Concert Review: Paul McCartney, August 17, BOK Center, Tulsa
Paul McCartney at the BOK Center Monday. (Photo by Tom Gilbert, Tulsa World)
Rating: 99
Paul McCartney does not sell out stadiums simply because he’s Paul McCartney. Sure, he could roll out a little over an hour’s worth of effort and generations of fans would be perfectly happy hearing a handful of Beatles classics and standout solo hits from his 50-year career, then go home and tell their friends and family that they had a nice, pleasant time with a legend. Instead, McCartney put his seemingly endless reservoir of energy to work ensuring that no one will forget the three hours they spent with him Monday night at Tulsa’s BOK Center, a concert that celebrated the venue’s first anniversary.
Beginning with “Drive My Car,” McCartney tirelessly powered through 34 songs with Beatles classics outnumbering solo tracks roughly two to one, but he delivered all his songs at full-tilt energy, whether it was last year’s “Highway” or “Eleanor Rigby” from 43 years ago. After recalling his recent driving tour of Route 66, which took him through Oklahoma, he paused in front of the 20,000-strong crowd “to take a moment to drink it all in.” Then, as he performed “The Long and Winding Road,” photos taken on “the mother road” flashed on the fiber-optic screen behind his band.
McCartney filled the set with historical grace notes, talking about how he wrote “Blackbird” during the Civil Rights Movement, “imagining a black girl going through all that,” and offering poignant tributes to his late wife Linda (“My Love” from 1972′s “Red Rose Speedway”) and fellow Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison. He began Harrison’s “Something” on ukelele, an instrument both men loved, then expandedthe song to its full “Abbey Road” arrangement as rare photos of Harrison flashed on the screen. When he played Lennon’s “A Day in the Life,” he effortlessly segued into his former songwriting partner’s protest hit, “Give Peace a Chance.”
Early in the set, McCartney offered a cheeky bridge from the distant past to the digital future, performing 1966′s “Got to Get You Into My Life” as computer-generated Beatles from the upcoming “Rock Band” video game installment played in the background. And he clearly enjoyed opening his archival footage to his fans: during the title track from “Band on the Run,” he played footage taken during that 1973 album’s cover shoot, including shots of James Coburn and Christopher Lee mugging for the camera.
While McCartney left out some key classics he played during his 2002 show in Oklahoma City, it was hard to be disappointed by the massive set list as his band, featuring guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., masterfully recreated the classic arrangements on “Paperback Writer,” “Hey Jude” and “Live and Let Die,” which was accompanied by massive flames and fireworks rising from the stage.
At 67, McCartney still takes few breaks during concerts. After leaving the stage following his main set, the band returned for wall-to-wall Beatles classics: “Day Tripper,” “Lady Madonna,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Yesterday,” an incendiary “Helter Skelter,” “Get Back,” and a medley combining the reprise from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “The End” from “Abbey Road.” He showed no sign of fatigue after the lengthy show, having given Tulsa an extraordinary survey of what is arguably the greatest songwriting career in rock ‘n’ roll history.
Setlist:
1. Drive My Car
2. Jet
3. Only Mama Knows
4. Flaming Pie
5. Got To Get You Into My Life
6. Let Me Roll It / Foxy Lady
7. Highway
8. The Long and Winding Road
9. My Love
10. Blackbird
11. Here Today
12. Dance Tonight
13. Calico Skies
14. Mrs Vanderbilt
15. Eleanor Rigby
16. Sing the Changes
17. Band on the Run
18. Back in the U.S.S.R.
19. I’m Down
20. Something
21. I’ve Got a Feeling
22. Paperback Writer
23. A Day in the Life / Give Peace A Chance
24. Let It Be
25. Live and Let Die
26. Hey Jude
27. Day Tripper
28. Lady Madonna
29. I Saw Her Standing There
30. Yesterday
31. Helter Skelter
32. Get Back
33. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
34. The End
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Comments
Frowneyface. Too bad tickets were $8000 a pop. Yes, I know they weren’t, but they might has well have been.
I did get to see him in the Early 90′s in Arrowhead Stadium. You could have been describing that concert. He’s a showman.
What a show! Ilearned to play from a Beatles song book from around 1965,(dots on strings!), but I had no idea Paul could play the six string so well! What a blast watching my life flash by! Thanks Paul…and please….come see us again!
I almost forgot. I hope he does a DVD of the concert. I know I would buy a few copies of what I saw and heard last night in Tulsa! Cheers to Paul and his band!
At long last, my dream came true! I got to be in the same room with Paul McCartney to see him and hear him. At 14 I was singing “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” during an outdoor P.E. class – I had no clue in 1963 that I would get to see one of the Beatles – and my favorite one at that! These tickets were a 60th birthday present from my husband. I am so blessed and so darn lucky!
20 years ago, I was privileged to see Sir Paul in New Orleans. We sat on the side of a hill in Piedmont Park in Atlanta and all I wanted to do was catch a plane for Tulsa.
Once again we were blown away by Paul and his band!
My first time to see him! I paid way more than I ever imagined I would for tickets….BUT IT WAS AMAZING!! He is super and still rocks! 67…you would never know it! He plays wonderfully! Something I will never forget!
This was my second time to see him live in concert since I “fell in love with him and the Beatles when they conquered America in 1954 … at which time I was 13. My first time, I practically cried through the whole concert just at the sight of him on stage. I watched a TV recording of his concert in Liverpool a year ago while we were living in Scotland. This time, I simply absorbed every word and every move he made on stage … without a tear. It was wonderful!!! And FYI, I wore my “Penny Lane” shirt that I bought this past March ON Penny Lane IN Liverpool. :-] What a night.
Three of us got some tix from a scalper online and drove 700 miles one way to see Paul- it was worth it! We’d do it again!
One day I will get to see Paul Mccartney live, it will be a dream come true! As I live in New Zealand and suffer a chronic illness, travel is difficult for me. However I am fairly determined that I will get to a concert in the not too distant future, hopefully closer to home like Australia, if Paul is going to do a world tour!? soon! I live in hope and I love him for his genius in music, and his overall optimistic approach to life.
We bought tickets on line and drove in from KC to see the show in Tulsa – IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY AND THEN SOME. It was simply the best concert I have ever seen; I’m afraid nothing else will ever measure up to it.
Wow, we knew this would probably be a once in a lifetime show to see. We feel so lucky to have had it right here in our own backyard. Paul made up for the “entry” problems at the gate… Thanks Paul, come back anytime you can!
It’s been 5 days since the concert & I’m still in awe. Everyone I know that got to attend the Tulsa show is still in a euphoric afterglow. His songs have been playing through my head & dominating my iPod all week. I am amazed at Paul’s stamina for a man at any age. This was one of the most energetic performances I’ve witnessed; & I’ve seen many performers of many genres. This show was even better than when I saw him in Dallas 1990. His performance last Monday even overshadowed all the many faults of the BOK Center making them seem minute. Paul’s performance at the BOK was in a league well above the Eagle’s lame show a year ago that opened the BOK. I’ve been reading reviews of Paul for other dates on this tour & all are rave. I feel truly Blessed to have been given the gift of witnessing Paul’s Tulsa performance.
P.S. Thank You for posting the set list!
I was able to finally see Macca in Dallas las Wednesday and he was awesome. The concert was great even though the venue wasn’t exactly top notch. Sir Paul leaves you wanting more and for the next few days I was still in awe of how great he is live. A can’t miss show. I just can’t listen to anything else, atleast for now, just a great show. I hope I get to see him again. I did not experience John Lennon live in concert but I wonder if he was just as good.
I was able to finally see Macca in Dallas lasT Wednesday and he was awesome. The concert was great even though the venue wasn’t exactly top notch. Sir Paul leaves you wanting more and for the next few days I was still in awe of how great he is live. A can’t miss show. I just can’t listen to anything else, atleast for now, just a great show. I hope I get to see him again. I did not experience John Lennon live in concert but I wonder if he was just as good.
A good friend of mine lives in Tulsa, and invited me to visit and see Paul McCartney. Wellll, I have only been in love with this man since I was 10 years old!! So, I hopped a flight from Virginia and flew all the way to Tulsa to see him. I worked as a record buyer for over 7 years, and have been to countless concerts, but let me tell you…this was the best concert I have ever seen. So much energy and talent; it was amazing. For a man of any age. Thanks for making a dream come true, Paul, I will always love you!
Drove in from Iowa for this concert and on to Dallas. BOK Center was such an enjoyable experience. Great sound and I could actually see Paul with my own eyes. In the stadiums, I have to watch off the screens.
Was worth the face value I paid for the tix. Would do it again in a minute.
We drove in from Amarillo and absolutely LOVED the concert. We sat on the 8th row floor and left our camera in the car! There was a young man and his mom sitting next to us who took a lot of photos and movies. We left them our email address, but so far we haven’t received anything. Maybe they lost the little paper we gave them with the email address on it. If anyone has any good movies or photos from the night of the concert from around the area where we were sitting, we would be very, very excited to get them. It was definitely a night we will never forget!
To Pam, check out Youtube. There’s an amazing video of Live and Let Die from the front floor area. I had seen him in the Astrodome and Compact Center in Houston, and Texas Stadium. This was the best venue, because he was so much closer to the lower “bowl” seats we buy. Amazing performer. Hope it’s not his last tour. I would pay the bucks out again to do this one more time!
[...] Ray – guitar, bass Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums Paul Wickens – keyboards Review by StaticBlog: „Beginning with ‘Drive My Car,’ McCartney tirelessly powered through 34 songs [...]
NOBODY PUTS ON A BETTER SHOW THAN PAUL MCCARTNEY!!!