THE NEW YORK TIMES
For McCartney, a New Stage to Call His Own
Paul McCartney playing at Citi Field in New York on Friday, the new stadium’s first rock concert.
By JON PARELES Published: July 18, 2009

Paul McCartney came to Citi Field on Friday night to bring a new ballpark one thing that can’t be built in: memories. No one was better qualified.

As a 23-year-old Beatle, Mr. McCartney introduced rock to a stadium audience on Aug. 15, 1965, when the Beatles played a 34-minute set at Shea Stadium, which Citi Field replaced. The Beatles returned to Shea in 1966 on what would be their last tour.

Mr. McCartney was also at the final concert at Shea Stadium, joining the headliner, Billy Joel, on stage last year. Mr. Joel returned the favor on Friday night, singing, whooping and splashing piano chords in “I Saw Her Standing There.” In case the Mets weren’t enough, now Citi Field has musical continuity.

On Friday night, in the first of three shows at the stadium, Mr.McCartney reminisced about 1965, imitating the muffled and distorted sound the Beatles got through the old stadium’s P.A. system, which by all accounts was drowned out by screaming girls. (Nearly 44 years later, somewhat older women seized their cue to scream.)

He also had other memories: of his fellow Beatles John Lennon, to whom he dedicated his memorial song, “Here Today,” and George Harrison, who had given him the ukulele he used to play Mr.Harrison’s song “Something.” He dedicated the ballad “My Love” to his late wife Linda, who sang with Mr.McCartney’s band Wings in the 1970s.

On Wednesday, Mr. McCartney performed at another Beatles venue, when he played a set of songs atop the marquee at the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan for “The Late Show With David Letterman.”

The Citi Field audience brought its own memories: Beatles T-shirts and talismans, held aloft to soak up the occasion. When Mr.McCartney sang Beatles songs, in arrangements that nearly replicated the studio versions, there were loud, fond sing-alongs.

But Mr.McCartney wasn’t fixated on looking back. Although he has enough hits to fill his two-and-a-half-hour set with oldies from Wings, the Beatles and his solo albums, he chose to stay current as well, stumping the nostalgia crowd with songs from the album he released in 2008 as the Fireman, “Electric Arguments.” At 67, he is still a vigorous musician: writing tuneful and wily songs, playing assorted instruments, crooning his ballads ardently, hitting the high notes and howling like a rock and roller.

Of course, Mr. McCartney wasn’t about to return to the primitive conditions of a 1965 Beatles show, when the band performed isolated on an empty ballfield with fans far away in the stands. (There was field seating, on covered turf, along with the stands at Citi Field.)

Stadium concerts have evolved mightily, and Mr. McCartney had all the paraphernalia to make his music fill the stadium as the sound and image of the Beatles could not (which didn’t make the Beatles concerts any less exciting). Video screens rendered Mr. McCartney visible to the upper decks, and they illustrated songs like “Back in the U.S.S.R.” (with old images of Russia) and “Got to Get You Into My Life” (with the computer-animated Beatles from the video game “The Beatles: Rock Band”). Flash pots and fireworks blazed to underline the explosive transitions of “Live and Let Die.”

As always, Mr. McCartney was boyish onstage, making faces and tousling and retousling his hair. His genial and straightforward presence made some of his songs even more enigmatic, like “Jet,” “Helter Skelter,” “Flaming Pie” (the title song of Mr. McCartney’s 1997 album) and “Mrs.Vandebilt” (a song he resurrected from the Wings album “Band on the Run”).

Mr. McCartney plays like a musician cheerfully doing his job. He makes no fuss over how many paths he opened with the Beatles and how much he can do. At Citi Field, the delicacy of “Yesterday” and “Blackbird,” the near-gospel of “Hey Jude,” the mandolin-strumming skiffle of “Dance Tonight,” the quasiclassical string parts of “Eleanor Rigby” (digitally simulated) and the lusty blues-rock of “Let Me Roll It” were all part of Mr. McCartney’s music, and all performed neatly and deftly.

Mr. McCartney keeps his songs familiar; his band members barely deviated from the solos played by the Beatles and Wings. So when Mr. McCartney did make changes, they were striking — particularly when he segued from the middle of “A Day in the Life” into “Give Peace a Chance,” with a peace sign on the video screen and the crowd raising two-fingered V-signs while singing along.

When Mr. McCartney and the Beatles played Shea Stadium in the 1960s, they were brash young rockers. It was before the orchestral ambition of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” or the introspection and style-hopping of “The Beatles” (known as the White Album), with songs the Beatles themselves would perform only in the studio, though Mr.McCartney has taken them on tour. It was before Mr. McCartney’s songs became something parents introduced to children and grandchildren. And it was before Mr. McCartney had another four decades of experience, losses and memories to sing about, in a stadium that awaits history of its own.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK - Sir Paul McCartney knighted another New York Mets ballpark Friday night, playing the first concert ever at Citi Field.

"Long time since I've been here," the former Beatle told the crowd, then paused to take it all in.

Citi Field is the successor to Shea Stadium, where the Beatles played a historic concert in 1965 that's regarded as the precursor to the stadium rock concert.

Patty Parker attended Friday night's show and remembers the 1965 show well.

"I was three rows from the top. I was 10 years old," she said. "He captured that same tune; I'm so blown away."

Several times on Friday, McCartney alluded to that magical night 44 years ago. But he was also made it clear that it was less than perfect at times, saying: "The first time we played here, we couldn't hear a thing because of all the girls screaming and the stadium sound system."

Friday's two-and-a-half-hour show went more smoothly, highlighted by fireworks on and off the stage for "Live and Let Die" near the show's end.

McCartney played more than 30 songs, covering the Beatles, Wings and his solo catalog. When he introduced "I'm Down," he said it was also played at the Shea Stadium concert.

The crowd rocked most of the night, which was also filled with heartfelt dedications. The most poignant went to McCartney's late wife before an emotional version of "My Love."

"We'd like to do a song dedicated to Linda," McCartney said. "She was a New York girl."

He also played the Beatles classics "Hey Jude," Let It Be" and "Back in the USSR."

When he performed "A Day in the Life," McCartney swapped out John Lennon's part at the end with a version of Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance," asking the crowd to join in.

For the encore, McCartney brought out Billy Joel for "I Saw Her Standing There." Last year, McCartney joined Joel on stage for the last concert at Shea Stadium.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Nod to Fab 4's first Shea gig as Paul McCartney defies his age at Citi Field concert Saturday, July 18th 2009

Sir Paul McCartney played for over two hours at the first concert at Citi Field. The Beatles performed at New York's Shea Stadium before a crowd of 45,000 people in 1965.

The new Citi Field received a Beatle baptism Friday night.

Paul McCartney offered the first musical concert at the sterling new venue, an apt parallel to the Fab Four's historic, kick-off show at Citi Field's predecessor, Shea Stadium, 44 long years ago.

Of course, several key differences between 1965 and today made themselves immediately clear.

This time, everyone could hear. And the only "girls" who screamed were gently prompted by Paul.

As a further reference to history, Paul brought out a special guest at one point - Billy Joel, who last summer closed down the crumbling Shea.

Together they performed a song from the '65 performance, "I Saw Her Standing There."

Still, the focus at Friday night's event didn't rest solely in the past.

If ancient Beatles' songs ate up much of the set-list, the performance itself offered a present tense lesson in the enduring power of melody.

From the very first number - "Drive My Car" - McCartney demonstrated the unending value of well-honed tunes matched to beats that kick.

Sir Paul remains the premier tunesmith of the last half century, and when he performs those tunes with verve, as he did Friday night, their fluidity never ceases to excite.

Paul's voice - particularly his flighty falsetto - remained boyishly strong throughout, showing not a trace of his improbable 67 years.

The star also benefitted from a particularly fit backup band.

They mimicked the Fab Four's harmonies with care, while drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. put in particularly muscular work as a support.

Paul also took time out to honor the two late Beatles at the show.

He acknowledged John with an acoustic song he wrote some years back, "Here Today."

To salute George, he played "Something" with the quiet Beatle's favored ukulele.

Paul even made a good case for some of his lesser known solo material, including "Only Mama Knows," with its sweet harmonies and serrated guitars.

But, naturally, the Beatles' songs made the greatest impression, including "I'm Down," which he'd done in '65.

Of course, the music reads very differently today. What arose in '65 as the gateway to a new world now reads as an ode to warmth and comfort.

Thankfully, Friday night's show displayed why this music has provided so much comfort to so many, for so long.

NEW YORK POST
PAUL PLAYS 'LET IT BE' LIKE '65 By DAN AQUILANTE

Paul McCartney brings back memories of Yesterday as the former Beatle wows the Citi Field crowd last night.

It was déjà vu all over again last night when Paul McCartney put in a Hard Day's Night baptizing Citi Field as a concert venue with two hours of fiery rock 'n' roll.

McCartney, 67, also will play tonight and Tuesday at the ballpark, marking the latest in a series of landmark performances that link the beloved Beatle with the Big Apple and the Mets.

It started 44 years ago with The Beatles' legendary musical inauguration of Shea Stadium in 1965, and continued with McCartney's special appearance at Billy Joel's "Last Play at Shea" show that closed the stadium last year.

Joel repaid the favor this time around, joining McCartney for The Beatles song "I Saw Her Standing There" during the encore.

In many ways this latest Amazin' encounter was a time machine.

McCartney and his devoted audience -- 55,000 strong -- found mutual youth in the 30-plus song set that roamed freely from his most recent work like "Sing The Changes," from last year's "Fireman" CD to his most popular Wings and Beatles masterpieces.

McCartney, who's always most comfortable in concert as part of the band, stayed in constant motion during this rain-soaked show whilethumping on his vintage Hofner bass, strumming guitar or pounding the piano.

Beatlemania reigned in the set with terrific versions of "Hey Jude," "Lady Madonna" and "Back in the USSR."

McCartney treated the audience to a soaring rendition of "Blackbird" which he stripped to a solo ballad arranged for acoustic guitar and voice.

He also was quite fine on a bright, pretty version of "Something," playing a ukulele given to him by his late bandmate George Harrison.

McCartney demonstrated he can still reach the hard-to-hit "Paul-notes" of his youth that made the girls cry in the '60s. The breadth of his vocals was most apparent during his version of the "Long and Winding Road" and "Let It Be" where he showed he still had the power to create very pure tones and hold them without wavering.

USA TODAY
McCartney returns, ‘drinks it all in’ at Citi Field opening
By Jerry Shriver, USA TODAY

• The event: "Cute" Beatle Paul McCartney, still earning the title at age 67, performs Friday’s opening concert at the new Citi Field, the first in a three-night run (continues July 18 and July 21).

• Location: New York City

• At Attendance: 42,000-plus

• The venue: Citi Field, new home of tthe New York Mets, sits next to the now-demolished Shea Stadium, where McCartney, then 23, and his Beatle mates launched the stadium rock-concert era with an historic half-hour show on Aug. 15, 1965. At the time, the 55,000 attendance was the largest ever at a rock concert and the $304,000 gross was the top take in box-office history.

• Mania level: Tickets for the three shows, priced $449.50-$275, sold out within five minutes. Fans debated purchases of $30 programs, $35 T-shirts and $90 zip-up track-suit tops with McCartney logos.

• Happy landing: Carlos Alejandro Garcia, 39, dressed in a collar less gray-and-black Beatles suit and wig, and friend Jesus Cerecedo, 42, in a silky blue Sgt. Pepper’s military band suit, both flew in from Mexico City for the show. "It feels more like an ‘event’ than just another concert," said Garcia, who plays McCartney in a Beatles tribute band. This was his 13th McCartney show.

• Earning wings: In 1965, opening actss were King Curtis, Cannibal and the Headhunters, Brenda Holloway and Sounds Incorporated. This time, emerging Irish rock group The Script took the honors.

• Get back I: Sir Paul and his four-piece band (Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, guitars; Paul "Wix" Wickens, keyboards; and Abe Laboriel Jr., drums) opened the 2.5-hour, 35-song, rain-sprinkled show with faithful versions of The Beatles’ Drive My Car and Wings’ Jet. Instead of the non-stop screams of ‘65, this crowd sang in unison.

• Savvoring the spectacle: McCartney, dressed in a black suit with vest, black suspenders and an open-neck white shirt, asked the crowd to "give me a second to drink it all in," then stood silently with a smile and surveyed his kingdom with those giant doe eyes. Throughout the glitch-free show, he engaged the audience frequently, chatting about Shea’s woefully inadequate sound system in 1965, marveling at how Jimi Hendrix played a Sgt. Pepper song in concert the day after the album was released, and inviting the women” lots of cougars in the VIP seats — to scream.

• Get back II: McCartney sang just one song from the ‘65 concert, summoning his inner Little Richard for I’m Down, the night’s unexpected highlight. But he fondly summoned the past in other ways, offering tender tributes to deceased wife and Wings bandmate Linda (My Love), George Harrison (a ukulele-led Something) and John Lennon (Here Today). Though he didn’t say it overtly, nearly every one of the 22 Beatles songs — especially the propulsive Helter Skelter, Paperback Writer and A Day in the Life— evoked memories off surviving fellow Beatle Ringo Starr (with whom McCartney played briefly in April at a benefit show).

• Get Back III: The late-period Beaatles nugget showed up as the sixth song in an eight-song encore. McCartney’s wondrous voice stayed strong throughout the night, and he hit most of the high notes, except for some of the yelping ones on Band on the Run. As he switched between six different instruments, his tight, tasteful band kept pace.

• Flash forward: McCartney played just one song, Highway, from his most recent album, 2008’s Electric Arguments (recorded under his alias, The Fireman). But he worked in plenty of less obvious solo tunes and Wings hits, highlighted by Live and Let Die, which was accompanied by a startling pyrotechnic display of firepots, sparklers and mini-fireworks.

• Cute quip: When an ascending airplane roared overhead from nearby LaGuardia, McCartney cocked his head and said "We just did that one" — referring to the jet sounds that kick off Back in the U.S.S.R.

• Returnning the favor: McCartney performed the final song (Let It Be) at Shea’s final concert last July, as a surprise guest of hometown hero Billy Joel. Friday, Joel came out as a surprise for McCartney’s third encore and pounded the piano and traded vocals on a rollicking I Saw Her Standing There.

• And in The End: Aware that he had made local history once again, McCartney signed off with a medley that combined Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with the conclusion of the suite from Abbey Road, the final album recorded by The Beatles.

•Next stops: FedEx Field, Landover, Md., Aug. 1; Fenway PPark, Boston, Aug. 5-6; Piedmont Park, Atlanta, Aug. 15; BOK Center, Tulsa, Aug. 17; Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, Aug. 19.

NEWSDAY
Paul McCartney @ Citi Field, 7.17.09

Yes, it was a home run that sparked those fireworks high above Citi Field Friday night – not from one of the usual sources, but from pop music’s most-dependable slugger, Sir Paul McCartney.

The blasts that punctuated “Live and Let Die,” both on the massive stage set up in centerfield and above it, served as a not-so-subtle reminder that the man who ushered in the era of stadium rock in 1965, when The Beatles made history by playing Shea Stadium, was in town to christen another stadium. In true McCartney fashion, though, that bombastic statement was followed by a bit of aw-shucks theatrics, some pretending that all the smoke got in his eyes and that he really wasn’t worth all that fuss.

That’s the thing about McCartney that often gets lost in the shuffle – his incredible sense of balance. His set pulled from the first Beatles hits to his recent experimental album done under the pseudonym The Fireman, masterfully navigating that tightrope of playing what he wanted to play and what the bulk of his fans wanted to hear.

Few artists would see the connection between the cranky strut of The Fireman’s “Highway” and the lush orchestrated ballad “The Long and Winding Road,” but McCartney effortlessly makes that transition, along with welding the present to the past.

“Long time since I was here,” McCartney said. “I’ve got a feeling that we’re going to have a little bit of fun tonight.”

He often reminded the crowd how no one could hear anything when The Beatles first played Shea Stadium. This time, though, the acoustics were a little better.

And actually, so is McCartney.

Harmonies sweetened a revved-up “Jet.” Bluesy guitar and organ built a new groove on “Let Me Roll It,” which got a dose of Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady.” “Paperback Writer” developed a bit of a punk snarl and honky-tonk piano riffs freshened “The Long and Winding Road.” Billy Joel, who invited McCartney to perform at the final concert at Shea Stadium last year, served as the special guest during a raucous “I Saw Her Standing There.”

McCartney was careful to pay tribute to those who helped get him to where he is, dedicating “My Love” to his late wife Linda, a ukelele version of “Something” to George Harrison and the poignant “Here Today” to John Lennon, whose “Give Peace a Chance” also became part of “A Day in the Life.”

But when he made a jarring turn from the lovely “Yesterday” to the wild “Helter Skelter” seem elegant? That was a true sign of a master at work.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Paul McCartney plays Citi Field: He's still got it

Last night, Paul McCartney hit the New York Mets' Citi Field and jammed for two hours, becoming the first musical act to play at the brand-new stadium. When he played at the Mets' former home, Shea Stadium, in 1965, he also similarly helped christen that ballpark for rock concerts as a frenzy of teens went wild for the Beatles.

Amongst his 30-song set last night was everything from recent work like "Sing The Changes" to Beatles masterpieces. And, from this video below and reports from some of the 55,000 who attended the rain-soaked show, the legend's rendition of Fab Four hit "Let it Be" was more than memorable.

I never tire of that song. What do you think, PopWatchers? Does Paul still have it? Was he an appropriate inaugural musical act for Citi Field? Were you there?