By BrianEKing on Thu, Aug 6, 2009 7:49 pm
Paul McCartney w/MGMT – Fenway Park,
Boston
August 5th, 2009
By Brian E. King
Pictures by Jordan Weaver
A Paul McCartney concert is arguably
the Disney World of pop music. You know what to expect, the merch is
overpriced, and it’s a little corny and sentimental at times but
it’s most definitely the most fun you’ve had all year.
Opening with “Drive My Car,” the
career-spanning, 2 ½ hour set was packed mostly with
obligatory hits (“I Saw Her Standing There,” “Band On The Run”)
to the more obscure (…relatively speaking) gems such as “A Day In
The Life” and “Flaming Pie” to his recent Fireman project,
proving the 67-year-old as crucial and relevant as ever. Handpicking
NYC electro-poppers MGMT as openers proved this as their
seemingly-timid set meshed well even with the older folks.
On past tours, McCartney downplayed his
Beatles legacy opting to play mostly Wings and solo material, but
tonight the Fab Four selections dominated the set (“Lady Madonna,”
“Let It Be,” “The Long and Winding Road”) - even including
tributes to his late bandmates with photo collages backdropping his
cover of George Harrison’s “Something” (played on a ukulele the
late guitarist gave him) and also “Here Today,” a tender homage
about an imagined conversation with John Lennon - not to mention a
seamless segue to Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” earlier in the
set.
Wearing red suspenders under his iconic
collarless overcoat, McCartney as a performer is as endearing as
expected. With a combination of clever affability and disarming
suaveness, his anecdotes of Jimi Hendrix covering “Sgt. Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band” three days after it's release (after a
surprise jam on “Foxy Lady” no less) and multiple prompts for the
ladies in the crowd to scream (ala The Beatles’ first Boston visit
in 1964 as he told us) show his effortless ability to charmingly
transform a gig to thousands into an intimate gathering among
friends.
Between the massive fireworks display
on “Live and Let Die” and the impressive lighting during the
Soviet-themed backdrop on “Back in the U.S.S.R,” McCartney’s
wide-eyed band played the songs note-for-note to the originals while
somehow breathing new life and energy into the 40+ year-old songs.
The chemistry and charisma in the quintet was as undeniable as
McCartney himself as I'm pretty sure the hysterically sobbing
(probably menopausal) females were dropping their panties when after
a solo mini-acoustic set, McCartney remarked, “Everyone’s gone
and left me alone with you. But it’s OK...I kind of like it.’’Well
done Sir Paul
