My wife, Janet, and I went to see Paul and the band at Sheffield's Hallam Arena last night (Saturday, 5th April) and it was a fantastic show. Paul was in fine voice - his vocals were soulful and powerful and his musicianship on bass, guitar and keyboards was outstanding. I've been a fan for 25 years and the concert for me was like an emotional roller-coaster ride. There were so many highlights that it was hard to take it all in at once. "Hello Goodbye" was overwhelming and over all too soon. It was very special to hear "Getting Better", "Your Loving Flame", "Here Today" and "Calico Skies" (after which Paul plugged the forthcoming "War Child" album, saying that royalties would benefit the children of Iraq). But when Rusty played the opening harp notes of "She's Leaving Home" on acoustic guitar I was astounded. The band gave a perfect rendition of this Summer of Love classic that I never thought I'd hear live. The whole concert was fabulous and the band pulled out all the stops to give an incredibly energetic performance. Paul commented that it was good to bring the show back home and a relief not to have to learn his links in other languages! The set was the same as the "Back In The World" CD, except that "Mother Nature's Son" had been dropped and a rocking "Birthday" added. Once again, at one point the group stormed through a brief instrumental burst of "Purple Haze". It was a memorable evening and Paul and the band were spirited and enthusiastic. The final medley of "Sgt Pepper (reprise)"/"The End" was breathtaking. I've seen Paul play live seven times before but last night he seemed to be singing and playing better than ever, which is amazing at 60. There's no stopping his talent - it really shines through in a live situation. Thanks a lot for your excellent Beatles website - it's the best. David Shaw. 7/4/03 I was really shocked to read that Paul was forced to cancel Sunday's show. I feel really sorry for all the fans who were disappointed. Paul's speaking voice sounded a little hoarse during the final announcement, but he went on to belt out "Sgt Pepper" and "The End". It must have been one of those rapid viruses on Sunday morning. It's very unusual for Paul to have to cancel a show.
(4/7/03)
Another brilliant performance by Macca and his band. The Sheffield Hallam FM Arena was arranged very similarly to the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Picked up all the usual memorabilia except we bought “Paul McCartney Driving USA 2002” incense this time. Didn’t see that in ‘Vegas. Above the stage was a giant screen with SMS text messages from fans to Paul scrolling-I guess one could have won 4 F/R seats if he messaged you back. Less incense, but still nice and more classical music playing before the pre-show. The show started relatively on time (8:07 pm), which was a nice change. The characters in the pre-show were all pretty much the same except for that the ‘Vegas Showgirls weren’t there this time. There were, instead, several ballet dancers. I don’t recall seeing the ballet dancers there at the MGM . People from all ages were in attendance. We saw kids as young as 5 or 6 there-noticeably enjoying themselves! COOL! By “Driving Rain” the arena looked completely sold out. I made a point of seeing how long it took for a “mass sit down”. It wasn’t until around the acoustic set with “Here Today”- About 15 songs into the show! Some other differences we noticed compared to the 3 Las Vegas shows we saw: An impromptu few bars of “Purple Haze” after one of the early –on ’ songs ( can’t remember exactly, somewhere from “Jet” to “Let Me Roll It”), no “Mother Nature’s Son” (although this appears on the “Back In The World” CD), and added “Calico Skies” instead as expected. The pyrotechnics for “Live And Let Die”seemed a little more intense and longer. Performance wise, Paul was spot on with all his singing, never noticing any errors. He carried all the harder -to -sing songs(“Maybe I’m Amazed”, for example) with perfection and great screams for “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Hey Jude”. Played all his instruments with precision and contributed his usual anecdotes about the massages he’d had whilst on the road and comments about the Uke and George. Have to comment on Abe “Octopus” Laboriel Jr.: He ROCKED!! The rest of the guys did a wonderful job as well Wix shone as usual, Rusty pulled off some slick guitar work and Brian was superb. All in all just an awesome experience. We paid 80 pounds each for 4 tickets (Sheffield and Earl’s Court shows—Floor Section 101 row “D” seats 6&7-Sheffield) That works out, for both, after exchange rate, to $188 cheaper than the either ONE of the first two shows in “Vegas!!! Yes, we had to drive 2 hrs…….. through some of the most incredible countryside......even got to visit Sherwood Forest on the way!! Can’t wait for the London Show!!!! Cheers to all the Macca/Beatles Fans that stayed at the Best Western Regency on the High Street in Ecclesfield. Hi! from Barb and I to Cheryl & Mike and to Judy
Finally, Macca made it home last night with the 'Back In The World' tour. Was it worth the wait? You bet! Like the rest of the world, much of the Sheffield audience seemed more than a little bemused by the pre-show performance but there were few grumbles with the main event. Quite simply, Macca had us eating out of his hand from 'Hello Goodbye' right through to 'The End'. The crowd were a little subdued in places, especially during the Driving Rain numbers, but the longer he played, the louder we got - with many of us staying on our feet and bopping throughout. By the end of the first encore the cheers were deafening. I last saw Macca back in 1990 and doubted that, at 60, he could still pull off a two and a half hour concert. I'm happy to say that my doubts were completely blown aside by his performance. He had more energy than most of us half his age! Welcome home Macca - a cracking night. I just hope that I can get tickets for Liverpool. Now THAT will be something...
Attended the concert, looks like not much different from all the other reviews listed so far. Band sounded great, Paul looked great. I did notice a few things of interest, mainly to musicians:Before the show, saw the techs tuning the guitars, including two Hofners. I know he tours now with several, but is the 'famous' one (the '63 model) part of this show? Based on the photos in the tour program, the one pictured seems to have the worn spot in the finish just below the strings. I know when he was throwing guitars in the first leg of the U.S. Tour, those were recent copies. I would think that bass would be too valuable now to drag around the world. None of the ones I've seen have the set list taped to the body as has been documented previously.
For 'Yesterday', he did not use the Martin he favours today, but an old looking Epiphone right-handed model. Perhaps as seen in 'Let It Be' and the live 'Blackpool' footage from the Anthology.
Also two Vox amps - the program says they're modified AC-30 heads with matching modified cabs. Of course the Beatles used AC-30s for a large part of their early touring phase.
The Magic Piano used on several numbers (such as 'Fool on the Hill') is not the same upright acoustic piano used on the New World Tour. That was a real piano, and you could see the back was painted with the Fool-like design over the bracing and soundboard. This piano has a flat back, and is actually only a shell. Inside is an 88 key electric keyboard. The fact this 'piano' is carried on and off stage by two of the Pre-show characters is another clue. It's probably easy to just take the keyboard out, put it in a case, then transport or dismantle the empty shell.
Still a great show, his voice held up well, it was too much fun. He seemed genuinely moved during "Here Today", perhaps because it was the first English show. And the close up of Wix's lava lamp on the overhead screen as Paul started "My Love" was a nice subtle reminder for those who know what it signifies. One final note - wandering around on the floor before it all began, I was looking at the sound boards and recording/mixing equipment in the middle of the arena. On a small worktable, I noticed one of the Yellow Submarine McCartney figures (made by Macfarlane), holding a British flag!