Paul McCartney - The US Tour 2005

12.11.2005, Anaheim, CA; "Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim"

McCartney fans leave Pond with smiles

Presumably everyone fortunate enough to see Sir Paul McCartney on Friday night at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim – his first of four sold-out SoCal dates, including tour-ending stops Nov. 29-30 at Staples Center – came away elated over one particular moment above all.

You know, that crowning moment when it really sunk in: I just can’t believe it, there he is, the Cute One, in the flesh and singing that song.

Surely for some – and this isn’t intended condescendingly – that moment was an obvious one. It’s quite likely that, despite how many times he’s performed “Let It Be” or “Yesterday,” McCartney still has legions of fans who, having finally experienced it for themselves, can now die smiling.

For others – for first-generation Beatlemaniacs who vividly recall the Fab Four’s appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February ’64 – maybe what really made them beam were early gems: “Please Please Me,” which launched the second encore with a thicker but no less buoyant feel; “I’ll Get You,” a welcome surprise revived from “The Beatles’ Second Album”; “Till There Was You,” Paul’s lilting recasting of a love song from “The Music Man” – initially covered, he told the crowd, so that the Beatles could get gigs at cabaret clubs, “’cause they paid better.” I bet that one hasn’t been part of his live repertoire in 40 years.

For those who dig it when McCartney really rocks – count me among that crowd – the clinchers were probably tremendous takes on “I’ve Got a Feeling” and “Helter Skelter.” The only drawback of either was that their 63-year-old author just can’t scream like he used to – and wisely doesn’t try to.

For me, well, it wasn’t just a song – it was an entire segment of the show. The subdued segment, to be exact, led into with solo acoustic versions of “In Spite of All the Danger” (one of the earliest Beatle originals) and the adorable “I Will” and concluded with an excellent rendition of the achingly lonely “Eleanor Rigby.”

If the start (“Magical Mystery Tour,” “Jet,” “Drive My Car”) and many finishes (“Live and Let Die,” “Get Back,” the “Sgt. Pepper” reprise into “The End”) of this 2½-hour-plus show were merely expert crowd-rousers, then this center segment was the evening’s heart.

Here, for example, is where McCartney deftly wove together thoughtful, often delightful new numbers that harked back to his late-’60s crochets (be they folky or fanciful) with complements from the era he evoked. To enrich the lovely but curiously spooky “Jenny Wren,” there was the empowerment of “Blackbird.” To root the topiary-lined playfulness of “English Tea” in the past – and to temper its frolicsome cheer – there were perfect, piano-only precursors: the disheartened “For No One” and the would-be carefree “Fixing a Hole.”

What followed that last trio – a bittersweet “I’ll Follow the Sun” – hit just the right note as well. And that’s the thing: The more you examine just which Beatles songs McCartney chose to resurrect and wrap around his latest material, the clearer it becomes that this master of melody and mood made his choices very deliberately.

That would seem a given, but the attention to detail here was so superb it calls attention to itself. I looked it up: In 2002, when McCartney last played the Pond, he offered 22 Beatles tunes; this time, 27. Of that 27, only nine were repeats, and most of those – like “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be” and “Yesterday” – he’s almost obligated to perform.

Now consider the changes. Played in ’02: “She Loves You,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “All My Loving,” “Michelle,” “Here, There and Everywhere,” “We Can Work It Out.” Happy songs; even that last one, which would have fit in nicely this time, is at least hopeful.

That three years ago the big set-list surprise was the optimistic “Getting Better” but here it’s the forlorn “For No One,” or that then it was about “I Saw Her Standing There” and now it’s about “I’ll Get You,” to me illustrates everything: As exemplified on his very late-era Beatles-esque new album “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard,” McCartney is in a wistful mood right now. And, for show, he’s packaged that mannered melancholy in captivating ways.

Not that this concert was some kind of downer. C’mon, this is Paul McCartney – even the sadness comes with a smile.

I’m sure for most attendees the evening was nothing but a wonderful trip down “Penny Lane” (a highlight), begun with an overlong visual biography and filled with just the right amount of sing-alongs (“beep-beep-mmm-beep-beep, yeah!”) and meaningful bits (note the dedication of “Good Day Sunshine” to NASA’s recently returned astronauts) and fondly recounted stories of the good ol’ days to make $250 for a floor seat seem cheap.

We got solo and Wings bits, too: “Maybe I’m Amazed” was outstanding; “Too Many People,” which segued seamlessly into “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” was magnificent; and it’s nice to see that McCartney hasn’t deleted the guitar-snarling churn of “Let Me Roll It,” which I’ve always heard as a stoner anthem, in favor of another Fab smash – though I would’ve traded the “Lady Madonna”-stealing “Flaming Pie” for the real thing.

And McCartney continues to be blessed by a remarkable band – guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and expert keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens, all of whom help provide unerring harmonies, the last of whom is expert at synthetically re-creating horn parts that even average fans know note-for-note. That the same group sounds as expert on this tour’s Beatles batch as it did three years ago on a different assortment – and without sounding like a tribute band – speaks volumes of its capabilities.

But what’s most impressive – certainly more so than Sir Paul’s voice, which is understandably losing something in the higher range – is McCartney’s subtle attempts to mix it up, face new challenges, reshape his aesthetic rather than recapitulate an older one.

Three years ago, when he came off as the world’s greatest nostalgia peddler, I thought it might be his last hurrah. Now, with his new music proving he’s been rejuvenated by returning to his past, I hope he keeps at it for at least another decade – no matter how many times I have to watch him bask in adulation while hoisting his Hofner bass over his head.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/entertainment/music/article_765795.php

McCartney in live space broadcast

The former Beatles member treated two astronauts at the international space station to a live wake-up call with the Beatles song Good Day Sunshine.

The performance was broadcast to the crew, 220 miles (354km) above Earth, from a concert in California.

Sir Paul said he decided to make the broadcast after Nasa used the song to wake the Space Shuttle Discovery crew.

Sir Paul told his official website he was "extremely proud" to hear how the track had been used to let the Shuttle crew know the weather was good enough for an Earth landing.

'Love it'

As well as Good Day Sunshine, Sir Paul played recent solo track English Tea.

Nasa astronaut Bill McArthur and his Russian counterpart Valery Tokarev, seen live from space on a Nasa link-up, drank from squeeze pouches during the performance, and elicited a rousing cheer from the audience.

"I can't believe that we're actually transmitting to space!" Sir Paul said. "This is sensational. I love it."

Mr McArthur, who did a couple of zero-gravity flips, thanked Sir Paul for playing the songs.

"That was simply magnificent," Mr McArthur said. "We consider you an explorer just as we are."

It is a tradition to wake astronauts up with recorded songs, but this was the first time they listened to live music from space.

It marked the 44th day in space for the two space station crew members, who are on a six-month flight.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4425686.stm

ANAHEIM, Calif. - It was “Good Day Sunshine” for the international space station crew Sunday morning.

NASA astronaut Bill McArthur and Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev were treated to a live wake-up call of the Beatles classic in a first-ever concert linkup to the space station.

On Earth, former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney performed the hit and another song, “English Tea,” on Saturday night before a cheering crowd as part of his 11-week “US” tour.

The performance was beamed from the West Coast to the space station crew 220 miles above Earth and broadcast on NASA television, which showed live feeds from space.

McArthur and Tokarev bobbed up and down and sipped from squeeze pouches through the show, getting a rousing cheer from the audience.

“I can’t believe that we’re actually transmitting to space!” McCartney said. “This is sensational. I love it.”

'We consider you an explorer just as we are'
McArthur, who did a couple flips, noted McCartney’s creative achievements and thanked him for playing the songs.

“That was simply magnificent,” McArthur said. “We consider you an explorer just as we are.”

It is a tradition to wake astronauts up with recorded songs, but this marked the first time astronauts listened to live music from space.

The rock icon came up with the idea after learning that NASA’s Mission Control used “Good Day Sunshine” to wake up the Space Shuttle Discovery astronauts in August with word that conditions were favorable to return to Earth.

The wake-up call marked the space station crew’s 44th day of a planned six month mission in space.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-11-13-mccartney-space_x.htm

So yesterday's wake-up call for the crew of the International Space Station was certainly something different. Astronaut Bill McArthur and the Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev were stirred from slumber by Sir Paul McCartney singing a live version of the Beatles classic, Good Day Sunshine.

Sir Paul was performing in Anaheim, California, as part of his 11-week US tour when he was linked up to Nasa television, which beamed its first live feed of a concert to the station, which is 220 miles above the earth. McArthur and Tokarev did their best to dance to the music and sipped tea.

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McArthur said that the song was magnificent. "We consider you an explorer just as we are," he added.

"I can't believe that we're actually transmitting to space," Sir Paul said. "This is sensational. I love it."

The call was Sir Paul's idea, conceived after he heard that mission control had used his song in August to wake astronauts in the space shuttle Discovery and tell them they were coming home.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1642029,00.html?gusrc=rss

He played the Beatles' classic Good Day Sunshine as a wake-up call for the US astronaut Bill McArthur and the Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev on the international space station. Sir Paul said: "I can't believe that we're actually transmitting to space. This is sensational. I love it."

The singer performed two songs in California in front of a cheering crowd as part of an 11-week tour of the United States. The performance was beamed up to the space station crew 220 miles above Earth and broadcast on NASA TV, which showed live feeds from space.

McArthur and Tokarev were seen bobbing up and down in time to the music in the zero gravity atmosphere of the space station. They sipped from drinks pouches, and McArthur performed a couple of backflips before thanking Sir Paul.

The astronaut said: "That was simply magnificent. We consider you an explorer just as we are."

http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=2237262005

ENGLISH TEA IN SPACE: Former Beatle McCartney performs in Anaheim, California, on Saturday as cosmonaut Valery Tokarev (on screen, left) and astronaut Bill McArthur are projected on a screen behind him. McCartney broadcast live into space from the US concert to the two astronauts circling the globe. McCartney played Good Day Sunshine and one of his latest songs, English Tea, to McArthur and Tokarev who are on the International Space Station 220 miles above the earth.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=60441&version=1&template_id=43&parent_id=19

NASA astronaut Bill McArthur and Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev were treated to Beatles classic Good Day Sunshine and Macca's English Tea in the first concert link-up to the 220-mile-high space station. Sir Paul said: "This is sensational. I love it."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16367927&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=beatle-blast--name_page.html

The performance was beamed from the West Coast to the space station crew 220 miles above Earth and broadcast on NASA television, which showed live feeds from space.

McArthur and Tokarev bobbed up and down and sipped from squeeze pouches through the show, getting a rousing cheer from the audience.

McArthur, who did a couple flips, noted McCartney's creative achievements and thanked him for playing the songs.

"That was simply magnificent," McArthur said. "We consider you an explorer just as we are."

It is a tradition to wake astronauts up with recorded songs, but this marked the first time astronauts listened to live music from space.

The rock icon came up with the idea after learning that NASA's Mission Control used "Good Day Sunshine" to wake up the Space Shuttle Discovery astronauts in August with word that conditions were favorable to return to Earth.

The wake-up call marked the space station crew's 44th day of a planned six month mission in space.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=entertainment&id=3627771

On Earth, former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney performed the hit and another song, "English Tea," on Saturday night before a cheering crowd as part of his 11-week "US" tour.

The performance was beamed from the West Coast to the space station crew 220 miles above Earth and broadcast on NASA television, which showed live feeds from space.

McArthur and Tokarev bobbed up and down and sipped from squeeze pouches through the show, getting a rousing cheer from the audience.

"I can't believe that we're actually transmitting to space!" McCartney said. "This is sensational. I love it."

McArthur, who did a couple flips, noted McCartney's creative achievements and thanked him for playing the songs.

"That was simply magnificent," McArthur said. "We consider you an explorer just as we are."

It is a tradition to wake astronauts up with recorded songs, but this marked the first time astronauts listened to live music from space.

The rock icon came up with the idea after learning that NASA's Mission Control used "Good Day Sunshine" to wake up the Space Shuttle Discovery astronauts in August with word that conditions were favorable to return to Earth.

The wake-up call marked the space station crew's 44th day of a planned six month mission in space.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/13/entertainment/main1041462.shtml

NASA astronaut Bill McArthur and Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev were treated to a live wake-up call of the Beatles classic in a first-ever concert linkup to the space station.

On Earth, former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney performed the hit and another song, English Tea, on Saturday night before a cheering crowd as part of his 11-week U.S. tour.

The performance was beamed from the West Coast to the space station crew 335 kilometres above Earth and broadcast on NASA television, which showed live feeds from space.

McArthur and Tokarev bobbed up and down and sipped from squeeze pouches through the show, getting a rousing cheer from the audience.

"I can't believe that we're actually transmitting to space!" McCartney said. "This is sensational. I love it."

McArthur, who did a couple flips, noted McCartney's creative achievements and thanked him for playing the songs.

"That was simply magnificent," McArthur said. "We consider you an explorer just as we are."

It is a tradition to wake astronauts up with recorded songs, but this marked the first time astronauts listened to live music from space.

The rock icon came up with the idea after learning that NASA's Mission Control used Good Day Sunshine to wake up the Space Shuttle Discovery astronauts in August with word that conditions were favourable to return to Earth.

The wake-up call marked the space station crew's 44th day of a planned six month mission in space.

http://www.brandonsun.com/story.php?story_id=10181