Said avid local music fan Don Koster shortly after the Charlotte date was announced: "McCartney playing Charlotte is definitely cause to smash the (piggy) bank." Smash it you will. Tickets top out at $252 (upper-level seats are $42). Lower-level tickets were still available at press time. (Q-and-A with guitarist Rusty Anderson, Page 12.)
What to expect
A marathon set between 21/2 and 3 hours long with more than 30 songs.
A set list of Beatles, Wings and newer solo material with an emphasis on the Beatles that, aside from a handful of "must-hears," is quite different from what he played during his June 13, 1993, show.
The raw energy and vibe of a rock 'n' roll show. This isn't a Vegas-style production stacked with an army of players to help cover the headliner's age. Backed by a four-piece band, McCartney and company don't fake it. If the Beatle's singing is flat, you'll hear it.
Moving tributes to loved ones and musical partners.
A youthful McCartney switching from familiar piano and bass to guitar, mandolin and ukulele.
The inclusion of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," which McCartney hadn't played in the U.S. before this tour.
What critics have been saying
Playing as a quintet, McCartney's crack band effortlessly traversed his songwriting catalog, including... Beatles classics in which decades instantly melted away. Noisier, more ornery songs from McCartney's "alter-ego" band, the Fireman, or songs from his soft-rock days with Wings sounded just as vital and fussed-over, if less memorably so.
Denver Post, July 16
McCartney sang each song with the same determination and passion he has always had... The mix was tight and crisp, and the audience could hear everything from the acoustic picking of "And I Love Her" to the pyrotechnics driving "Live and Let Die."
The (Salt Lake City) Deseret News, July 13
Before "Paperback Writer," which featured five-part harmonies, McCartney pointed out for guitar lovers in the crowd that he was playing "the original guitar I made the original record with in the '60s' - a gold-and-brown sunburst, hollow-bodied Epiphone, for those who care about such details.
The Miami Herald, April 5
McCartney's crazy-grandfather shouts and screams in 'Helter Skelter' and 'I've Got a Feeling' and that wild wail before the na-na-na's in 'Hey Jude' falter rarely this time, but they're instantly forgivable based on bravery alone. But too often... McCartney was decidedly pitchy...
