Paul McCartney
London Greenwich O2 Arena
22nd December, 2009

View: bopping in Block A1

Over 30 years and 87 Macca gigs, I figured he held no surprises. Wrong! Sure, the usual crowdpleasers were there for a fair-weather audience, including a singalong Hey Jude. But with such a vast catalogue, the problem is what to leave out. No other performer could do a solid two hours 45 and still leave so many No. 1’s unplayed. But McCartney is more than a nostalgia-fest, and the two recent Fireman tracks, Highway and Sing The Changes, were superb. Also new this time round was a scorching Day Tripper, the ‘lost’ No. 1 that is Obladi-Oblada and a bass-tastic romp through Wings’ Mrs. Vandebilt. Wonderful Christmastime was resurrected, and it’s astonishing how the guy can still blast out Magical Mystery Tour, Drive My Car, Jet, Back In The USSR, I’ve Got A Feeling, Paperback Writer, Live And Let Die and Get Back without collapsing. I was exhausted half way through. And only Macca has the bottle to perform a rousing Mull Of Kintyre, complete with pipe and drum band, then follow it with an incendiary Helter Skelter as if to say: “bollocks to ’em. This is what I do, and I’m the best at it”.

Reviewed by Pete Nash
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