Paul McCartney at Hard Rock Calling 2010

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Strummer07
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Paul McCartney at Hard Rock Calling 2010

Post by Strummer07 »

OK ..blues it isn't .......but hey this site is about great music too so here's a wee review of my Fab weekend

Its not every day you get to go see one of your boyhood icons .. but this weekend I got to clock my 1st Beatle .. in the flesh !!

As part of the Hard Rock Calling event .....headlining Friday - "Pearl Jam" .. Saturday "Stevie Wonder" and Sunday P.Mc !!

Sundays event ....great weather .......32 degs and a hot hot day ....much beer needed to be quaffed.... So we did !!

Started at 1330 with "More Than Me " .didn't see them.
1420 -1450 Joshua Radin .not bad !!
15.10-1600 Elvis Costello .competing with England versus Germany on the main screen.....difficult ... Elvis was OK .. England were crap (technical term and there are more !!)
16.25 - 17.25 Crowded House .Pretty good .. a bit Bubble Gum for me
17.5- 1850 Crosby Stills and Nash .who I was looking forward to............ but (for me) they disapointed, big time ....Crosby is now too old and his voice has gone - Stills tring to act the Rock Guiatr axemen didn't work either .they did not deserve therir No2 billing.

But It didn't Matter one jot

at 1940 Paul and his band took to the stage and just blew us alll away.

He played for over 2 hrs 30 mins .had the whole place singing away to great Beatles number ...and just showed why he is the star that he is

I'll plomp a set list in below in case anyone is intrested ....it would make for a great dvd if they bring one out.

This fella is an entertainer.. he engaged with the 50,000 odd crowd, got us singing back to him. told jokes , stories, told us about songs , the tour he'd been on ... and he seemed to enjoy himself.

He even tld a little tale of EC

In the 60's when Jimi Hendirx fits came over to the UK .. he played in varoius clubs in London .. all frequented by the other pop stars of the day

Story 1 from Macca

We released "Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" the LP on a Friday.
On Sunday night we went to seeeJimi in a club ..and he opened his set with the main track from the Sgt Pepper LP ..he'd learnt it and played it live in less than a weekend!! some going !.respect !!

Story 2
Paul McC after playing a wee burst of Jimi ... Purple Haze I think it was

He tells of being in a club watching Jim H play , Eric Clapton was apparently with him and had done some songs too.
at the end of one song Jimi's guitar is well out of tune ( all them bends)
Jimi' tries briefy to tune it ......not much success

shouts into the audiience ... "Where's Eric ? "

Eric in the seat next to Paul ducks down !! ( allegedly)

Jimi goes on ( to the audience) ..."get Eric to tune up this darn thing would ya !! "

As told by Paul McC to an audience of 50,000 !! hey hey !! :rofl:

Came on stage looking as smart as you like .. slim, suited , beatle jacket white shirt .. hair looked good .. ( without close up piccies you can't tell its coloured !!) to be honest he looked bloody good.

and he ripped into his set ..voice is as good as ever !!

Bags of energy and enthusiasm ..for a bloke of 68 .he's brilliant

Played

Bass guitar . the olde Hofner / various Les Pauls / a Gibson 335 righthanded (which he played in the 60's .. an original) / Martin d28 Acoustic / Mandolin and Ukelele ... Organ and piano !! .this is some muscican.

Great Band

Highlights ..........well the whole set really

his Tributes to both George ............who he obviously was quite close to and John ... he reprised "Give Peace a Chance"
and then
Something ....on the stage on his own !!

He did this for Blackbird too ....1 man , a stage , a guitar and 50,00 entranced fans.

Big highlight was "Live and Let Die" .with explosions and fireworks behind the stage .....well managed and absolutely spectacular
Sgt Pepper in the Encore !! powerfull ending !!

What a legend !!

and he can still cut it !!......2 hours 40 minutes of Magic ..............Paul McCartney .......Goes into my top ten gigs of all time !!

See him before its too late .I have the dvd of his "Live In NYC" gig ( which is part of this tour -next stop .. July August US gigs !! and its a good dvd)

Review
http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/paul-mccar ... ck-calling

Set List

1.Venus & Mars / Rock Show
2.Jet
3.All My Loving
4.Letting Go
5.Got to Get You Into My Life
6.Highway (The Fireman cover)
7.Let Me Roll It
8.The Long and Winding Road
9.Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five
10.Let 'Em In
11.My Love
12.I'm Looking Through You
13.Two Of Us
14.Blackbird
15.Here Today
16.Dance Tonight
17.Mrs Vandebilt
8.Eleanor Rigby
19.Ram On
20.Something
21.Sing the Changes (The Fireman cover)
22.Band on the Run
23.Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
24.Back in the U.S.S.R.
25.I've Got a Feeling
26.Paperback Writer
27.A Day in the Life / Give Peace A Chance
28.Let It Be
29.Live and Let Die
30.Hey Jude
Encore:
31.Day Tripper
32.Lady Madonna
33.Get Back
Encore 2:
34.Yesterday
35.Helter Skelter
36.Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise) / The End
"Death is just a heartbeat away"
lyric from "Out in The Fields"
Gary Moore 1952-2011
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Strummer07
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Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 3:59 pm

Re: Paul McCartney at Hard Rock Calling 2010

Post by Strummer07 »

Apparently it was streamed live on Youtube for the born HIV free orgainisation ..

So, if you've an hour or so to spare !!

[youtube]vX1_fIOMo9k[/youtube]
"Death is just a heartbeat away"
lyric from "Out in The Fields"
Gary Moore 1952-2011
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VikingBlues
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Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 7:44 pm

Re: Paul McCartney at Hard Rock Calling 2010

Post by VikingBlues »

Glad you enjoyed the gig Strummer - I can hear your enthusiasm coming through loud and clear in your description. You got some good value in that set - shows an artist can still have stamina around the free bus pass sort of age. :thumbsup:

Well found with the video btw - now when can I fit that into my schedule!?
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
tradrrr
Posts: 103
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 7:07 pm

Re: Paul McCartney at Hard Rock Calling 2010

Post by tradrrr »

Nice, Strummer. I'm not a huge Beatles fan but after reading your review I actually find myself wanting to attend a McCartney show!

Can you give us from a the States an idea what the Hard Rock show is about? I've seen an older one with Clapton and Sting headling. I assume its an all day event with multiple stages? Where's it held, etc?
Let me tell you what the blues is....
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Strummer07
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Re: Paul McCartney at Hard Rock Calling 2010

Post by Strummer07 »

Hard Rock Calling has been going for about the past 5 years ( sponsored by Hard Rock Hotels / Cafe / burgers )
its held each year in Hyde park , right in the centre of London.
In its present format its a 3 day event Friday / Saturday / Sunday and starts each day at about 1300 and runs though till 10.30/1100 pm

There are exhibitions and all the usual "festival" type stuff ....including a 2nd stage ..but I've never managed to find it never mind watch anything .......main stage is fine for me .. I like to grab a space and eat a nice picnic and drink some beer in the sunshine!! :beer:

So I guess its like a festival .but with no camping !! .you have to go home!!

Mind You ...Hyde Park has been hosting concerts since the early 60's .. so it not exactly new.
Who will forget ...............
1968 Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Traffic, Fleetwood Mac
1969 Blind Faith, The Rolling Stones, King Crimson, Crosby, Stills & Nash
1970 Pink Floyd, Eric Burdon & War, Canned Heat
2005 Live 8, R.E.M., Queen + Paul Rodgers

But in this format its been going since 2006... They also increased the size of the venue
I saw Sting there in about 2004 and it was an all seater outdoor threatre style .probably about 4000 people

This year there were 46,000 watch ing Stevie Wonder ....and probably even more that that for 2005 live 8
2007 Peter Gabriel headlined Saturday .....with Aerosmith Sunday
2008 was The Police on Sat and then Sunday the Eric Clapton show supported by Sheryl Crow and John Mayer ...I was there .. great show
2009 was Sat Bruce Springsteen - Sunday Neil Young headlining
2010 McCartney Sunday and Stevie Wonder on Saturday


Its a good event .......gives you a taste of "Festival" without the mess and the camping .and you get to sleep in your own bed.

Incidentally tradrr .I'm not a mcCartney fan either .......I was always a Lennon fan and like some of Harrisons stuff ...but they aint :tears: gigging these days !!!

So if you want a taste of Beatle .......McCartney is it !! ...............it was a blast too !!
"Death is just a heartbeat away"
lyric from "Out in The Fields"
Gary Moore 1952-2011
tradrrr
Posts: 103
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 7:07 pm

Re: Paul McCartney at Hard Rock Calling 2010

Post by tradrrr »

Thanks, Strummer. Sounds like a great weekend. That's a lot of people.

It sounds similiar to Lollapalooza here (well, when they changed the format a few years back and stopped traveling it and kept it here in Chicago). I'm still discovering all of the fests here in the States (Austin City Limits, South by Southwest, etc), I didn't even think of the possibilities over the pond. I'll have to add it to my list of things to do. Oh, the possibiliites!
Let me tell you what the blues is....
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