Daveram, believe me I understand that McCartney may never really change his setlist, my point is he could and he should!
The people asking for a setlist change is growing more and more, and you are going to hear it even more if he drags out the same basic setlist for his upcoming tour. Here's one of the best views I've read by someone asking why McCartney doesn't change his setlist.
mikeskapla
Do people really think they will chase Paul off stage if he replaced obscure barely known Beatle songs like "I'll Get You" for bonafide blockbuster #1 hits like With a Little Luck, Listen to what the Man Said, etc.
Did I miss something and Paul's solo career was a complete bomb as opposed to him being one of the biggest hitmakers on the planet?
I'll take another crack at this point, everytime I do I get hit so I'll say this in advance:
It's kind of weird I think all those that get offended when people make suggestions or disagree some with Paul's approach to concerts. If people think Paul is doing his tours perfectly, good for them, their opinion is just as valid but not more so than people who would like changes.
And no I don't think its some sort of disloyalty to Paul if you disagree with his set list or that you are a truer fan if you eat up everything he does without question. I seriously doubt if I ran into Paul on the street, and I told him I'd love to hear more Wings stuff in concert -- he's think those damn Wing fan idiots, they aren't my true fans, its those that want to hear Let It Be and Hey Jude -- they are what I call my true blue fans.
Having said all that. I'll run with Paul's articulated thoughts on what he wants to do in a show. He wants to give people the hits. He likes to say when people come to his shows they expect to hear the big songs. He also wants to give a broad perspective of his career and give a few oddies to those hardcore fans like us.
Now I really doubt when people come to a Paul McCartney show they are expecting I"ll Get You, In Spite of All the Danger, Till There Was You, C-Moon, Let Me Roll It.
In terms of hits:
With A Little Luck #1 hit never been done in a major tour
Ditto Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey#1 hit, never done
Listen to What the Man Said -- #1 hit not done since 76
Silly Love Songs -- #1 hit not done since 76
Top 10 hits never done in a major tour: Helen Wheels, No More Lonley Nights, Juniors Farm, Take It Away, Goodnight Tonight
I really can't see people coming to his shows and saying look its a Paul McCartney show I want to hear In Spite of All the Danger and I know that song not that obscure Listen To What the Man Says song.
Or they say thankfully, he does Let Me Roll It on practically every tour becuase fans will be missing out -- who wants to hear any other track off of Band on the Run like 1985 or a hit like Helen Wheels, yuk! It's Let Me Roll It or nothing.
And yeah C-Moon is the quientesential track from his Wings period, everyone knows that one, not Silly Love Songs, or Listen to what the Man Says.
It's that sort of stuff that's puzziling to me. And yeah I know to some its sacriledge to question Paul's set list. For some weird reason we get hit basically for the idea that since we appreciate more of his catalogue then he puts out in concert, it means that we aren't as big a fan. Becauase his big fans should just suck it up and appreciate everything he throws at us.
Look I can just as easy if not easier make the case that we are the bigger fans because we appreciate Paul's whole solo career, not just Paul the Beatle. And yeah I appreciate seeing him in concert. I love Paul's shows and I just think they can be even more special where he can cater to his hard core fans without losing his more causal ones.
I am not talking about him doing Letting Go instead of Let It Be. But why not With A Little Luck (and BIG Wings hits) over obscure Beatle songs like I'll Get You?
Look i am not even asking him to do what MOST major concert acts do like the Stones, Springsteen, and U2 and change things up in the middle of the tour and keep things spicy.
Just do some big Wings hits, mix it up. Band on the Run is a classic album. And there are other tracks on that album for example that stand out, it wasn't just Let Me Roll It.
Ditto for example with Flaming Pie, great album Looks like Calico Skies is going to be coming for a round 2 and maybe the title track Flaming Pie as well. OK, decent songs. But those weren't the singles -- the singles were: World Tonight, Young Boy, Beautiful Night.
If you do Flaming Pie one tour, why not Somedays or Young Boy, etc the next one. If you are going to give the obscure fans a nugget like Let Me Roll It or C-Moon or a track from Flaming Pie. Why repeat the same nugget in the next tour or so, why not give a new one? It seems like he does just that with his Beatle songs but not with his Wings/solo stuff.
That to me is the odd thing about Paul's tours compared to what most artists do. And yeah look i am going to go anyway, great shows, I just think they can be made more special if Paul embraced variety.
Part of (in my opinion) what makes Paul's albums so special is he's eclectic and brings variety -- so it suprises me that on tour he's one of the more predictable artists. Great shows but predictable. And there is a context to my point, I have seen a ton of concerts so am making apples to apples comparisons to other big artists. And the larger point is it would be very easy for him to break the many years of predictability.
I've read many of these type views in different places, and they're showing up more and more, McCartney could and should change his setlist!
Bluemeanie I disagree, maybe some don't know, but most of the people at a McCartney show know his music, especially the #1 smash hits! People know...
Silly Love Songs #1,
people know Listen To What The Man Said #1,
people know Juniors Farm #3
Uncle Albert #1
Hi Hi Hi - top ten
No More Lonely Nights - top ten
Rockestra Theme - released on album and DVD
I could go on, but people know this material that's how it reached the positions it reached, because people all over the world liked it, they bought the albums!
As I said, all those fans are still around, they haven't gone anywhere.