Review of Paul McCartney @ The RDS, 12/06/10

As I headed across Dublin to join the queue for Paul McCartney’s second Irish gig in the space of six months I had an underlying fear of if could this gig possibly be as amazing as the one in The O2 in December and would it take away from the memories of that brilliant night if it wasn’t. However it was an unnecessary fear as in some aspects this gig proved to be even better.
Having decided on buying a standing ticket due to cost, queuing for this gig was essential. However to our delight on arriving outside the RDS we found ourselves listening to what turned out to be most of the sound check! As Paul McCartney is renowned for sound checks that include songs which won’t be sung during the gig I was only too happy to listen to this and sing along. I was especially pleased to hear Penny Lane in the sound check as it wasn’t played during the actual gig. Other songs played in sound check that we didn’t hear later included Celebration, San Francisco Bay and Ram On.
On entering the RDS I had only one thing on my mind and that was to have a spot leaning on the barrier. Having the seating between us and the stage made this even more essential and thankfully it was mission accomplished. We had the comfort of something to lean on and a clear view of the stage. I was very happy when The Coronas were announced as support for the gig as not only do I like them it was also good to have live music while we waited for the gig to start. They didn’t disappoint and played a good set including Far from Here, San Diego Song, Listen Dear and Heroes and Ghosts. We were also treated to a brand new song which they haven’t even named yet! Their delight at being the support act to Sir Paul McCartney was plain to see and lead singer Danny O’Reilly voiced this on more than one occasion.
At exactly 8pm we were treated to a massive montage on screens either side of the stage. While it does include excellent images of The Beatles and 1960’s Liverpool after 25 minutes we were very impatient for it to end and the show to start! Just before 8.30pm we got our wish and McCartney and the band came out on stage to loud cheers from the audience. Launching straight into Venus and Mars/ Rockshow it was high energy from the start. This was followed by Jet and All my Loving. Playing an impressive 35 songs there are many highlights to choose from but my favourite moment was during Blackbird. There is something sublime in the simplicity of this song which gives me goose bumps when I hear McCartney sing it live. It was also the 1st song which appeared to get a big response from the majority of the crowd.
The biggest reaction of the night was during Live and Let die where a lot of people got a fright when the fireworks and pyrotechnics kicked off. Darkness had arrived just at the perfect time and the scene was stunning with the addition of a display on the roof of the stage and also the theatrics along the front where we could even feel heat of from our position! The sing-a-long which followed for Hey Jude was pretty magical too. Other musical highlights included when McCartney performed Something, although a Beatles song it was the first song written by George Harrison to appear on an A-Side of a Beatles single. It was a touching moment during the concert along with when he played Here Today which he wrote for John Lennon. I also enjoyed hearing Give Peace a Chance. Other songs played during the night included Eleanor Rigby, Band On The Run, My Love, I’ve Got A Feeling, Let It Be and Yesterday, all of which sounded amazing.
McCartney was in incredible form throughout the whole show with lots of crowd interaction and his attempts at Irish! It brought a smile to our faces when he announced “Is mìse Paul McCartney, in case any of you don’t know”! It was quite funny when someone shouted up “you the man” to whom McCartney replied, yes he is the man but so is every other man! He spoke about trying to avoid reading banners during singing songs as it can be quite distracting but on seeing a banner reading “I’m gonna bang this chick tonight” he couldn’t help but read it and be distracted. The chick in question was the banner owners’ wife! At one stage during the concert a section of the crowd starting singing Happy Birthday to the amusement of McCartney in which he started singing back thanks but it isn’t until Friday!
Throughout the show there was a very impressive back drop at the back of the stage. We were treated to various different images throughout the night including candles for Let it Be, Beatles images during Something and a sunset during the final song of the night Sgt Pepper. The band were in excellent form and seeing Abe Laboriel Jr playing the drums with all his might on the big screens gave me a warm feeling. It is plain to see that they all feel privileged to work with McCartney, especially when he thanked them at the end of the gig.
It didn’t take long for the fear this gig wouldn’t live up to The O2 to disappear. It is a magical feeling to be in the proximity of a Beatle and hearing songs we have listened to all our lives and that inspired a musical generation. McCartney and his band were brilliant and I have no complaints there whatsoever. However I did feel the gig lacked the atmosphere we had at The O2. I put this down to the seating in front of the stage with standing behind. It really took until Live and Let Die for the audience to really come alive. But that aside this gig did live up to expectation in every other way and would I go again? In an instant!