Paul McCartney’s ‘Back in the US’ concert tour of America in 2002 was captured on DVD. An icon of pop music, he changed countless lives and carved his name through whole cultures. Here he can be seen playing over thirty songs, live in front of huge audiences.

Paul McCartney is a giant of musical creativity and a great singer and performer still rightly venerated by most of the world forty years after he first became famous.

For those of us who were fortunate enough to have grown up in the 1960s there were other giants. John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, The Who, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin… the list goes on. What we didn’t know then is how spoilt we were. We thought that this standard of song writing and musical innovation was quite normal.

Time has marched on and the great John Lennon – like Hendrix – is dead, George Harrison is no more, Frank Zappa’s obscene lyrics are written no more, Vivian Stanshall’s laconic surreal English madness is gone, gone, gone.

Which is why this DVD of Paul McCartney performing, live with a great band, many of those timeless classics with energy and as much charismatic charm as ever, is something very special.

One great thing is that this band sounds absolutely right. The arrangements are truly like the great records, many of them from forty years ago. I suppose they are actually much better because they come across with the sound quality of the 21st century as opposed to the 45 and 33 rpm crackly vinyl we used to know. We’re looking at a mighty wall of amps and speakers, and excellent musicians having a ball here, and if you liked The Beatles in their early days as cheery mop-tops, or in their hippy years with Abbey Road and Sgt Peppers, the music is here on this DVD, and it sounds incredible.

I’d never seen this line up before:

Brian Ray – guitar and bass
Abe Laboriel Jr - drums
Rusty Anderson – lead guitar
Paul Wickens – keyboards

Each in his own right is a very talented musician capable of singing stunningly tuneful harmonies whilst playing his instrument. They’re just perfect.

The drummer is particularly interesting. I’d never seen him before but he was a delight to watch. He was a young black guy with a mad technique that had me on the edge of my chair. My son and I just kept rewinding bits of his virtuosity and curious playing antics in awe. He throws back his head and doesn’t just play the beat – he IS the beat. Those drums get some serious whacking but I don’t think he’s a very serious personality. He does, however, get into a zone and it looks very absorbing in there.

I glanced at a couple of reviews on this DVD elsewhere on the Internet and I saw that one or two people had made the same complaint about the editing of the DVD. Although I disagree with it, they make a valid point, which is this:

The editing of the DVD has been done in such a way that a lot of the time the camera cuts to faces in the audience to show their reaction. Some consider this distracting, as they want to see the band – not the audience. Still, this is my review so I can disagree as much as I like. Why would I? Because I think the dynamic between the audience and the pop legend that is Sir Paul McCartney, the grown men in tears of nostalgia, the smiling (and always singing) faces, the lovers who stand up and have a slow dance despite where they are, and the children who know the words…this is something you can only show by collecting such moments. They’re hard to bottle but in my opinion this DVD has it about right. I want to see how much enjoyment the hero and musical role model of my teens can spread. The extra features of Paul Mania were exactly what I wanted to see and I got it. Great!

The twelve shiny red trucks deliver the McCartney world of entertainment, clowns, surreal dancers and jugglers, lighting gantries, mixers, engineers, etc, who erect a stage the size of a town and we see the hysterical fans, and hear plaudits from the likes of Stallone and Leno. When McCartney emerges in silhouette to a backdrop with a Hofner Bass on it, holding a real one up in salute, the crowd goes crazy. The first number is ‘Hello Goodbye’.

Jet
****

After the perky ‘Hello Goodbye’ we come to the post Beatles song, ‘Jet,’ complete with fantastic harmonies, impossibly huge guitar riffs. Abe is looking interesting in the middle bits and the guitarist is playing a white Gibson SG. I want it.

The professionalism of the band is stunning. It’s a great performance.

All My Loving
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With footage of The Beatles arriving in America forty years ago on big screens at the front, and with housewives screaming back at the screaming young girls on the screen, and with grown men in tears, Paul and his band do a perky ‘All my Loving’ which is understandably well appreciated.

Live and Let Die
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With a behind the scenes look at the pyrotechnic engineering they go into the song ‘Live and Let Die’, used in the James Bond film of the same name and later covered by other bands. The audience reaction is priceless when the bangers go off. The look one woman gives her husband is extremely comical.

This song just rocks so much. Ingenious riffs, and the juxtapositioning of ballad with crashing, foot stomping fury. McCartney’s on his feet whacking some rock and roll piano Jerry Lee Lewis style. It’s exciting stuff.

Coming Up
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This follows some autograph signing and the band having a laugh before their sound-check. McCartney has some appreciative words to say about his great band. The band have a few reciprocal compliments to offer. What I think is a Wings number follows and it’s another rocker.

Blackbird
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I’ve played this song for thirty-five years or more and it’s wonderful to see the master at work with his own creation. Finger picking and one of the loveliest chord progressions I’ve ever heard support the silky voiced Paul McCartney as he croons, ‘Blackbird singing in the dead of night. Take these broken wings and learn to fly.
All your life - you were only waiting for this moment to arise.’

It’s just Paul on stage in front of huge crowds with a six string guitar. The massive round of applause is much deserved.

We can work it out
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Paul is on his own again with a lovely acoustic guitar, strumming away. Happy faces beam up to the stage and everyone sings along, delighted. Considering there’s no band this works really well.

Here There and Everywhere
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The lovely old ballad with lots of close harmony and an accordion backs Paul along with his acoustic guitar, bass, and some breathy snare work from Abe. That’s a real piece of nostalgia.

Eleanor Rigby
****************

The wonderful song complete with harmonies and synths so good you’d think the cellos and orchestra were real. This is just such a good lyric.

Three verses: In the first we meet old Eleanor. In the second we meet old Father McKenzie. And in the last these two sad and lonely people finally meet but it is only because she has died and he is performing the funeral rites. It’s good even as a poem.

Matchbox
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I think I have this on a cassette with Ringo doing the vocal but I don’t think it was as tuneful as this version. The run up to this song involves a short documentary about the setting up of the stage. Plus some whimsical silliness including a punk rock ‘Hey Jude’.

The song itself is pure old-fashioned rock and roll. It’s being performed as a sound check with just a few girls boogying in an arena where workmen are walking about setting things up. Then the arriving audience is split-screened with some nice lead playing from Paul.

Loving Flame
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This is a love song for Heather. They discuss how it came to be written as the song plays and there are shots of them on their private plane. About half way through the song we get the full strength of this love song. It’s belted out and yet pretty too.

Fool on the Hill
*****************

The original video footage of this song was filmed in France. A young and handsome Paul McCartney in the sixties goofs around on his own. That’s the footage they use here, projected up on big screens as Paul sits at his brightly coloured Magical Mystery Tour piano to play. The synths reproduce the flutes. It’s a lovely old song with some amazing chords, both evocative and yet simple.

Getting Better
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Now we step up a gear into the famous song from the Sergeant Pepper album. The sound is so true to the original I can hardly believe it. I never imagined it could even be done live. The drummer, Abe, plays solid beat drumming where required but when the interesting Indian bits come in he just flops effortlessly into what must be more demanding beats and rhythms. He gets better as the DVD goes on.

Here Today
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I’d not heard this before. Paul is singing to John Lennon about what he’d probably say if he was here today and they were in conversation. It’s just Paul with an acoustic and the golden voice. I love synths and samples but this is just so genuine and raw – it’s a true musician communicating directly and powerfully to the audience. I saw a few tears being brushed away again on this one.

Something
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As a tribute to George, Paul plays his song from the Abbey Road album, on a ukulele. It’s an odd way to do it but apparently George was very fond of these for party pieces and entertaining with friends. It works surprisingly well. Bravery points for even attempting it on such an unlikely instrument in front of so many people and the cameras.

There’s a bit of video from ‘The Jay Leno’ show, and that’s what they use as the vehicle for the next song.

Band on the Run
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I was in hospital in the seventies and I used to sit with headphones on for hours listening to this album. The nice ballad and the raunchy riffs to contrast took me right back.

The sound is a remarkable facsimile of the original. The audience looked ecstatic. It always was a pleasant pop song and is quite a foot tapper.

Let me Roll it
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This is from McCartney’s first solo album. I always liked this with it’s raunchy riff that answers each time the music stops. Abe is warming up and his head is becoming an integral part of his technique. This gets even more pronounced later.

Back in the USSR
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This is the first track on The Double White Album, if memory serves, and is clearly where this DVD got its title. It has a distinctly Beach Boys feel to it. The preamble is a number of shots of the band messing about and having a joke on the ‘plane. As it takes off we cut into the song itself.

The driving bass and push of the drums sends this charging forward and those retro harmonies are all there. The lead break could be George Harrison. The full energy of that powerful original track is there live in the twenty first century and the audience are eating it up with a spoon. I think I just saw Jack Nicholson boogying! Yes, I did.

My Love
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From the Red Rose Speedway album comes the love song Paul wrote for Linda. It’s a rich and feeling sound with superb phrasing. I don’t know how he can sing some of those high notes. He’s even hitting ones that weren’t in the original. They’re higher…

Maybe I’m Amazed
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This is just a great song. I used to find the piano run and McCartney’s rocking raucous roar one of the most thrilling things I’d ever heard. The lead break alone makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Real quality.

However, wonderful though the harmonies are. Great though the piano playing sounds – it is Abe who gets my attention in this version. His head rolls back and his mouth is open. He’s just incredible to watch. Whacka whacka whacka whacka! Paul is smiling at him as he sings. The keyboard player does a sort of hand over his head gesture in response. It’s a heck of a number and this band just nails it. Perfect.

Freedom
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This isn’t one I know and I can’t say it means much to me but it is a song about fighting for the right to live in freedom and the American audience couldn’t really have been much more in tune with that sentiment – especially in view of the twin towers and the evil mass murder still very new and raw in their psyche.

Let it be
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One of the timeless classics of pop history, Let it be, from the film and album of the same name – the last one the Beatles did together – given full respect and played compellingly. Abe is lost in the beat and the rich tones of those lovely chord progressions support Paul and much of the audience in their singing.

Paul and Heather visit some apes at this point. That seems a little odd but Paul wrote ‘Yesterday’ so he can do whatever he wants as far as I’m concerned. I think it may be part of a standing joke with the band about ‘The Monkees’ who were the American manufactured pretend band produced when they wanted their own Beatles in the US.

Hey Jude
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I’ve just said ‘timeless classics’ haven’t I? Oh well… so’s this one. So much so that Paul is able to get up and get the audience joining in, ‘Just the fellahs,’ – ‘Now just the ladies’….

I saw Michael Douglas there in the crowd. There seem to be a lot of celebrities.

I remember The Beatles on Top of the Pops when they did this live. Here it has become a huge sing-a-long with a massive sense of event. Who’d have thought that a chorus of, ‘Na-na-na-NANA na na!’ would have ever become so universally loved?

Can’t buy me love
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Paul is promoted to detective by the NYPD and promptly arrests one of his team. Then we’re into ‘Can’t buy me love’. I bet in the old days this would have been obscured by screaming teenagers but now everyone’s joining in and the amps and speakers are so huge the sound is fabulous. No Vox AC30s in sight! It’s nice to see that signature Hofner bass again.

Lady Madonna
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I think this was a single in about 1968 with a very distinctive piano and the image of the poor Lady Madonna with her children who’re learning to tie their bootlaces. The driving bass line and pounding beat have the audience dancing. I think the way people have internalised these songs comes out here as they join in, faces beaming in delight.

The Long and Winding Road
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I was a little surprised here because popular mythology has it that Paul didn’t like the orchestration that was added to the track without his knowledge by Phil Spector. However, this was later addressed on the ‘Let it be Naked’ album where it was removed in the mix. The synth is doing the orchestration here though.

What surprised Paul was that two rows of crew held up hearts and choked him up on his first few lines of the song, showing their appreciation in a surprise gesture. He got it together quickly though and it’s a great rendition of a great number.

Yesterday
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I always think of a young Paul McCartney playing this song on a Royal Command Performance and listening to it for the first time in a while I was amazed at the orchestration that comes in to such good effect after the first few lines. In this lovely performance of one of the most famous songs in the world, Paul uses the original guitar he played on the Eddie Sullivan show in the early 60s. Great sound on it! Couples hug, girls who weren’t even born then are moved to tears. Genius moments.

Sergeant Peppers/reprise/The End
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Now this couldn’t possibly be done live could it? Well – they don’t have all the animals and the swirling orchestration from the original album, but otherwise it clearly can.

Abe Laboriel Jr not only reproduces the drum solo Ringo did, but improves on it. McCartney, Ray and Anderson do the competing lead solos, up to, ‘And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make.’

I saw her standing there
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This old rock and roll song plays over the titles and there are plenty more shots of that audience joining in and having a great time.

‘I’ll never dance with another since I saw her standing there!’

The lead breaks are faithfully reproduced to capture the spirit of the original. The harmonies are pure Beatles and it’s all good retro fun.

Special features
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These include three songs, Bring it to Jerome, (blues), Midnight Special (Cajun sounding),, and San Fransisco Bay, (skiffly old pub favourite). As well as these numbers there are five little documentaries about things like the band, being on the road, Paul Mania, etc.

If you want to reduce the amount of non-music material on this DVD you have the option in Special Features to play the songs from a set list. Then you get mainly music and fewer documentary moments.

Final Points
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This is Paul McCartney playing live gigs and playing brilliantly. This is one of ‘The Beatles’, for Heaven’s sake!. It’s an amazing thing to find him looking so well and playing as well as ever in front of live audiences so many decades after it all began. These are the songs that changed the face of rock music. This is one of the inventors of the hippy movement, one of the introducers of sitar and multicultural and philosophical change to the young, one of the Generals in the anti-establishment, flower power, pop-culture, aesthetic revolution of the 1960s.

He is the reason many musicians and songwriters took up instruments and started out in the first place. When he strummed an ‘E’ the music shops sold another 100, 000 electric guitars. I owe him a debt of gratitude for that. I was one of the customers.

I still know people who write and play and record, wishing they could be one hundredth as good as McCartney. The whole fashion for bands writing their own numbers comes from the role model of Lennon and McCartney. Thousands of artistic dreams were born in their long shadow.

In Liverpool there’s a Beatles museum! I went there years ago. And there’s the odd thing. McCartney is out rocking in front of huge audiences, playing tremendous music. In a way, just out of respect for his achievements, maybe he should be in a museum, but I think of museums as historical archives of things old and past. One thing quite certain from watching the looks on the faces of the audiences he enchants in this DVD, is that Paul McCartney is still very much a force to be reckoned with, has bundles of energy, looks great, and can produce the goods live time and time again.

So, if you want a bit of history don’t look for it in a museum. Stick this DVD on, crank it up loud, and see history leap right up to make thousands of people happy live on stage in the 21st century.

Available for £14.99, delivered, from Play.com