Customer Reviews

Good Evening New York City

5 star:		(108)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this set, primarily for the DVD.

The DVD is a VAST improvement over McCartney's previous live videos.


Let's take a look:


Rockshow (great movie, but not a complete show.)

Get Back (incomplete show. annoyingly cut from many different shows. Too many audience shots, etc.)

Paul Is Live (incomplete show. Too many MTV style cuts. Headache inducing.)

Back In The US (every song is interrupted by documentary footage. Way too much focus on audience shots, and not enough of what's going on stage.)

Live In Red Square / St. Petersburg (horrible editing. Like Paul Is Live, its headache inducing.)

The Space Within US (incomplete show. Documentary footage and celebrity testimonials interrupt every song. Extra disappointing, as this was one of my favorite Paul tours, and a horrible document of what was an amazing tour.)


Oh, how I wished Paul would just release a concert DVD, with no documentary footage between songs. Of a complete show. And edit it well.

Good Evening, NYC fits the bill.

Almost.

It is the full show. The editing is not as jumpy as some of the others.

No extraneous footage between songs, ruining the flow of the concert.

But I subtract a star for the inclusion of 'audience cam'. At the shows, they distributed little handheld video cameras, to a number of concertgoers. And some of this amateur footage, is sometimes mixed in with the professional footage. I'd have rather had the pro footage only.

So its not exactly what I wanted. But it's getting closer.

A disclaimer: I was at the first night at Citi Field, so I watched with memories of that great performance. I got the deluxe package from Best Buy today and intended on watching the first few songs on DVD. 2 1/2 hours later, I had sat through the whole show and felt like I was back at the concert. Actually, there was one song that was better on the DVD - "I'm Down" interspersed footage from both the Beatles at Shea and McCartney at Citi Field. The DVD must have combined the three nights because Billy Joel is on the DVD (and he only performed the first night) but there are no crowd scenes with umbrellas (it rained during the middle part of the first night). Paul was greatly moved by being back at the site of the historic Shea concert and it shows in his performance. Definitely recommended.

Somehow at age 67 the iconic and tireless Paul McCartney can still perform long concerts with his incredible voice intact and his energy level remaining frenetic. It's the rockers on this CD that are utterly captivating. The version of "Day Tripper" is scorching. The intense "I've Got A Feeling" sounds timeless. "Helter Skelter" is sheer psychedelia. "I'm Down" is still a seminal Beatles' classic. "Only Mama Knows" is a riveting gem from "Memory Almost Full." The cosmic "Highway" and "Sing The Changes" are two of the greatest songs from MACCA'S last Fireman CD, the brilliant "Electric Arguments". "Mrs. Vanderbilt" is a welcome live song from Paul's vintage Wings era.

There are also many high quality songs that MACCA has been performing live for years. "Jet" and "Live And Let Die" are sterling and explosive. "Get Back", "Lady Madonna" and "Back In The USSR" are great audience pleasers because they fervently rock. A major highlight is Paul performing John and his own vocals on the poignant "A Day In The Life." The fantastic concert aptly closes with "Sgt. Peppers" and "The End."

This CD proves that Paul McCartney is one of the paramount live concert performers in musical history. His vocals and instrumental virtuosity are amazing. MACCA resonates live and on stage.

Note: It's imperative for all McCartney fans to have The Fireman "Electric Arguments" CD. It's arguably his finest CD and it's probably the one that Lennon would appreciate the most.

This 2cd 1dvd set is incredible. Having gone to the CitiField concert it was great reliving that evening. Nothing can match the energy of actually being at the concert but boy does this come close. The audio recording is superb as is the video. It's amazing at 67 years old how vibrant McCartney is and his voice sounds better than ever. There are so many Beatle songs in this set that will please any Beatle's fan and they all sound terrific. His solo material is awesome and the pyrotechnics during Live and Let Die must be seen. This is a must buy for any McCartney fan.

Allright Macca lovers...we all must own this and its a great collection...but if you hurry to BEST BUY for $19.99 you get a DVD sized package with a BONUS DVD with about an hour of exclusive footage from his David Letterman appearance (many songs not even shown) and more...plus the package is lavish and has great artwork a bonus BASEBALL style Playing card of Macca and is the 5 star version of this CD sized packaged 2 cd one dvd. I'm not going to argue about sound or editing or his age and hair coloring...these are a cool batch of some of the greatest songs of our time performed by the only guy with the right to do it and he even sprinkles in a very obscure classics like "Mrs Vanderbilt" for goodness sake so redundant to your Macca collection its not.

Oh...and I agree with others...nice to have a full show...can't understand why Paul continues to think we want to see audience members crying and singing more than watching him and his band but after all these years and all his movies...I expect that and am used to it.

for casual fans this is great...for true fans...get to Best Buy and get the whole package!

This is an excellent live collection put out by Paul.
I've seen him live four times.
I remember in '89 thinking, "Boy, his voice is shot!"
But, somehow, 20 years later, he sounds better than ever!

Feel free to order from Amazon. After all, they are obviously a very trusted name,
but if you want a real value, head over to Best Buy and pick up the Deluxe Package for
only $19.99!!! This comes with a well-made booklet, tons of photos, a McCartney baseball card,
2 Cds, and 2 DVDs... one including his rooftop performance during his David Letterman appearance, and
a documentary.

I was hoping he's head all over the US this year, but this will have to do.
And again, he sounds really good!

I appreciate the fact that this DVD, unlike other Paul McCartney DVDs I own, shows the full concert and doesn't intermingle interview footage. I've been waiting for a package like this for a long time.

The performance here is great, the set list amazing, and it's 2.5 hours long. This is very much worth getting.

Last July, I obtained, at the last minute, a ticket to see Paul McCartney play at Fenway Park, Boston. Boy, was I pleased I went! The show was incredible! No other musician has the kind of musical catalogue that Sir Paul can draw upon. It was just amazing to hear 35,000+ people sing, a capella, the coda to "Hey Jude". You can hear that, as well as the rest of the show (to the best of my recollection, the playlist for the Fenway show was the same as the one on these CDs, and was likely the same, or virtually the same, for all the shows on Paul's summer 2009 tour) on this 2 CD/DVD set issued on a certain coffee chain's "Hear Music" label.

This CD/DVD combo is a great momento of the show for anyone who went, and for those who didn't, is a nice collection of great Beatles/McCartney/Wings songs played live. The majority of the songs included on this set (and all but one song on the second CD) are in fact Beatles songs, played live by the only remaining Beatle who can play them (sorry, Ringo). While most of the songs are principally Paul's, he does pay tribute to George ("Something"; with Paul on mandolin or ukelele) and John ("A Day In The Life" > "Give Peace A Chance").

I have listened to the CDs, mostly in the car, and partly on my home system. My first impression is that the performances are very, very good, and the sound is decent enough for a live show. Amazingly, after all these years, Paul's voice still sounds the same! In addition to his fine voice, Paul displays his musical talents by playing, in addition to his famous Hofner electric bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards and mandolin (or ukelele). New York resident Billy Joel makes a cameo appearance on "I Saw Her Standing There." While these are not definitive performances (for those, check out the remastered Beatles CDs), they offer a great listening experience. I have not yet watched the DVD.

Contrary to the cover information, the CDs are apparantly a representation of Paul's summer 2009 concert show culled from three different shows performed at New York's Citi Field, which has replaced Shea Stadium (the site of the famous 1964 Beatles concert(s)), and which is now the new home of the New York Mets baseball team. The songs are blended together to give the illusion that they are from a single concert. Having gone to the Fenway show, I can report that Paul's in between song banter has been eliminated from the CDs; I can't yet report on the DVD.

The packaging leaves something to be desired. The CDs and DVD are housed in cardboard sleeves, so care is required when removing and replacing the CDs. There is no identification of the actual dates of the performances. Nevertheless, this set is a great value, 2 CDS and a DVD for the price of a single CD. For those who went to one of the shows, this is really a must buy, as it is a great momento of a memorable concert.

This edition of Good Evening New York City has two awesome CDs and a two hour plus DVD with excellent footage, all compiled from the three nights Paul and his band played at New York City's Citi Field Stadium in July, 2009. Paul and his mates (Paul "Wix" Wickens, Rusty Anderson, Abe Laboriel, Jr. and Brain Ray) are in excellent form; and the guest appearance by Billy Joel is absolutely wonderful! The CDs have some background noise from the crowd which shows just how much Paul McCartney and his band enjoyed a very positive, even electric rapport with their audience. In addition, the DVD has crystal clear footage of the songs they performed over the three nights although there was a bit too much footage of the audience which should have been replaced with footage of the performers on stage. However, don't let this dissuade you from getting this package: it's still extremely good and a must-have for any Paul McCartney fan. In addition, fans of The Beatles may want this also because McCartney makes sure to include lots of Beatles tunes in his show.

There are so many jewels here that it's impossible to highlight just a few of them; Paul and his buddies do outstandingly well. There's Beatles standards including "Eleanor Rigby," "Drive My Car;" "Back in the USSR;" "Something (written by George Harrison);" "Let It Be;" "Hey Jude;" "Lady Madonna;" "I Saw Her Standing There;" "Yesterday" and the ending medley of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/The End."

It's just as important to mention some of the terrific songs Paul gave us after the breakup of The Beatles. "Jet;" "Flaming Pie;" "Let Me Roll It;" "Highway;" Calico Skies;" "Only Mama Knows" and "Sing The Changes" are performed with lots of positive energy and panache.

The DVD gives you the feeling of being there for an entire night's concert although I have the impression that this was a film created by patching together footage from all three nights Paul and his buddies played at Citi Field Stadium. The quality of the print is flawless; it's quite clear and the sound leaves nothing to be desired. Play this on a big screen TV with all the lights down and you'll swear you were right there! There could have been a little less footage of the audience and a little more footage of Paul and the band but still this is quite a fine DVD.

Good Evening New York City is a fantastic 2 CD, 1 DVD set and any Paul McCartney fan will want this for their collections. This set also makes a terrific introduction to Paul and his artistry for people just discovering his magic. It's something to seriously consider for Beatles fans, too.

Paul McCartney has more money than Bill Gates - he continues to write and record new songs simply to express his love of music and he continues to tour to share his love of music with his millions of fans. "Good Evening New York City" is a superbly recorded two hour concert of songs from the Beatles and from Paul McCartney's four decades of writing and performing. Adding a two hour DVD filmed version of the concert to the package and pricing it at just $15 for two CD's and a DVD makes this Paul's gift to his fans.

Over the decades, Paul has recorded many "live" concerts. Some of the songs on "Good Evening" are available on half a dozen albums. Yet, "Good Evening New York City" is special...it may be the pinnacle of McCartney's career. He and his crack band put on a wonderful show. The rock songs have lots of energy, sometimes they rock harder than the original versions, and the ballads have nuances than come from maturity and experience.

What make "Good Evening" perhaps the "ultimate" McCarney collection is the song selection. He brings together great songs from the Beatles, from Wings, and from his solo career. His "live" versions of some of his more recent songs, such as "Only Mama Knows", "Dance Tonight" and "Highway" are a wonderful "fit" with songs he wrote almost fifty years ago.

The sound engineers did a great job of preserving the feel and energy of a "live" performance, while also preserving the subtle details of each instrument, and balancing the vocals with the band. A stereo system that plays loudly with lots of deep bass will let you enjoy both the power and subtlety of Paul's astounding skill on the bass guitar, something that gets missed with TV speakers or cheapo earbuds.

Yes, if you are a Beatle's fan, or a McCartney fan, you already own two or three versions of most of these songs. But, "Good Evening" is truly special, and at the silly low price of this CD and DVD set, it is a wonderful gift from Paul to his fans...you NEED "Good Evening" in your collection.

Millions of people have enjoyed Paul's music over the past four decades, and people will be listening to Paul's music for many decades to come. If you have someone in your family who is age ten to age twenty, "Good Evening" would be the perfect gift...for most younger folks, Paul's music will be both "brand new" and amazing.