people feel that McCartney is an oldies act or not.

so now we're having the discussion, it's a very interesting discussion, is there something wrong with having the discussion just because it's an interesting one?

Paul H, in a way I understand what you're saying, but there are acts from the 50s performing their #1 hits, so McCartney could certainly perform his.

 

Most of those aren't really surprising inclusions in his live act.

Paul talked about performing "I'll Get You" for years before actually doing it. I think the '89/'90 tourbook even had some quotes where he spoke about how fun it would be to do that one. And I know I read a similar thing in at least one interview over the years.

Hippy Hippy Shake, besides being an old Beatle number from the early days, was also a major hit for The Swingin' Blue Jeans, who I believe were a Liverpool band - no doubt both those factors led to this week's opener. Besides, he's only done it once in 45 years, so let's try to encourage that kind of thing, huh?

Jenny Wren & English Tea were songs from the then-current album which Paul was promoting. Lost My Little Girl was a cute little story-song for Unplugged which Paul must obviously have found fun to perform. Aside from 2004, You Won't See Me hasn't been played much. I'd think C Moon would be the type of thing you'd be happy to see in his sets (or are you just tired of it?) - wasn't it a double-A side single in the UK? I can't stand it, and would frankly much prefer hearing anything to it!

It would be great to have Paul do some major hits that have been overlooked (Uncle Albert, Jr's Farm, Listen To What the Man Said, etc). I think those would go down pretty well sprinkled, and I mean "sprinkled" into his existing set. But if you start throwing in lots of stuff that only diehards know, like Stranglehold, it just wouldn't be successful, IMO.

 

Why do I get the feeling that the "person" who asked the question on the "official web site" is you? Otherwise, how would this person know what we here have to say about it?

I'm done here, but I do sincerely hope that this person on the official web site someday does get an answer to the question of whether Macca is an oldies act or not. But I somehow doubt he will....

 

Jose Jones, it's very easy to know, go to McCartney website and see for yourself!

As I posted from the beginning, I saw the question there and I thought it would be interesting here because of the knowledgeble people that post here.

 

On top of that, he's wrong about Paul only doing 2-3 songs from Memory Almost Full. He did "Only Mama Knows," "Dance Tonight," "That Was Me," "Nod Your Head," and "House of Wax" in 2007.

So Paul needs a less predictable set list, but he also should dump the less predictable songs in favor of the hits. Gotcha.

 

In fairness to Maccafan, he was replying to a point of mine there (that Paul's lesser known songs can't stand up alongside his hits). He's right that Paul does do the odd minor hit or obscurity, but my point was really that an odd one here and there is all he can really do without compromising the energy of the show.

 

the first time ever we have agreed on anything

 

Guys here's the original post from McCartneys official site, I didn't write it I just copied and pasted it here. You can check this out for yourself if you like, since Mr. Jones has implied that I'm not being honest.

As you can see the guy calls himself, Jorke334. after his comments, eveyone started weighing in as to whether McCartney was an oldies act or not. This is what gave me the idea to share it with you guys.

jorke3344
Paul McCartney has officially become an oldies act.

Paul McCartney—Anfield Liverpool Sound Concert (Running commentary while listening on the radio)

1. Hippy Hippy Shake: What an interesting choice for a concert opener. A nod to the Live at the BBC shows! Wow, we might get a “new” show.
2. Jet: This one is NOT a surprise. This always been the 2nd or 3rd song to open a Macca show. My wife thinks he has always sung the line “Jet” a bit off-key. No difference here, but always good to hear.
3. Drive My Car: Gosh, I’m sick of this one, but I guess it keeps up the show’s energy better than “Flaming Pie.”
4. Flaming Pie: Oops, spoke to soon. A little different than previous concert versions, with harmony vocal in response to the lead vocals at the end of the song (but pretty standard take, nonetheless).
5. Got to Get You Into My Life: OK, let try to get the crowd pumped.
6. Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady: Arghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know, he says everyone wants to hear the hits. When, exactly, was this a hit? What is wrong with him? If you think the show needs this kind of groove, bring back “Letting Go” or something else like it.
7. My Love: Shaky vocals. At this point, the number of Wings/solo songs are greater than Beatles tunes. Shocking.
8. CMoon: And now he’s telling the stupid story behind this lame song. Talk about just sucking the air out of the place. With his catalog, he pulls this out for this type of big show????
9. The Long and Winding Road: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
10. Dance Tonight: Nice version of this song. Thus begins the acoustic section of the show
11. Blackbird: He really struggles with this one. Doesn’t anyone have the guts to tell him he can’t pull this off anymore?
12. Calico Skies: This is a good ‘un, that he sings well.
13. Spent my early life in Liverpool (Not sure if this is the title??): New song, primarily driven by acoustic guitar and accordion. Ringo’s ode to Liverpool was much better.
14. I’ll Follow the Sun: Does the same false ending, three times (the last one sung in a kinda boozy voice. Kinda inspiring me to start drinking heavily as well)
15. Eleanor Rigby: He’s going through the motions now.
16. Something: Did you know that George was a really good Ukulele player? Does he really think anyone in the crowd hasn’t heard this story before? Unbelievable.
17. Penny Lane: Stops the song after the first line, so he can start over and “get it right.” Wow. How original! Wait, the song is over and now he’s inviting a special guest to the stage. Could it be Elvis Costello? Ringo? No, it’s Mr. Dave Grohl. Now, that is worth the price of admission.
18. Band on the Run: This is for the Wings fans out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
19. Back in the U.S.S.R.: So much for the Wings fans out there.
20. Live and Let Die: Please, bring Olivia and Yoko on stage to sing backup vocals. Do something different…. anything. The sheep are cheering though.
21. Let it Be: At this point, I think I’d like to go watch Hillary Clinton’s Puerto Rico victory speech. I expect more surprises there.
22. Hey Jude: Great, the bathroom break song. Seriously.
OK, he’s left the stage, but I’d like to predict the encore. “I saw here standing there” and “Yesterday.” No reason to go out on the limb here. The BBC commentators are praising the show as spectacular. The guy is saying he has never seen anything like the pyrotechnics that accompanied “Live and Let Die”. OK, so there was someone there tonight that has never seen a Paul McCartney show.
23. Yesterday: He still sings this one well.
24. A Day in the Life/Give Peace a Chance: Well, I guess that’s what he meant by “a few surprises.” Oh my God..he screwed up the words in the bridge. He caught the bus in seconds flat twice (and mumbles a couple of unrecognizable words as well)!!! No wonder he never does anything new. He’s so shaken by that screw up that he’s not even going to finish the song, rather he’s now made a clumsy transition into “Give Peace a Chance.”
25. Lady Madonna: Mentions the screw up to the song’s lyrics for a Day in the Life before launching into Lady Madonna. How embarrassing.
Dave Grohl is back. How exciting.
26. I saw her standing there: Goodnight!

I don’t care how many people may be coming to a show that have never seen Paul McCartney before (it can’t really be that many, can it?). His lack of originality is pathetic.

 

Collectors and sheep and nostalgia. Obviously people keep buying and going whether the product is any good, any different, or not. When over time you have become that big of a name, and are the only front-line Beatle left to go see playing, it would still probably sell out if he was yodelling sailor tunes

BTW Ron, I did stop going to his shows years ago. Seen it, heard it, not worth it, had enough.

 

Applebonkerz, mark this day on your calender because once again we agree!

I didn't go to McCartneys last tour and I won't go to this one if it's just more of the same old tired thing.

 

I have to admit, I have no idea how "C Moon" hangs in there in Paul's live set. If he's going to do this there's two dozen other Wings songs he could play that would be more exciting. (It doesn't even rock!)

 

Ok, here's where you totally lose me. I saw Paul three times in '89/'90 (conveniently hitting once each "leg" of the tour and catching all three minor setlist variations). I saw him once in '93. I went crazy and caught three shows in Spring 2002 and two more in Fall 2002.

And you know what? When I saw my 10th and most recent show, in 2005, Paul played SIXTEEN songs I'd never personally seen him do live before. Yeah, some were holdovers from the 2004 European tour or whatever, but that's still remarkable!!! I'd seen the guy virtually every time I could and yet 16 of 36 songs had never been performed on tour (solo) in the US. That's 44%!!! If you're such a fan, why stay home?

 

It must be a measure of "C Moon"'s unpopularity that people think he plays it more often than he really does.

He played it as a medley with "Little Woman Love" on the initial UK and Australian dates of the "Wings Over The World" tour in 1975 but dropped it before the tour reached North America the following year.

It was not played in 1979.

He rehearsed it for the 1989-1990 tour but never actually played it at a regular show. A soundcheck performance appeared as a B-side in 1990.

He played it at the taping for the MTV "Up Close' TV special in late 1992 but it was cut from the final broadcast, and the song was not played on the 1993 tour.

It was played on the first leg of the 2002 tour but did not appear in the shows toward the end of the year.

It was not played in 2003, 2004, or 2005.

It returned in the handful of 2007 shows and this weekend's one-off in Liverpool.

Yeah, this idea that he's been doing the same show for 20 years is a real exaggeration. I just looked over the set lists for the L.A.-area* shows in 1989, 1993, 2002, and 2005 and counted all of 7 songs that were played at every show:

Band On The Run
The Long And Winding Road
Let It Be
Live And Let Die
Yesterday
Hey Jude
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

* The 1993 show was in Anaheim.

 

And remarkably, when he doesn't have it in his setlist, he still does it nearly EVERY soundcheck. I think it's just one of those songs he enjoys performing, but for the life of me I don't know why. To be fair, the song is not usually in his standard setlist, but it does poke up every now and then. And there's no reason to think it will be part of his upcoming World Tour. It may, but then again it may be left in soundcheck.

I agree with Mr Jinks... the percentage may stay the same with beatles, but he does rotate a lot of the songs. Almost every tour he adds one or a few he has never done before, hopefully this trend will continue.

And to maccafan please stop saying the OFFICIAL MCcartney website as if he is responsible for what members, in this case jorky3344, has to say. The
guy hasn't a clue and we already went over the reasons for his voice cracking on a few songs.... it had little to do with voice issues, but pure emotion. You posted that guys comments as if they have ANY validity whatsoever. For all you know, or we know, he hates the Beatles. Saying this is all from his official website rings so hollow. Ron

 

I don't have much to say about this subject except that the set list you have provided is virtually the same as in 1993 when I attended a PM show the only time he was in Santiago, except for the Dave Grohl bit and maybe three or four songs.

 

Perfectly said. I knew the BIG 5, but it's true Live and Let Die and Band On The Run are always played. I thought Jet was too, what year did he skip that one? Ron

 

He didn't play "Jet" at the show I saw in April 1993, but it returned when the tour hit Europe in September.

 

I didn't really mean to suggest that he has played it continuously, but it's a funny song to have played even as much he has, considering all the other Wings hits he hasn't played at all in this decade. I guess he just likes it.

 

This is just not so. Set List for the Santiago concert...the last show of the 1993 Wold Tour

Drive My Car
Coming Up
Looking For Changes
Jet
All My Loving
Let Me Roll It
Peace In The Neighbourhood
Off The Ground

Acoustic set

Robbie's Bit
Good Rockin' tonight
We Can Work It Out
I Lost My Little Girl
Ain't No Sunshne
Hope Of Deliverance
Michelle
Biker Like An Icon
Here there and Everywhere
Yesterday

Band On The Run
I Saw Her Standing There
Hey Jude

This leg of the tour saw five songs dropped from the set and four added. Dropped were Another Day, And I Love Her, Every Night. The Long and Winding Road and Fixing A Hole... added were Jet, I Lost My Little Girl, Aint No Sunshine and Back In The USSR. By my reckoning there were 13 songs NOT done in Liverpool from this setlist. Ron