Review: McCartney @ Ed Sullivan Theatre

Paul McCartney –  Band On The Run

For his second song of the rooftop concert, the band played Sing The Changes off his recent Fireman LP – a tune that was upbeat and catchy. David Letterman came out after the song to greet McCartney and wrap up the taping of The Late Show. At that point, Macca told the crowd that they shouldn’t go anywhere as the band would continue to play just for them – eliciting the loudest cheers that block has heard since Phish rocked the marquee in 2004. What followed was a trio of Wings epics: Coming Up, Band On The Run and Let Me Roll It.

As always, drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. – hot off an impressive stint behind the kit for the Clapton/Winwood tour – played with passion and authority pushing his band mates at each turn. McCartney’s quintet gets tighter with each passing year and Macca fans who are catching them in the coming weeks are in for a treat. Particularly impressive was the way they tacked the coda of Foxy Lady onto the end of Let Me Roll It with McCartney trading licks with guitarist Rusty Anderson.

The crowd seemed to be aching for a Beatles classic, but instead of reaching back for I Saw Her Standing There or one of the other songs they played at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in the mid ’60s the band delivered an intense Helter Skelter. The White Album rocker seemed to freak out a few of the oldest and youngest in the audience especially after Anderson screeched his way through a solo. Yet, the frenetic energy of the song matched that of Midtown Manhattan during rush hour. Another White Album rocker, Back In The USSR, followed and closed the concert on a high note.

Paul McCartney – Back In The USSR

Everywhere you looked you saw people in the crowd calling their friends and family trying to explain the once-in-a-lifetime sight they were seeing. As quickly as it started the concert came to a close with McCartney bidding the crowd adieu and urging everyone to watch The Late Show tonight. It’s clear this is one experience neither the performers or the audience will ever forget.