Ram On

It must be hell to be Paul McCartney. No, I don't mean the millions of dollars, the unparalleled fame or being a living legend. I mean that it must be hell trying to come up with a setlist for an entertaining concert!

Let's get this part out of the way right now: This is a fantastic show. McCartney's voice is stronger than it's been in years (probably because he's not inhaling the poisonous vapor that emanates from Heather Mills any more), the band is rock-solid and no-one - no-one- on this planet knows how to work a 20,000-seat arena better than Paul McCartney. He obviously loves his job.

But back to the setlist. I'm just guessing here, but I would say that maybe 50 percent of the people at the Pepsi Center last night had probably never seen Paul before. They probably knew most of the Beatles songs, and maybe one or two of his solo hits. And Paul knows that. And that's why he is always going to play "Hey Jude," "Yesterday" and "Let it Be." Can you imagine seeing Paul McCartney and not hearing "Let It Be"? Blasphemy!

I, on the other hand, have seen Paul McCartney five times now. That means that I have seen five performances of "Hey Jude," "Yesterday" and "Let It Be." And that doesn't count the dozens (hundreds?) of other shows that I've heard, but didn't actually attend. Would I be considered a heretic if said that I'm getting a little tired of those songs?

And so, there's the other dynamic Paul has to work with: the hardcore fans who are sick of "Get Back," and are longing for something more eclectic. And that's where I think Paul succeeded rather brilliantly. Last night, I heard "Ram On," "Venus and Mars" and "Mrs. Vanderbilt." Quick! How many of you out there know those songs? Exactly. Would I be considered a heretic if I said that I enjoyed "Ram On" way more than I enjoyed "Hey Jude"?

As we were entering the Pepsi Center, I was, as I always do, grumbling about McCartney. He's a diva (whose late arrival kept us waiting outside in the hot sun for an hour), he's a lazy performer, he's always playing "good ol' Paulie" when in fact he's a calculating schemer, etc., etc., etc. Two minutes into the first song, however, I had a grin stretched from ear to ear, and all was forgiven. And at the end of "Here Today," his mind-blowing tribute to John Lennon, I was weeping like a ten-year-old at a Justin Bieber concert.

So, yeah. Like Laura said, much of the show felt......familiar, and not in a good way. From a purely musical perspective, I'll take a "without a net" free-for-all by the Grateful Dead guys any time, any place. It's more interesting.

But for just pure, unadulterated emotional kapow!......there is no-one better than Paul McCartney. For better or for worse, he truly is the very best there is.


Special thanks to the Denver Post for their amazing photograph from last night's show, which I borrowed quite freely. Please do not sue me! I'm not trying to steal your stuff; I just wanted a nice illustration from last night's show, and your photographers got some great ones.