MEMORABLE MCCARTNEY MOMENTS
Those of us who believe that virtually all rock shows go on too long and should be obliged by statute to stop at 90 minutes might be tempted to write in an exception for Paul McCartney, whose catalogue easily sustains a marathon twice that length.
I have attended all his Montreal performances, plus his 2008 Quebec City show, and covered all but the 1989 Forum concert. Picking highlights from the five nights is a thankless task, but here are some moments that are burned in my memory.
Forum, Dec. 9, 1989
The first time I heard The Roar — an indescribable, deafening, goosebump-inducing outpouring of emotion that dwarfs the standard noisy ovation greeting other performers as they take the stage. It has exploded each time I have seen McCartney make his entrance. In 1989, his concert formula had not yet been codified, and the concept of hearing part of the Abbey Road suite — stretching from Golden Slumbers to The End — performed live by its composer couldn’t even be imagined. By the time he hit Carry That Weight, my spine had turned to jelly and my face was melting.
Quebec City, Plains of Abraham, July 20, 2008
It was a nightmare to cover, with the Festival d’été organizers completely unprepared for the onslaught of media. My computer was losing its charge and I had to get uncharacteristically aggressive in demanding a power source. In the middle of all the logistical stress and the deadline pressure, I was stopped dead in my tracks by the simple, stately beauty of I’ll Follow the Sun. When I was given the all-clear from the Montreal Gazette’s newsroom after filing for both early and late editions of the paper, I grabbed a beer and noticed that I Saw Her Standing There had never sounded so joyous. Even media people were dancing.
Bell Centre, Aug. 12, 2010
For the first time, I noticed that Band on the Run got a more enthusiastic welcome than even some of the Beatle material. The entire three-hour performance was wonderfully generous, perfectly paced and relentlessly energetic, with the rarely heard Ram On, a gorgeous little gem, providing the night’s spine-tingling blindside.
Bell Centre, July 26, 2011
The same level of inspiration prevailed less than a year later, when McCartney returned for two sold-out nights. Couples spontaneously hugged during I Will, one man put his arm around a friend as they sang along to Michelle, and the ukulele arrangement of Something as a tribute to George Harrison tugged at the heartstrings, as always. For real Beatle geeks, hearing The Night Before live was worth the price of admission. Bell Centre, July 27, 2011
The previous night’s set opener, Hello Goodbye, was replaced by Magical Mystery Tour, which juiced up the excitement level a notch. Later, surrounded by fireworks and plumes of fire, a grinning McCartney looked as if he was gleefully performing Live and Let Die through the apocalypse. But he also stripped it way down and faced challenging emotions as he sang Here Today, his conversation with John Lennon that could never take place. The astonishingly positive energy was nicely illustrated by a 20-something audience member seen singing “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make” like he meant it. Raise your hand if you believe that thought has become more important than ever.