McCartney puts entire brilliant career on display

By KYLE MUNSON
REGISTER MUSIC CRITIC


October 28, 2005


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More than 40 years after Ed Sullivan introduced America to the Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney finally stepped on stage in Des Moines.

(Insert a stock pun about the "long and winding road" if you must.)

In his sold-out concert Thursday night at Wells Fargo Arena, McCartney even took a stab at Jimi Hendrix, another left-handed guitarist who forever changed the face of rock ’n’ roll.

McCartney tacked the signature riffs from Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" onto the end of his own "Let Me Roll It," flanked by his hotshot tour guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray.

Not that McCartney's debut performance in Des Moines was what you would call loose or daring. He pretty much stuck to the set list and routine banter that's been reported in previous stops on his "US" tour. There should have been more moments like, literally, "The End," the final song of the night during which McCartney, Anderson and Ray bounced guitar solos between them and strayed far beyond the familiar recorded version.

McCartney wasn't shy about paying tribute to his own legacy, either, with everything from a "Beatles Anthology"-style biopic that set up his entrance, to the raised guitar that seemed to be a frequent cue for applause and cheers.

Not that many musicians are more qualified to bask than McCartney, 63.
Or that many songs are better suited to an arena singalong than "Hey Jude," which was unleashed at precisely 10:26 p.m.

Na, na, na, na, that no doubt was a lifelong memory for the more than 15,500 Beatlemaniacs of all ages in attendance, complete with McCartney's piano glissandos. Except that he did milk the magical moment beyond necessity, by putting his audience through the rote crowd-participation paces: Just the people up top sing; now the floor; now the men; now the ladies; now everybody.

Unwittingly or not, McCartney made a strong case for his new songs. Though he has the fattest, finest back catalog of them all, he certainly didn't lead with the hits. Nine songs into his set that began with "Magical Mystery Tour," McCartney slid behind a grand piano and pounded out "Fine Line" from his fine new album, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard." It withstood comparisons.

The band seemed to loosen up whenever McCartney was at the piano, and his solo acoustic numbers capitalized on his charm.

The first true Beatles epic was "The Long and Winding Road," which inspired couples to slow dance in the aisles. Rowdier numbers such as "I’ve Got a Feeling" and "Helter Skelter" raised the temperature.

It was a diverse romp through McCartney's career in which he deconstructed his own songs (explaining J.S. Bach as the musical inspiration for "Blackbird") and got back to those fabled early days in Liverpool.

"Till There Was You" was a tune that McCartney labeled "smoochier" than the rest, an old favorite of the Beatles; it drove home the American-English interplay in pop music, since the songwriter is none other than Mason City's Meredith Willson of "Music Man" fame.

McCartney and his four-piece band (keyboardist Paul "Wix" Wickens and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. in addition to the guitarists) performed on a dazzling stage whose floor and backdrop was composed entirely of light panels that flashed everything from psychedelic patterns to images of a lush English garden. Pyrotechnics graced "Live and Let Die."

McCartney's voice has thinned since the ’60s, but he still hit the high notes and unleashed the occasional scream and even the falsetto coos in "Maybe I’m Amazed."

Thursday night wasn't entirely a nostalgia trip, either. Credit McCartney for challenging his audience with DJ Freelance Hellraiser as opening act — a frenetic, bass-thumping soundtrack of McCartney tunes sliced and diced.

One could argue that Thursday's event, the fullest that Des Moines' new arena has been since opening in July, was the capital city's most important concert since June 23, 1977 — the third and final time that Elvis Presley played Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
Rock ’n’ roll has been around for about 50 years, and the two chief candidates for top of the heap are Elvis and the Beatles.

Thursday didn't feel as big as the Beatles, but it validated McCartney as worthy caretaker of his band's legacy in the 21st century.

"We love you, we'll see you next time," McCartney said at the end of the night.

Next time? When he's 64?

He can't wait another 40 years, that's for sure.

Makes me feel like going to a Macca concert as soon as I can!