BACK IN THE U.S. LIVE 2002

LIVE IN THE US. 2002 : The " Driving Rain Tour " and Paul McCartney was in top form vocally. Never once did he falter in his singing like in his previous concerts. This is Beatles heaven for his millions of fans. Watching the DVD was quite an experience. Seeing old men and women crying, couples embracing and little kids dancing and swaying along to the music. Truly Paul was a phenomenal that transcends ages. At the start of 'The Long And Winding,'  in an unguarded moment, he was caught choking in his throat when his crew surprised him with dozens of pink heart shaped cardboard. Forever the showman, he struggled onto the next verse like it was the most natural thing in the world. Truly a magical concert. There were quite a few celebrities in the audiences as well. Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Jack Douglas to name a few. Seeing them watching together with normal fans were surreal. Unfortunately, the magic in the DVD did not transcended into this double CD. This could have been a fantastic CD and I really can't believe that Paul McCartney could let us sit through close to 2 hours of songs with nary a words in between. There actually was but it was unwisely edited out so all there's left was songs after songs after songs. If I want to listen to all these songs as it was, I can easily burned them all into a CD 'cos I have all the songs anyway. I bought this CD at a discount at a fleas market. Being as it is, this CD served only a a souvenir of that beautiful and magical tour. As for listening to it, I think I much rather prefer the DVD thank you. By the way, the songs in the concert are not in the same order as the CD.

DISC 1 :

Hello, Goodbye ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Just like that without any introduction, we are trussed onto this old Beatles standard. Great performance.

Jet ( McCartney / McCartney ) : This old Wings concert favourite followed suite. Not much different from his other performances in his other concerts.

All My Loving ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Never heard his singing this since The Beatles heyday. Nice.

Getting Better ( Lennon / McCartney ) : This was another Beatles songs that he never sang before. Had the crowd singing along with him. Almost as good as The Beatles version.

Coming Up ( McCartney ) : Another stellar performance thought a little low key than the original. At his age that's understandable.

Let Me Roll It ( McCartney ) : This was not one of my favourite songs but the performance here was something else. Opened a new dimension for me on this song.

Lonely Road ( McCartney ) : I wasn't much of a fan of his new materials, particularly from his "Driving Rain" album so I'll take this as it come.

Driving Rain ( McCartney ) : This was a fairly good rocker with silly lyrics.

Your Loving Flame ( McCartney ) : Another new song from his latest album.

Blackbird ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Paul's back in business. When Paul goes acoustic with just his guitar or the keyboard accompanying him, he just couldn't go wrong.

Every Night ( McCartney ) : This was a slightly slowed down acoustic version than the original but the crowd lapped it all up.

We Can Work It Out ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Paul remember the words to this son this time. He forgot them on his "Unplugged" album and have to redo the song. He flawlessly went through this Beatles standard splendidly.

Mother Nature's Son ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Another Beatles which he performed here for the first time. Nothing beats an ex Beatle singing a Beatles songs.

Vanilla Sky ( McCartney ) : Paul's Grammy winning songs from the Tom Cruise's starring movie of the same name. Seems somewhat awkward being in the company of all those classics. Not a bad track though.

Carry That Weight ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Paul altered the lyrics slightly to suit the current situation in the stadium. You could heard a pin drop as Paul sang this song,

The Fool On The Hill ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Yet another Beatles classic performed masterfully. Almost identical to The Beatles originally.

Here Today ( McCartney ) : Paul's heartfelt tribute to his former colleague, John Lennon. It would have been great if his little speeches before he started on this song were included.

Something ( Harrison ) : The same goes for this George Harrison 's tribute. A slipped down ukulele driven version unlike some version when he launched onto a full blown electric guitar and all on the second half of the song. Ukulele was George's favourite instrumental. The crowd just clapped along. The editing out of the speeches was a gross injustice which I cannot condone.

DISC 2 :

Elanor Rigby ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Paul seems to keep the musical backing top a minimum for quite a number of his songs and it's a good thing for we can get to hear him clearly. Due to overt exposure, I was never a big fan of this Beatles classic. A nice version though.

Here, There And Everywhere ( Lennon / McCartney ) : This song just cannot go wrong. Paul's voice sound as clear and fine as can be in this toned down version.

Band On The Run ( McCartney / McCartney ) : Paul went back to full blown version of this firm concert favourite. A stellar performance. The crowd went wild during the third part of the song.

Back In The U.S.S.R. ( Lennon / McCartney ) : It's amazing that Paul still have the stamina to sing this song the way he used to all those years ago. His band provides him great backing too.

Maybe I'm Amazed ( McCartney ) : A good performance but the "Wings Over America" version was better but then again that was twenty years ago so that's forgivable.

C Moon (  McCartney / McCartney ) : Always loved this reggae influenced song. Playful and fun. The kid in me enjoyed this tremendously and the man after too.

My Love ( McCartney / McCartney ) : Finally, Paul did a version of this song that I liked. The previous one I don't like 'cos it sounded so hollow but this one is stellar.

Can't Buy Me Love ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Now this is a downright kick ass version. Never heard it sounded so good.

Freedom ( McCartney ) : I loved this. Paul's spur of the moment composition after witnessing first hand the 911 tragedy on a plane. The lyrics may not be rocket science type but hey you name me a song that can get people singing along the first time they heard it.

Live And Let Die ( McCartney / McCartney ) : This James Bond Theme given the full blown no hold fireworks and all treatment.

Let It Be ( Lennon / McCartney ) : From this moment on, it's Beatles time all the way and what better song than this legendary standard to leads the way. Beautiful.

Hey Jude ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Paul have been doing this routine on this song for quite a while. The mass singalongs, the girls singing first, then the boys then altogether but how is complaining. Everybody is having a good time.

The Long And Winding Road ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Another stellar version of this most majestic of his Beatles composition.

Lady Madonna ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Truly it's amazing that Paul at his age can just go on and go giving one amazing performance after another. This one is no exception.

I Saw Her Standing There ( Lennon / McCartney ) : This is a rip rolling version that got the crowds on their feet. Even the little ones too. And me too.

Yesterday ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Yet another stunning performance of the standard of all standards.

Sgt., Pepper's / The End ( Lennon / McCartney ) : Finally the show comes to an end and I am glad it did too. For I need a rest too. The ending from "Abbey Road"  medley mingled well into the end of the show. The instrumental bit was prolonged slight though. Truly a remarkable show. A damn shame it cannot be transcended onto the CD.





DOP : Unknown.