We Went There: Sir Paul McCartney at U.S. Bank Stadium
From the opening notes of “Help!” to the encore closed out by amazing closing (listed) songs from Abbey Road, 83-year-old Sir Paul McCartney brought charm, grace and his one-in-a-lifetime talent to our local football field, delivering a three hour set to over 50,000 delighted fans.
I spent my formative years being a Lennon partisan, thinking Sir Paul was uncool and the lesser half of the duo, but like many people I’ve come around to Paul’s contributions, even if his post Beatles music always left me desiring more. The massive, 30+ song setlist Friday night helped solidify that feeling, showcasing the massive highs and the (relatively) lesser material from his Wings and solo career.
Paul, backed by a group featuring two guitars, drums and keyboards, with a horn section for good measure, kept the pace for the long concert by weaving in stone cold classics with lesser known material. The first third of the set saw Beatles classics, including opener “Help!,” “Drive My Car,” “Got to Get You Into My Life,” and “Getting Better,” wrapped around songs Wings songs like an extended, greasy version of “Let Me Roll It” and a blues-y “Letting Go.”
I think most of the packed stadium were willing to get through songs that weren’t their favorites to get to middle set highlights like a charming, piano driven “Maybe, I’m Amazed,” a stunning “Blackbird” that included maybe the best visual component of a night where there was a lot of great visual backing material, and a spry, small group rendition of “Love Me Do.”
The last third of the main set was an embarrassment of riches that closed out the main set with a uke-assisted “Something” –> “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” –> “Band on the Run” –> “Get Back” –> a “Let it Be” singalong –> a pyro heavy “Live and Let Die” –> a massive, life affirming “Hey Jude.” How many artists could have that run, let alone it not even being the encore? Just a stunning showcase of a generational talent, and the crowd was eating out of Sir Paul’s hands.
The encore was a bit clunky, starting with a video collaboration with John Lennon on “I’ve Got a Feeling” before going into a slightly warped “Sgt. Peppers,” but it ended on a massive high note as a racous “Helter Skelter” was followed by the Abbey Road closing tracks of “Golden Slumbers” into “Carry That Weight” before wrapping up with “The End.” It wasn’t a showcase of his greatest songs, but they might be his best, blending his immaculate songwriting, visionary lyrics and crack performances in a way that few other artists could challenge.
All things taken into account, the 3-hour performance by a man who be all accounts could and should be living a comfortable retirement was an amazing performance. There were a few quibbles, including some cringe AI videos of current Paul playing with 60s/70s Beatles and a few songs that I think could have been left off the setlist, but those are minor things when the show is taken as a whole.
If you, like me, spent any amount of time not giving Sir Paul his flowers, I suggest you make amends and would encourage you to see this legend while you can. Many days it seems like we are living in a cursed timeline, but it can’t be all bad if we’re on this spinning, burning planet at the same time as Sir Paul.
You can see Jon’s photos from the show HERE.
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