TAKE A SAD SONG – AND MAKE IT BETTER, BETTER, BETTER

Paul McCartney in Concert – “Up & Coming Tour”
Rio Tinto Stadium, Salt Lake City
July 13, 2010

THE DOTTED LINE: ••••

By JOHN YOUNGREN

SALT LAKE CITY – I’ve seen Paul McCartney live twice before, once in Berkeley, Calif. in 1990 (it paid off in a job interview shortly thereafter) and again a few years later – another epic show – in Boulder, Colorado in 1993.

On both occasions, the performances were memorable, once-in-a-lifetime spectacular, McCartney at the top of his form and furthering his solo music, embracing his past (“we’d like to go back through the mists of time … to a place they called the ‘60s…”) while welcoming new audiences with whatever CD he happened to be hawking at the time of the tour (“Figure of Eight” opened the 1990 show, for example).

So when Sir Paul McCartney announced his visit to Salt Lake City – where he has never been before, either as a member of the Beatles or some kind of solo show – in mid-May, I was a bit skeptical. Because I have great Macca memories. In Berkeley and Boulder, he had been magical; otherworldly – and those concerts were 20 years ago, when he was, one would argue, closer to his prime. So I was worried that when he hit little ol’ Salt Lake City – or, more specifically, Sandy, where I have a love/hate relationship with Rio Tinto Stadium – he’d have lost his mojo, and only have been basically showing up for what I’ve heard is a $2 million payoff. The last thing I wanted to see was Macca phoning it in, or resting on his considerable laurels.

The Salt Lake stop – the second on McCartney’s current “Up & Coming” tour – raised another red flag, at least for a Macca buff like me: No artist has done a better job of periodically packaging his live concert videos into merchandising opportunities; in just the past decade, McCartney has released at least four live DVDs featuring he and his band in concert (“Paul McCartney’s Get Back: The World Tour Movie” in 2001; “Paul McCartney: Back in the U.S.” in 2002; “Paul McCartney – Live In Red Square” in 2005 and, just last year, “Good Evening, New York City,” the DVD documentary of McCartney’s triumphant return to Citi Field, near the site of the now-demolished Shea Stadium concert the Beatles played in the mid-60s).

I own every one of them, of course, and have watched them all on multiple occasions. And, in my mind, McCartney circa 2010 in-person might be hard-pressed to compete with his perfectly edited, color-corrected, audio-enhanced on-screen persona.

On the other hand, it wasn’t like I was going to miss the show. Through a friend, I dutifully got tickets. With my sister, I made plans – she had been there 20 years ago today (more or less) for the Berkeley show and remains a huge fan. Rio Tinto Stadium was a decided letdown when it played host to Kenny Chesney and Miranda Lambert a year or so ago, but the stadium staff seems to have gotten its act together 12 months later; things were organized and orderly. And, though there were lines for the $9 Bud Lights, they were relatively quick. Can’t blame the venue if things go wrong.

The crowd on this evening was a spirited mix of nearly every shape, size and generation – from the teenage boys who somehow knew every word of “Band On The Run” to the aging hipsters with the vintage Beatles T-shirts standing up when a particular Beatles hit was unveiled. A lot of beer appeared to be selling on this sweltering summer night, made bearable only by combination of a slightly overcast sky and the sheer anticipation for the act you’ve known for all these years.

No opening bands for McCartney – now, or ever. It’d be difficult to imagine any opener (say, Sheryl Crow? Jet?) living up to the legend that was to follow. On this night, at about 7:40, the lights dimmed as much as possible in the sunshine and a video appeared on the big screens, featuring an electronic audio mix of Wings/Beatles songs over a collage of images of the Beatles, McCartney and various iconic images associated with both from throughout the years. Though interesting to watch in and of itself, the video mainly served to signal the still-arriving crowd (ticket time was 7:30 p.m.) to find their seats and get serious. The show was about to begin.

And, sure enough, that was the story – about 30 minutes later, or around 8:10. With very little fanfare other than the crowd reacting to his actual appearance, there came McCartney and his crackerjack band – Paul 'Wix' Wickens (keyboards), Brian Ray (guitar/bass), Rusty Anderson (guitar) and Abe Laboriel Jr. (drums) – on stage and poised to play, opening with a crowd-pleasing surprise version of the Wings’ classic “Venus & Mars/Rock Show.”

Based on anecdotal evidence only, I believe this is the first time since the 1970s’ “Wings Over America” tours that McCartney has actually opened a live show with this song, written for exactly this type of scenario when he first recorded it more than 35 years ago. (Yes, it's been that long.)

Sitting in the stand of the sports arena
Waiting for the show to begin
Red lights, green lights, strawberry wine,
A good friend of mine, follows the stars,
Venus and Mars
Are all right tonight.

In his black Nehru jacket and slacks, wearing his Beatle boots and plucking his Hofner bass guitar, McCartney was every bit the iconic image from the opening note on, as if it was an album cover or concert poster coming to life. His gestures with whatever guitar he’s playing are theatrical and animated, yet also familiar, a showman’s flair polished over more than 50 years of performances in arenas of every size. He can mug for the front row and play for the bleachers, and his energy and passion for the songs he sings – even the Wings-era album tracks that might be a bit obscure for the casual fan – is infectious. From the opening notes of his second song, Macca – his lyrics seemingly prophetic three decades after the fact – had us in his proverbial hand:

What's that man holding in his hand?
He looks a lot like a guy I knew way back when
Its silly Willy with the Philly band
Could be . . . Oo-ee . . .
What's that man movin' cross the stage?
It looks a lot like the one used by Jimmy Page
It’s like a relic from a different age
Could be . . . Oo-ee . . .

If there's a rock show
At the concertgabow
They're got long hair
At the Madison Square
You've got rock and roll
At the Hollywood Bowl
We'll be there . . . Oo yeah . . .

“Rock Show” segued into a spirited “Jet,” and then a quick foray into the Beatles’ songbook with “All My Lovin’,” but it was McCartney-solo, Wings-era stuff that drove the first hour of the show, including an incredibly ballsy, yearning version of “Letting Go,” a psychedelic “Let Me Roll It” and three Wings’ fastballs in quick succession: “Nineteen-Hundred-Eighty-Five” (“for the Wings fanatics,” McCartney announced); “Let ‘Em In,” (another rarely performed mid-‘70s Wings classic) and “My Love,” the first of the evening’s tribute songs, for the late and lovely Linda McCartney.

McCartney removed his jacket due to the heat early in the show, but he and his band were smoking on all cylinders from the very first beat, underscored by the fact that the current group – now together nearly a decade – was celebrating its 200th gig together in Salt Lake City. Ray and Anderson are versatile vocalists and guitarists (both have to swap around instruments with The Boss depending upon whether he’s playing bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, ukulele or piano) and fill the parts once played by John, George or Denny (Laine). Laboriel is a gifted vocalist who can nail high notes with consistency, sometimes covering (or at least aiding) McCartney’s higher register and Wickens (the only holdover from the McCartney band of the early ‘90s) is a masterful keyboardist, capable of recreating the varied sounds that go into so many Beatles recordings, in particular.

Though breaking a sweat – but in a good way, with some Utah-oriented banter and clear enthusiasm – McCartney made his way into hour two of the show, featuring more Beatles material as well as a few recent era McCartney solo hits and a track or two by his alter-ego, The Fireman. A tribute to his slain former bandmate John Lennon (“Here Today,” from the early '80s album “Tug of War”) was well-received, as was a truly emotional tribute to the late George Harrison, whose “Something” McCartney covered with verve, starting on ukulele (given to Macca by George) and finishing with a full-out electric play-through that rivaled the original "Abbey Road" recording.

There was something about McCartney’s emotion and vitality as he sang some of his more memorable songs, or tributes to his fallen friends and lovers. A sense that, at 68, his life at this point has included losses and disappointments as well as triumphs and joy. To a degree, this wisdom informed much of his performance – you get the sense that the 68-year-old McCartney singing “The Long and Winding Road” is feeling the song a lot more than the 28-year-old McCartney was when he wrote it.

As the night wore on, the crowd, enthusiastic all evening, leapt to its feet in response to a surprising trio of tunes as hour three of the concert dawned: Wings' classic “Band On The Run” followed by a spirited “Ob La Di Ob La Da” and a rocking “Back In The USSR.” McCartney then gritted out a harder version of “Paperback Writer” than its recorded Beatles' track might suggest before reproducing Lennon’s vocals in a haunting mix of “A Day In the Life” and “Give Peace A Chance.”

Though I’ve seen McCartney do live versions of his three closing songs – “Let It Be” (complete with people waving their cell phones), “Live and Let Die” (complete with the fireworks right on cue) and “Hey Jude” (complete with the Macca-led crowd sing-along) – before, the emotion of the moment was in no way limited; as my sister said, McCartney seemed to grow younger as the show went on, and his vocals and vibrancy were unassailable. But the time he came to the show’s nominal end, it was hard to believe he was really going anywhere – and indeed, he wasn’t, as evidenced by his first encore, highlighted by a spirited (and vigorous) “Day Tripper,” and hard pop versions of “Lady Madonna” and “Get Back.”

This guy really wrote all these songs.

With the crowd of 25,000 now on its feet for good, McCartney appeared for a second encore, featuring memorable versions of “Yesterday” (Macca alone with his acoustic guitar put to rest any talk of loss of vocal range), an over-the-top, I’ll-show-those-kids-how-to-rock “Helter Skelter,” and a customized marriage of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “The End.”

McCartney likely could’ve gone on; he told us it was time to go home, and his incredible musicianship, vocals and artistry were on full display until the final bow. “You’ve been brilliant,” he told his first-time Utah audience, promising another visit. “We’ll see you next time.”

It’s been nearly 50 years since the Beatles and McCartney first conquered the world; I won’t hold my breath about his returning to Utah anytime soon. But if this was it, if this was McCartney’s one-and-only appearance in our fair city, it was truly memorable – a tour de force of talent, material, showmanship and legacy.

It was, literally, one for the ages.

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ON THE DOT: Now back in business (with a modified rating system) the “John Youngren Dot Com” blog (once known as “Pop Stew”) should be updated regularly. And remember, as always, this is just an exhibition; it is not a competition – so please, no wagering. To contact John, e-mail johnyoungren@mac.com

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