The Beatles’ live performances were never well represented on record
during their lifespan. But Paul McCartney has gone out of his way to
rectify that by recreating as much of the Beatles catalog as possible
in his live sets. His latest concert album, Good Night New York
City, may stand as the Cute One’s best live cross section of his
various musical personas over the past five decades. Good Evening
NYC documents the first of a three-night stand that McCartney and
his crack band performed this summer, the first concerts at the new
Citi Field.
McCartney put together a diverse set for the occasion, from “I’m
Down” to “Something” (on which McCartney plays a ukelele given to him
by George Harrison) and a medley of “A Day in the Life” and “Give Peace
a Chance,” an emotional tribute to John Lennon. In addition to
brilliantly executed versions of Beatles classics (including “I Saw Her
Standing There” with Billy Joel on piano and vocals), McCartney and
company roar through Wings nuggets and recent solo material. Just a
month after his 67th birthday and in great voice, Sir Paul put on one
of the landmark concerts of his career and nailed it from beginning to
end. — Brian Baker
This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2009.
