Review by Shawn Perry
Paul McCartney has a unique history with the state of Tennessee. Aside from concerts he’s played in Memphis (with the Beatles and on his own), Nashville and Manchester (at the Bonnaroo festival in 2013), the former Beatle, his first wife Linda and members of Wings spent six weeks on a farm just outside of Nashville. Here, they rehearsed for a tour, rode horses, swam in the property’s pond, hung out with country stars, and enjoyed the scenery. The stay made such an impression on McCartney that he wrote “Junior’s Farm,” a Top 10 hit, in tribute to Claude “Curly” Putman, Jr., whose farm served as the musician’s home base in the Volunteer state. The song was also recorded in Nashville.
Needless to say, when McCartney and his longtime band — keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens, guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, and drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. — played in Knoxville for the very first time, “Junior’s Farm” was included in the 37-song set list. For nearly three hours, 20,000 rabid fans were treated to Beatles, Wings, and solo hits, along with a few fillers to keep the flow fair and even. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many. With McCartney turning 80, who knows if and when that kind of experience will ever “get back” again.
As far as Knoxville was concerned, the Paul McCartney concert was the place to be. At one point, the singer asked how many in the audience were from Knoxville. Then he asked how many lived nearby, followed by how many traveled from further away. “On behalf of the Knoxville tourist board, we thank you…” The clever quips and in-between-song stories may be a big part of why fans, far and wide, pay hundreds of dollars to see someone him. The history, the legacy, the music — it’s a lot to take in. Throughout the night, hardly anyone took a seat. Even when some of the deeper cuts were played, most remained on their feet, not wanting to miss a thing.
Of those lesser-known, mostly newer songs, you could probably count “Come On To Me” and “Fuh You” from the excellent 2018 release Egypt Station, along with throwaways like 2013’s “New” from the album of the same name, among them. None of the numbers from the singer’s most recent album, 2020’s McCartney III, even made the cut. He’s about to become an octogenarian, but Paul McCartney knows what the fans want to hear: the very best of the Beatles and Wings, plus a few solo numbers that either resonated publicly or personally.
Of course, “Maybe I’m Amazed,” which was beautifully rolled out, is a given. McCartney said, “My Valentine,” from 2012’s Kisses From The Bottom, was written for his wife Nancy, whom, he added, was in the audience. “Here Today,” a song composed shortly after John Lennon’s death, has become another staple in the list. That leaves “Dance Tonight,” a song from 2007’s Memory Almost Full. Without McCartney’s snappy mandolin work and the dance moves of drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr., it might not have gone down so well.
Wings songs like “Let Me Roll It” and “Band On The Run” had the singer struggling to hit the notes, but the spirit, vigor and presence in which they were presented more than compensated for any miscalculations. It’s no secret McCartney’s voice is not what it used to be, but that didn’t seem to phase anyone in Knoxville. His vocal shortcomings were swiftly picked up by the audience, who seemed to know the lyrics to every Wings and Beatles song the band played.
Beatles songs comprised nearly two-thirds of the night’s program. And when it comes right down to it, that’s really what folks pay the big bucks — or in the case of one sign-wielding fan, giving 76 aerobics lessons — to see and hear McCartney perform. On that note, it’s hard to pinpoint which essential Beatle tune he left out. He even threw in a couple he didn’t originally sing, like “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!” and “Something,” which he dedicated to the song’s writer, George Harrison.
There was simply no way he could leave the building without doing “Blackbird,” “Let It Be” or “Hey Jude,” which had the whole house “Na-na-na-naing” for a good five minutes or so. You had to love “In Spite Of All The Danger,” the first song McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison recorded as the Quarryman before they formed the Beatles. “Love Me Do,” the debut single from the Beatles, followed.
For many, the two chunks of Abbey Road — the newly added “You Never Give Me Your Money” and “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” and the grand finale of “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight” and “The End” — were about as good as it can get. For others, it might have been “Get Back” or “I’ve Got A Feeling,” which featured a virtual duet with John Lennon thanks to Peter Jackson, the man behind the three-part The Beatles: Get Back documentary. When it comes to the Beatles, nothing is taken for granted.
With a dazzling, high-tech light show, a variety of historical and modern video on the backdrop and side screens, and pyrotechnics galore during “Live And Let Die,” nothing was left for chance. Coming to a Paul McCartney show can be a major financial commitment, but when the house lights came up, the buzz in the room was profound. You didn’t hear any griping as the crowd filed out — it was pure joy and elation and a yearning for more.
In the meantime, Paul McCartney’s 16-date U.S. ‘Got Back’ tour winds down on the East coast before making that great leap back across the pond to the UK for one final show at the famed Glastonbury Festival on June 25. No doubt, anyone within earshot will help the man who turns 80 on June 18 sing “Birthday” so loud, they’re liable to hear it miles around — perhaps all the way to the north in Liverpool where it all began. Then…who knows? Maybe Paul McCartney will make his way back to Tennessee to lay low at “Junior’s Farm.”
