- PAUL McCARTNEY – Got Back!
- Casey’s Center
- Des Moines, Iowa
Though I don’t remember it, my father told me that I watched the Beatles first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February 1964 with rapt attention. My father wrote poetry and he often wrote about day to day things that he found interesting. There was a children’s program in Cleveland hosted by a gentleman who called himself Barnaby and one poem described my youthful frustration as the show was apparently pre-empted by a message from the President of the United States – “it seems that Mr. Kennedy was on instead of Barnaby.” I make this point because I truly can’t remember a time in my life where the Beatles were not present. The first record I ever purchased with my own money (.69¢ if I remember correctly, money made by collecting glass soda bottles and returning them to the store – was “Hello, Goodbye.” So when I learned that Paul McCartney was coming to the Midwest, I made sure to buy tickets the day they went on sale!
Kicking off the show with a rousing rendition of “Help!,” McCartney immediately made the legions of Beatles fans happy, kicking off a nearly three-hour show that featured no less than (21) Beatles songs, from their very first song, made when they called themselves the Quarrymen, “In Spite of All the Danger,” to their last, the Grammy award winning “Now and Then.” Throw in a plethora of his music with the band Wings and his solo material, and you found yourself treated to a performer who, at age 83, rocks like a man a third his age.
McCartney was assisted by a great back up band, many of whom, like drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr and guitarist Rusty Anderson, have played with him for decades. Add to this a first rate light and video show and you instantly know why the man sells out everywhere he goes.
I have to say I was moved to tears during “Now and Then.” For those who don’t follow the news, this was a song written and recorded on a homemade tape by John Lennon. It was one of three songs that the surviving Beatles (Paul, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) worked on in 1995 for their “Beatles Anthology” specials. Due to technological difficulties, they were unable to produce a decent version of the song. However, in 2023, technology caught up and the song was recorded. To me, “Now and Then” was a on John wrote TO Paul, telling his old mate through song what he meant to him and his life. When finished, Paul thanked John “for writing such a beautiful song.” Another emotional highlight was his tribute to George Harrison, which included Paul playing “Something” on the ukelele.
This was the 7th time I’ve seen McCartney live – dating back to my first time on July 4, 1990 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. The highlight that night was Macca singing “Birthday” to America! Each time the show has been amazing, with McCartney mixing Beatles, Wings and solo songs each time, making each show fresh and new.
The Paul McCartney – Got Back tour recently concluded the U.S. leg of the tour. But if I know Paul – I mean, I don’t but you get what I’m saying – I’d look for him back on the road sooner then later. If you’ve never seen him live, I urge you to find the nearest venue and buy a ticket. If you’ve already seen him…see him again!
SET LIST
Help!, Coming Up, Got to Get You Into My Life, Drive My Car, Letting Go. Come On to Me, Let Me Roll It, Getting Better, 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, Love Me Do, Dance Tonight, Blackbird, Here Today, Now and Then, Lady Madonna, Jet, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!, Something, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Band on the Run, Get Back, Let It Be, Live and Let Die, Hey Jude. ENCORE: I’ve Got a Feeling, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Helter Skelter, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End.
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