Paul's Concert Material
A buddy and I were discussing Paul's choice of material for his live shows. It's funny, cuz back when Paul first started playing live in the early 70's, he wouldn't do any Beatles' songs. It was either old standards or new Wings' material.
He eventually began to incorporate a few Beatles' numbers, but stuck to mostly 'new' stuff. I remember thinking at the time (mid-70's) that while it's fun to hear him do 'Lady Madonna' or whatever, I'd rather hear the original Beatles' version. I'm wasn't really interested in hearing Wings do Beatles songs. Denny Laine, Joe English and Jimmy McCollough were poor substitutes for John, Ringo and George. The Beatles were a great, tight, little band. And no matter how 'good' Joe English's drumming was, it wasn't the same. Bands have a chemistry that has little to do with their musicianship. And the Beatles had that. Just watch the Let it be rooftop gig. Plus, John, Paul and George were all great singers and their voices really fit together.
In his recent shows, Paul seems to just want to please the crowd. He does mostly hits and has even said in interviews that the audience expects 'Hey Jude' and he's got to deliver. Again, I'd rather hear the Beatles' 1968 version.
But discussing with my buddy, I realized that what I really want to hear is more obscure solo and Wings stuff. How about some Ram or Red Rose Speedway numbers? You never hear that stuff (except for 'My Love'). My pal said that Bruce Springsteen sometimes does whole albums (or close to it) live. I wouldn't know cuz I've never been a Springsteen fan, but what a great idea! How cool would it be to hear Ram live, or Band on the Run? You might have to cut the numbers that Denny or the others did, but that's okay. I'd even dig Wild Life. Much better than hearing a half-assed version of 'Drive My Car' again.
He eventually began to incorporate a few Beatles' numbers, but stuck to mostly 'new' stuff. I remember thinking at the time (mid-70's) that while it's fun to hear him do 'Lady Madonna' or whatever, I'd rather hear the original Beatles' version. I'm wasn't really interested in hearing Wings do Beatles songs. Denny Laine, Joe English and Jimmy McCollough were poor substitutes for John, Ringo and George. The Beatles were a great, tight, little band. And no matter how 'good' Joe English's drumming was, it wasn't the same. Bands have a chemistry that has little to do with their musicianship. And the Beatles had that. Just watch the Let it be rooftop gig. Plus, John, Paul and George were all great singers and their voices really fit together.
In his recent shows, Paul seems to just want to please the crowd. He does mostly hits and has even said in interviews that the audience expects 'Hey Jude' and he's got to deliver. Again, I'd rather hear the Beatles' 1968 version.
But discussing with my buddy, I realized that what I really want to hear is more obscure solo and Wings stuff. How about some Ram or Red Rose Speedway numbers? You never hear that stuff (except for 'My Love'). My pal said that Bruce Springsteen sometimes does whole albums (or close to it) live. I wouldn't know cuz I've never been a Springsteen fan, but what a great idea! How cool would it be to hear Ram live, or Band on the Run? You might have to cut the numbers that Denny or the others did, but that's okay. I'd even dig Wild Life. Much better than hearing a half-assed version of 'Drive My Car' again.
posted by John Goins at 10:54 AM
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