Back in the U.S. [Live]

Bruce Beatlefan (April 1, 2006)

The fact that this man who had just turned 60 successfully pulled off not a \"reunion\" tour, or a \"nostalgia\" tour, but a full-fledged high-decibel stomping and screaming rock show is nothing short of phenomenal. This two-CD set chronicles this show, which I did not have the privilege of attending. Some comments about this CD:
(1) What an unexpected thrill to hear \"It\'s Getting Better\", performed with all the optimism and energy of its Sgt. Pepper track.
(2) For some reason it has become trendy for rock reviewers in recent years to dismiss the popularity of the \"Band on the Run\" album as a fluke. The appreciative screams from the crowd at the first licks of \"Jet\", \"Band on the Run\" and \"Let Me Roll It\" in this CD give lie to that baloney. These tracks are in fact as good as much of the Beatle\'s work.
(3) Paul and the band, for the most part, treat the beloved Beatles songs with faithfulness and reverence, never \'going through the motions\' of playing 40-year-old songs.
(4) The exception to (3), \"You Never Give Me Your Money\" was awful and infuriating to me. I would bet that fully 60% of the audience was quite capable of giving Paul the exact words to that song. If I had been at the concert I would have been screaming them out (from the 243rd row).
(5) I wish that the CD\'s recorded at least some between-song conversation from Paul, particularly during the part when he gives tribute to John (Here Today) and George (Something). There doesn\'t seem to be any tribute to Lovely Linda at all, unless it was My Love.
(6) Some of Paul\'s newer material mixed in quite well with the old classics, particularly \"Vanilla Sky\" and \"Lonely Road\".
(7) I didn\'t especially care for the treatment of the \"Hey Jude\" coda (\"just the ladies now\"...) but it was not surprising either.
(8) All in all, a magnificent performance by the numero uno entertainer of my lifetime.