Back in the U.S. Live 2002 [LIVE]

Paul got up on stage and sang 36 songs, totaling about 2 and a half hours of pure music---that's no intermission, no cheesy dance numbers, or anything like that...and one might think that his voice may have aged with him, but he can without a doubt still sing like no other. He sang songs from the Beatles, Wings, and some of his solo songs from earlier in his career and also more recently, like from his "Driving Rain" album ("Loving Flame," the song he wrote for Heather, is on this album). He sang many timeless Beatles classics including "Hello Goodybe", "Can't Buy Me Love", "All My Loving," "Blackbird," "Lady Madonna," "Yesterday," "Maybe I'm Amazed," "The Long and Winding Road," and "I Saw Her Standing There," just to name a few. Some of the Wings songs were the unbelievably done "Live and Let Die," as well as "Jet," "Band on the Run," and "Coming Up." He also performed a very touching tribute to the late George Harrison by playing "Something" on the ukelele, after telling the crowd that George was a remarkable ukelele player. He also sang "Here Today" in tribute to the late John Lennon, as well as the famous song "My Love" for his late wife Linda. Not only did he sing these songs, but before singing many of them, he talked to the crowd, whether it be giving a history about why the song was written, or entertaining the audience with a funny story from his many travels.

Anybody who is a Paul McCartney fan or a Beatles fan should not think twice about buying this CD. It is a collection of timeless classics that came from the greatest show I've ever seen. Paul McCartney is a legend, and I guarantee this CD will not disappoint you.

A product of the "post-Beatles generation", but with an ever-growing appreciation of their music, I never would have thought it likely to ever see their music played live, much less by one of the Beatles themselves. Then Mr. McCartney graciously goes on this tour, drawing deep and long from the Beatles catalog, as well as from his rich store of songs from his solo and Wings careers.

This CD set captures the concert virtually in its entirety and, in terms of the setlist, in order as Mr. McCartney played in concert. He sounded great on this tour, and that is conveyed very well in this recording, as is the stellar musicianship of his backing band. The sound quality is, for a live show, tremendously sharp and vibrant, thus making it even more possible for those of us who witnessed it in person to close your eyes and vividly re-live those memories and emotions.

One of the treats of this tour is that Mr. McCartney played several songs solo intermittently throughout the show. It was at these times where he was perhaps at his most poignant, and really tugged at your emotions. This was evidenced in his back-to-back tributes to John Lennon ("Here Today") and George Harrison ("Something", played delightfully on the ukulele), but also in songs like "Blackbird" and "Yesterday".

In the full band setting, the music was well-executed and full of outstanding moments. The "Live and Let Die" sequence was just one of those phenomenal moments, though listeners to this CD miss the stunning pyrotechnics that accompanied this number. The band should also be commended for carrying off the McCartney/Beatles catalog with tremendous aplomb, while at the same time staying enough in the background to allow the audience to focus on Mr. McCartney.

Mr. McCartney was also very well-served in limiting the new material on this tour, as evidenced here. He performed three or four new songs early in the show that were, frankly, mediocre compared to the rest of his setlist. He also performed "Freedom" later in the show, which was the best of the new crop and one that fit in well with that part of the concert.

Those of us who saw the later shows on this tour do not get the live versions of "Michelle" and "Let 'Em In", which he performed in place of "Vanilla Sky" and "C Moon" that are featured here. This is an extremely mild criticism, but one that is by no means detrimental to the overall package.

Another strong point of this CD is that his banter between songs is cut out. While it does remove some funny moments and the explanations behind some songs (not to mention the lead-ins to the Lennon and Harrison tributes), it keeps the CD well-paced. It also keeps it "generic" enough so that it is not fully obvious as to where the songs were actually recorded, thus maintaining at least the illusion that at least one song was recorded at the show you attended. But, far too often, the banter is left in, and it can be amazingly disruptive and inane (I cite the Billy Joel Millenium Concert CD as the prime example). Mr. McCartney left the music to speak for himself.

In my opinion, this is one of the best live CD's in the rock genre that you will find on the market. It gets an unwavering five-star rating from this reviewer, and I recommend it wholeheartedly to Beatles fans, McCartney fans, or simply fans of great music.

Thank you, Mr. McCartney, for the wonderful memories, and for preserving them for all to enjoy.