Going to see Paul McCartney tonight

[b_3guy]

I got a ticket to see Paul McCartney tonight. I should have started this thread a couple of days ago. The ticket is VIP & it was given to me. The story is the best part. How I met my friend was through minor hockey. Our boys played together for a number of years. Turns out, he played guitar in a band when he was in university. He then started asking me to come over & play with him & a bunch of his friends at parties that he had. He bought a Roland RD300GX so I wouldn't have to bring anything to the music sessions. He's a doctor, another guy is a radiologist, the drummer works in Maintenance at the hospital. They weren't very good, a lot of guys probably wouldn't play with them. but it was still fun. They'd get out their sheet music & I would play along with them. Eventually the bass player stopped coming out, so I started playing bass for them. Now I was at their level.

 

He's a big Beatles fan & after one of the music sessions I asked if he had his McCartney tickets & he said yes. I told him that my wife & I talked about it, but she would say "The crowd would be too much. . .". I would reply, " But it's Paul McCartney." "What if it rained. . .". I would reply, " But it's Paul McCartney." "It's over $300 a ticket for VIP". I would reply, " But it's Paul McCartney." So that was a dead conversation. After listening to the story, he looks at me & goes, "I've got your ticket." I said, " I'll have to give you some money for it." He said, "No, we might to talk a little medical business, though".

 

So that's how I get to go see Paul McCartney on his only North American date this year. Stay tuned & I'll post my concert review tomorrow.

[Mark Schmieder]

Wow. You won't be disappointed.

 

I had to fly down to L.A. to see him a few years ago, as SF Bay Area shows always sell out instantly (for anybody of any stature). No biggie, as my godsons are down there.

 

Best show of my life, without question. He never rested! The band did, but he didn't. He'd just do a solo number while they went off-stage for a few minutes. Incredible energy, his voice is still in great shape, and he covers as wide a range of material as possible.

 

Ringo puts on a great show as well. Never saw the other two live.

[d halfnote]

Tell him I said "Hi!".

[Bridog6996]

That's really strange.....my backwards records say that Paul is dead. This concert thing sounds like a scam!

[Jazz+]

Good show but really loud, ear plugs advised and sunglasses too if they are still using those revolving lights that flash in the audience's eyes. But maybe that is just when they are filming the concert.

[Mark Schmieder]

Strange; when I saw him at Staples Centre in LA a few years back, the volume was moderate enough that you could have normal-volume conversations with everyone around you. Not that I'm encouraging that; the point is just that it was one of the "quieter" concerts I've been to.

[d halfnote]

I've seen McC, he's a real Wayne Newton type (of course always has been) but, hey, that's part of why he's still poppin' & rockin' at age 67.

As far as stage volume, the time I saw him wasn't too bad but I seem to recall reading a few years back that one of his stadium gigs in London area got major complaints from residents across a river & miles away.

[Mark Schmieder]

He got complaints in Rome as well, but I think that was an outdoors concert.

[kanker.]

Those folks had probably had enough of silly love songs...

[NoahZark]

So that's how I get to go see Paul McCartney on his only North American date this year.

 

His only North American date this year? Did you mean his only Canadian date this year? He's also playing dates in New York, Maryland, Boston, Atlanta, Tulsa, Dallas....

 

Anyway, enjoy the show.

 

Noah

[NoahZark]

By the way, I have a good friend from college who is a plastic surgeon in Halifax. He's also a HUGE music fan (although his tastes run wildly more eclectic than the Beatles). I wonder if he runs in the same circles as your doctor friends.

 

Noah

[b_3guy]

So that's how I get to go see Paul McCartney on his only North American date this year.

 

His only North American date this year? Did you mean his only Canadian date this year? He's also playing dates in New York, Maryland, Boston, Atlanta, Tulsa, Dallas....

 

Anyway, enjoy the show.

 

Noah

 

Sorry, his only Canadian show. It has to be one of the best concerts I've ever seen. The venue was great, the people were terrific, the weather was awesome &, oh yeah, Paul & the band were incredible. It was this usual line up. They played for about 2 hrs. & 40 minutes, including the encores & when's the last time you saw a concert start on time & go long? Paul did it non stop. The band members got breaks when he would do an acoustic tune like Blackbird. I've seen McCartney on A&E & also seen a DVD of this show. It was the same except you got to see all the out takes, like train wrecking the start of Paper Back Writer. After starting, Paul called it off, they had a little huddle, he came back to his mic, said something about thinking it was in A but it was in G & he was sorry. Brian Ray said it was his song so he could do it any key he liked. For a guy who can attract 50,000 people for a concert & has a gift for lyrics, he's surprisingly stiff & what a humble guy. The whole band looked excited to be there. The pyrotecnics for Live & Let Die were incredible with fireworks at the end. All that pyro for one song. He voice sounded for the most part as good as ever, even in Helter Skelter. I'm amazed at him playing the bass lines & singing some of these tunes especially Just Seventeen.

 

Anyways, I have to get back to work. More later.

[yannis D]

thnx b-3 guy

any info about his keyboard player/rig?

[Mark Schmieder]

last time i saw him there was a motif classic and a motif es stacked atop each other, some other stuff too w/ labels covered over

[b_3guy]

The keyboard rig was over the other side of the stage from me, but I could see from the 60' screens that he had 2 Motif's. One was a Motif 7. He also played a melodica & some other sort of breath controller for the sax parts. He had some crazy midi/sample stuff on the go. The strings of Eleanor Rigby were played with just one finger on his left hand. A press & hold sort of thing. So it seemed to be a sample that he was firing.

[cheezeejazz]

He is indeed amazing live, sooo many good songs!

 

I can help you out on the gear side for the keys player though as when I was at uni, McCartneys live band came in to do individual master classes - Abe Laboriel Jnr and Wix Wickens etc.

 

Wix is his keys player (London guy) and I asked him if I could get into the soundcheck at their next local gig so see his setup and learn from the experience etc and he very kindly made it happen. I have a photo somewhere that I should dig out, but anyhows - he took me on stage before the soundcheck and talked through his setup, then I watched the soundcheck from FOH - amazing!! I learnt so much in one day, that was about 5 years ago and I'm 25 now and using some of the info I learnt!

 

Anyhows, both his boards are controllers that run into an old Mac hosted MIDI patchbay (I can't remember the brand but only ran on old Mac software). He then has 2 racks of modules/mixer/power conditioner/Line 6 Pod for some effects)

 

The software does all the routing and also routes back out to the main keyboards, and he was at the time running a mac hosting just the Native Instruments B4. He has the most volume/sustain pedals and switches I've ever seen - i'm talking like 4 volune pedals assigned to different zones, 2/3 sustains/ patch up and patch down pedal plus a set of MIDI bass pedals.

 

He was saying that when it came to eleanor rigby he didnt want to use any playback or sequencers so it is ALLL live!! It is achieved by playing the moving quartet lines on the bottom board and then using the MIDI bass pedals to trigger samples of the crotchet chord stabs. There's something like 9 or 10 different stab voices and these are just assigned to different pedals. When rehearsing for the show he tried sampling real string players for this but found it didn't sit well in the mix, so they were re-made using keyboard strings.

 

Live and Let Die is done the same way - lots of samples on the pedals (the timpani rolls bundeled with the picollo flourishes etc. - its all live!)

 

He used the breath controller for the sax solo on Lady Madonna, and maybe the flute on Fool on the hill - can't quite remember.

 

He was saying that the set that night contained about 35 songs, but they rehearsed 60+ as different songs were hits in different countries.

 

Anyhows - thought you guys might like the insight

 

Pete

 

PS) My Uni was LIPA in liverpool, UK - which is a music college McCartney setup in the boys school him and Lennon went to as a child...McCartney still presents the certificates on graduation day, and every year does a one to one songwriting masterclass with each student in their 3rd year who is specialising in songwriting (normally 20 people ish)

 

 

[ProfD]

He was saying that when it came to eleanor rigby he didnt want to use any playback or sequencers so it is ALLL live!! It is achieved by playing the moving quartet lines on the bottom board and then using the MIDI bass pedals to trigger samples of the crotchet chord stabs. There's something like 9 or 10 different stab voices and these are just assigned to different pedals.

 

Live and Let Die is done the same way - lots of samples on the pedals (the timpani rolls bundeled with the picollo flourishes etc. - its all live!)

Great insight into the process. Sounds like the KB players has his hands full (no pun intended).

 

Still, triggering samples with pedals and string lines with one finger and "all live" seems contradictory but then again, I am getting old.

[cheezeejazz]

Ha, well my interpretation of "all live" is that it won't be identical every night - there's room for musicality and user error!

[B3bluesman59]

When I was with Capitol Records I had the good fortune to work the '76 tour and and the '89/'90 tour. Every show was "the best". And I loved going to sound check...Paul would play only rock classics....Roy Orbison, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Elvis, etc. and it was as good as hearing his hits at the actual concert. Paul and Linda were both very friendly to work with doing interviews, Make A Wish events,etc. The people around him were arrogant and full of themselves..but once you got past them Paul and Linda could not have been nicer. On the last night I worked with them in '90 he gave me a signed tour poster which I had framed and it still hangs on the wall of my music room. Many great memories every time I look at it.

[MonksDream]

I'm amazed at him playing the bass lines & singing some of these tunes especially Just Seventeen.

There is a (50th?) anniversary documentary about Sun Records/Ahmet Ertegun that came out a few years ago where they brought in some people to re-record tunes from the Sun catalogue. Paul chose to record an Elvis tune, Blue Suede Shoes IIRC, with the surviving members of Elvis's band. Ahmet asks if he wants to lay down the bass part first and Paul just says: "No man! Let's just play it!". He then proceeds to do the bass and vocal together, rock solid on both. I'm always impressed when a bass player can do that because the bass part and the vocal are usually contrary lines but Paul's absolute ease with it amazed me.

[Mark Schmieder]

I do it all the time, but it took years of practice. And of cour Macca was my big inspiration for "this can be done" in spite of conventional wisdom on bassists singing contrary lines/rhythms.

 

Well, big difference between backing and lead vocals. Plus, I don't have his voice anyway. Sting's the other guy well-known for doing both, but close listening detects a lot of sloppiness in his playing. Not that it mattered. But Macca is unique.

[b_3guy]

He is indeed amazing live, sooo many good songs!

 

I can help you out on the gear side for the keys player though as when I was at uni, McCartneys live band came in to do individual master classes - Abe Laboriel Jnr and Wix Wickens etc.

 

Wix is his keys player (London guy) and I asked him if I could get into the soundcheck at their next local gig so see his setup and learn from the experience etc and he very kindly made it happen. I have a photo somewhere that I should dig out, but anyhows - he took me on stage before the soundcheck and talked through his setup, then I watched the soundcheck from FOH - amazing!! I learnt so much in one day, that was about 5 years ago and I'm 25 now and using some of the info I learnt!

 

Anyhows, both his boards are controllers that run into an old Mac hosted MIDI patchbay (I can't remember the brand but only ran on old Mac software). He then has 2 racks of modules/mixer/power conditioner/Line 6 Pod for some effects)

 

The software does all the routing and also routes back out to the main keyboards, and he was at the time running a mac hosting just the Native Instruments B4. He has the most volume/sustain pedals and switches I've ever seen - i'm talking like 4 volune pedals assigned to different zones, 2/3 sustains/ patch up and patch down pedal plus a set of MIDI bass pedals.

 

He was saying that when it came to eleanor rigby he didnt want to use any playback or sequencers so it is ALLL live!! It is achieved by playing the moving quartet lines on the bottom board and then using the MIDI bass pedals to trigger samples of the crotchet chord stabs. There's something like 9 or 10 different stab voices and these are just assigned to different pedals. When rehearsing for the show he tried sampling real string players for this but found it didn't sit well in the mix, so they were re-made using keyboard strings.

 

Live and Let Die is done the same way - lots of samples on the pedals (the timpani rolls bundeled with the picollo flourishes etc. - its all live!)

 

He used the breath controller for the sax solo on Lady Madonna, and maybe the flute on Fool on the hill - can't quite remember.

 

He was saying that the set that night contained about 35 songs, but they rehearsed 60+ as different songs were hits in different countries.

 

Anyhows - thought you guys might like the insight

 

Pete

 

PS) My Uni was LIPA in liverpool, UK - which is a music college McCartney setup in the boys school him and Lennon went to as a child...McCartney still presents the certificates on graduation day, and every year does a one to one songwriting masterclass with each student in their 3rd year who is specialising in songwriting (normally 20 people ish)

 

 

Thanks for this. Amazing amount of sound he gets from his rig and he's such a great player.