Search - Paul McCartney :: Back in the U.S. Live 2002

Driving Wild Still!

Martin A Hogan | San Francisco, CA. (Hercules) | 11/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"McCartney will never lose his touch and this double disc proves that although we will never see a Beatles concert, we still have Paul. Punctuated with mostly Beatles tunes, the sound is crisp and McCartney and his band strut thier stuff with abandon! I've never quite heard a rock concert so full of clean energy! Even songs like, "Coming Up", which I never liked, is pure fun. When I saw the set list, I was skeptical, but even mediocre tunes like, "Vanilla Sky" and "Your Loving Flame" stand out. "Live And Let Die" is a great adaption and "Something" brings a tear to the eye. The "Wings" songs were carefully chosen with only the ones that McCartney dominated being sung. When the concert reaches, "Let It Be", the rest of the show is gut-wrenching nostalgia - the best kind. God, I hope he tours again."

Immediately one of the great live CD's in rock

Jon Eric Davidson | Redmond, WA, USA | 12/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had the extreme fortune to see Paul McCartney live in concert at Tacoma this past October. After an incredible three-plus hours of musical greatness, I walked away telling people that this was the best concert I had ever seen. It was with extreme pleasure that this tour was captured for posterity on a 2-CD set.A product of the "post-Beatles generation", but with an ever-growing appreciation of their music, I never would have thought it likely to ever see their music played live, much less by one of the Beatles themselves. Then Mr. McCartney graciously goes on this tour, drawing deep and long from the Beatles catalog, as well as from his rich store of songs from his solo and Wings careers. This CD set captures the concert virtually in its entirety and, in terms of the setlist, in order as Mr. McCartney played in concert. He sounded great on this tour, and that is conveyed very well in this recording, as is the stellar musicianship of his backing band. The sound quality is, for a live show, tremendously sharp and vibrant, thus making it even more possible for those of us who witnessed it in person to close your eyes and vividly re-live those memories and emotions. One of the treats of this tour is that Mr. McCartney played several songs solo intermittently throughout the show. It was at these times where he was perhaps at his most poignant, and really tugged at your emotions. This was evidenced in his back-to-back tributes to John Lennon ("Here Today") and George Harrison ("Something", played delightfully on the ukulele), but also in songs like "Blackbird" and "Yesterday". In the full band setting, the music was well-executed and full of outstanding moments. The "Live and Let Die" sequence was just one of those phenomenal moments, though listeners to this CD miss the stunning pyrotechnics that accompanied this number. The band should also be commended for carrying off the McCartney/Beatles catalog with tremendous aplomb, while at the same time staying enough in the background to allow the audience to focus on Mr. McCartney.Mr. McCartney was also very well-served in limiting the new material on this tour, as evidenced here. He performed three or four new songs early in the show that were, frankly, mediocre compared to the rest of his setlist. He also performed "Freedom" later in the show, which was the best of the new crop and one that fit in well with that part of the concert.Those of us who saw the later shows on this tour do not get the live versions of "Michelle" and "Let 'Em In", which he performed in place of "Vanilla Sky" and "C Moon" that are featured here. This is an extremely mild criticism, but one that is by no means detrimental to the overall package.Another strong point of this CD is that his banter between songs is cut out. While it does remove some funny moments and the explanations behind some songs (not to mention the lead-ins to the Lennon and Harrison tributes), it keeps the CD well-paced. It also keeps it "generic" enough so that it is not fully obvious as to where the songs were actually recorded, thus maintaining at least the illusion that at least one song was recorded at the show you attended. But, far too often, the banter is left in, and it can be amazingly disruptive and inane (I cite the Billy Joel Millenium Concert CD as the prime example). Mr. McCartney left the music to speak for himself. In my opinion, this is one of the best live CD's in the rock genre that you will find on the market. It gets an unwavering five-star rating from this reviewer, and I recommend it wholeheartedly to Beatles fans, McCartney fans, or simply fans of great music. Thank you, Mr. McCartney, for the wonderful memories, and for preserving them for all to enjoy."

Terrific!

Michael Behuniak | Seattle, WA United States | 12/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This live CD set from Paul McCartney's 2002 Driving US tour is absolutely terrific. There is a good mix of the best of McCartney's solo works with all the mandatory Beatle's classics, all impeccably performed by McCartney's exuberent first-rate band. The sound quality is superb, with the mix so pristine you can hear the clear seperation of guitars, drums, keyboards and vocals. If I had a minor quibble, I wished more of the in-between song banter had been retained. Paul usually provided some introduction regarding the history of most of the songs, and it feels strange at times not hearing it here. It's also somewhat sad his very heartfelt comments before the tributes to John (Here Today) and George (Something) are missing.Overall, I am very happy to own this set. It does rekindle the memories when I saw this tour in Oct 2002, along with most of the magic of that wonderful night. Even if you weren't there, if you're a Beatles fan there is still much to enjoy.lr** Dec 29,2002HIGHLY RECOMMENDED."