GIG NUMBER ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN
Who
Our hotel was fine, we had a meal at Burger King and not a drop of alcohol, being aware that our enjoyment could be ruined if we had to leave a good spot to go to the toilet and then have to stand at the back. Special buses had been put on to Anfield and the queues moved with impressive efficiency. We had been told it was only a few miles to Anfield but the journey took forever and we went down some pretty random streets, so I'm grateful that we decided against walking. Anfield was in an awful area, a bit like where I used to live in Manchester but scarier. Most of the houses were boarded up and looked abandoned, despite a few almost respectable homes amongst the chaos. Craziest though was all the barbed wire, and I find it incredible that the stadium has had no regenerating effect whatsoever on the area. I also have read much discussion about where to locate the new stadium so my jaw dropped as we crossed a huge green open space which would have been utterly perfect and nobody seems to have mentioned! The queue was obscene, especially as we'd arrived a good 20 minutes before gates opened, and there was one solitary guy on a police horse keeping order. It took ages before a steward finally shouted to say exactly what our queue was for, confirming that we were in the correct place, and the atmosphere was pleasant due to it being tasteful Macca fans rather than mindless Scousers. There was a healthy mix between the old and the young attending. The locals had no opportunity to rob or irritate us, apart from the guy selling umbrellas, which were all promptly confiscated by security upon entrance to Anfield! The queue gradually started to move faster and we had to walk over mud to get in. Anfield looked utterly underwhelming from the outside and once we got in our jaws dropped at how tiny the stadium was. The Kop is supposed to be the most famous stand in the world but it was tiny, and it was obvious that this place wasn't a patch on the Molineux. However, although the size was smaller than I'd ever imagined and was a disappointment, this probably was a good thing as it made for a more intimate atmosphere. I'd read some false press releases stating that this was to be the first and last concert to be held at Anfield. It may be the last but I also remember Rock The Kop back in 1997, which starred Manic Street Preachers and plenty of other ace bands from the time. We walked towards the stage and obtained a reasonable position, admiring the excellent plastic surface that had been laid down which didn't get sticky or attract any mud.
It was then a 90 minute wait before anything happened, which in retrospect was fine and obviously intended but was worrying on the day as the show was already short enough and there was no time to waste. We looked at the executive boxes which were behind panes of glass and were staggered by their pointlessness, as how could you hear the music properly from them, and why pay extra for such a poor view? As I saw from the TV highlights which I watched afterwards, Dave Grohl was in one of them for most of the show, and I also heard that Wayne Rooney was present and no doubt any other famous person who cares about decent music was there too. Also, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison were sitting together watching the concert, in a nice gesture of support, although sadly Ringo Starr didn't turn up. I wonder what he deemed more important than tonight? The stage had "Liverpool" written in big letters across the top and looked great, and we worshipped the brave guy who was clambering around amongst the rigging who clearly had a head for heights! Eventually the video screens kicked into action to zoom in on random people in the crowd who all recoiled in horror at being on the big screen, or waved back, or tried to look cool! There were no surprises with the first band as already their name on the drum kit made it clear that The Zutons would be opening, and they came onstage to a warm reception at 6:30pm sharp. I'd been concerned that the sound would be quiet but in fact it was too loud, gradually settling down into a perfect mix as The Zutons got into the swing of things. They were good, albeit only as good as The Zutons are capable of being, and barely put a foot wrong. Why Won't You Give Me Your Love was exciting and felt suited to a stadium with its extended ending. The band also treated the crowd with respect by sticking to the hits and almost ignoring tracks from their latest album! I'd hoped they'd open with Dirty Dancehall, which includes the line "this is another night in the city of culture" but instead it was played in the middle. Oh Stacy (Look What You've Done!) was surprisingly omitted, not that I noticed at the time, but it was a supremely crowd-pleasing set. They even joked about Valerie being a song made famous by Amy Winehouse before playing it, and it was a satisfying reminder of how good the original song is compared to her awful cover version, a point I think the crowd realised as they sang along! They then ticked the remaining box by closing with You Will You Won't and their positive attitude to their hits had won me over, switching them from the unacceptable to the enjoyable side of averageness in my mind! Still, the singer could do with a damn good haircut.
There had been some rain but it had now stopped and the only thing blocking my view was a silver Liverpool 08 balloon, which is less than normal! The stadium was filling up and the atmosphere was positive and also there were no signs of a crush forming, which was nice. In fact we got through the entire evening with no moshpit either, making this a more dignified affair than newer acts usually offer. A giant Kaiser Chiefs banner was unveiled but there was no sign of a giant "K" or "C", which in fact they had used again at their Leeds Stadium gig a few days beforehand. Kaisers bounded onstage to open with my predicted choice - Everything Is Average Nowadays - which they then followed with Everyday I Love You Less And Less. Despite being a relevant act they had to work hard to win the crowd over, as many people here were the kind who are dismissive of anything made after 1976. However their energy and efforts in encouraging singing along eventually garnered much success. Heat Dies Down continued the fine start before number one hit Ruby got everyone going. I'd commented beforehand that all of our interest had been focused on Macca and we'd hardly given a thought to the fact we'd be seeing the Kaisers. Indeed, the second Macca came onstage we forgot all about Kaiser Chiefs. However, despite being completely overshadowed, they were excellent in themselves. They were well suited to a stadium but should have known better than to try to get us to cheer their proclamation of having new songs to play! Never Miss A Beat was supremely catchy though, increasing my hopes for their third album until I heard afterwards that Mark Fucking Ronson would be involved! Modern Way followed and was received with an unfairly ecstatic reception. They had tried to make it sound a bit more like The Cribs cover version but it still was a low point, especially when followed by another newbie Half The Truth which passed us by.
Kaisers at Reading 2006 had played several tunes from the Yours Truly, Angry Mob L.P. which we didn't enjoy because they were new. It was now good to be familiar with them but the Kaisers appetite for new material just seems too thirsty for my liking. Nevertheless, it does seem cruel to complain when they did play everything that mattered. Sure, they missed out Born To Be A Dancer, Saturday Night, Boxing Champ and Time Honoured Tradition, but it's not as if anyone else in the audience would know or love those songs, so the Kaisers succeeded in playing all the crowd pleasers. Nicest surprise was that Na Na Na Na Naa remained in the set, and I Predict A Riot, which I now recognised the drum solo introduction for, followed it. Full credit to the Kaisers for playing this song for the 10,000th time with so much enthusiasm! Ricky was bounding around the stage and encouraging the stands to clap along, his only concession to energy-saving being his reluctance to do dangerous jumps from the high parts of the stage, occasionally climbing up, changing his mind and carefully walking down again. You Want History was the final new song and hinted at a dancier sound, before the wonderful The Angry Mob and b-side Take My Temperature, which now seems to have been instated as a centrepiece of the Kaiser Chiefs set. An enthusiastic Mexican wave which went around the stadium twice was the best input of the night from the people in the stands and also sustained us through the jam the Kaisers had launched into as they took a breather. They then closed with the same tune as at Reading - Oh My God - which was thankfully truncated to a sensible length after a bit of singing along. Kaiser Chiefs had brilliantly warmed the crowd up, and if it wasn't for the gentleman who would be following them we'd had been singing their praises for many weeks to come!
The stage was now promptly cleared for Macca and a huge screen was lit up for testing. It was already clear that this would be a spectacular show! A collage of Liverpool bands was displayed on the screen, including a crazy concert starring Gerry And The Pacemakers with The Searchers, which also squeezed Cilla Black in there! We had stayed rooted to the spot but had to move back a bit as a couple of tossers randomly started to pick on a guy in the audience and threw a few punches. They made a laughing stock of the idea of Liverpool being a capital of culture, bringing shame on the city and also the non-existent security staff. Even when Paul McCartney came on these "people" were more concerned about continuing their fight and looking over at their target who had innocently wandered off to enjoy the show than listening to the music. Appalling behaviour which distracted our attention for an unreasonable proportion of the main act. Peter Kay always seems to crop up at big events but it was the first time I'd seen him. He had shown up specially to introduce Macca and I guess also to enjoy the show! He mentioned Paul's collaborators, namely The Beatles, Stevie Wonder and Rupert The Bear, and said he was a "local lad" before proclaiming that tonight was proof that Britain does have talent. I've always found Kay an annoying comedian with lowest common denominator material, yet he always comes across as infuriatingly likeable! Paul then came onstage and exchanged a few words with him, probably about The Frog Chorus, before stepping up to the mic and launching into Hippy Hippy Shake. It's a great song and an alright introduction but isn't his tune. Fair enough, The Beatles themselves used to play it, but Sir Paul has plenty of better songs of his own he could have started with.
Jet was then unleashed and what should have been a highlight was wasted so early in the evening. The sun was still up and the crowd had lost the energy that the Kaisers had built up. We tried to punch the air and enjoy it but maybe such a stone cold classic should have been saved for later on? Paul looked great and fighting fit. I'd been relieved that the evil money-grabbing Heather Mills divorce had come off in his favour, so much so in fact that his popularity was as high as ever. If it hadn't gone well for him it could easily have undermined his performance or the crowd reaction. Drive My Car was accompanied by an impressive video on the screen and perked the place up slightly, and Macca exchanged a few words about being back in Liverpool making him feel nostalgic. Everyone loves the guy, and I didn't even see him do a single thumbs up to get us going! After a solo song was a roar of approval for Revolver b-side Got To Get You Into My Life. I barely recognised it but could tell it was something special and have since heard it many times over. Macca then went some way to bringing down the momentum again with a couple more unknown songs, plus My Love which was dedicated to Ringo?! C Moon was cheesy but very lovely, as Paul explained that the song was about the opposite of "being a square". He then went behind his piano for the permanently average The Long And Winding Road. He made it as beautiful as it could have been but it still remains a low-key end to The Beatles career. Dance Tonight was the only offering from his latest album, making me wonder where all these unknown songs had come from, and it went down a storm. Blackbird was then introduced with a dedication to George, as Paul demonstrated that the introduction was an extension of a Bach tune played on the guitar. It was a stunning moment, the nicest so far, and the crowd happily sung along.
The set then reached its nadir with three more unknown songs, one of which was dedicated to Liverpool which he'd never played before, as the sun now properly went down. However Macca knew what we wanted. After this bit there were NO MORE unknown songs. Indeed, bearing in mind the fact that most of Macca's most famous tunes were written many years ago, he did an admirable job in balancing the set so well. A handful of "new" songs from the last 35 years is hard to begrudge! Before the next tune started, the people in front of us started pointing and waving for assistance. Naturally it took ages for the stewards to pay any attention and come to help. I guess someone had gone and passed out, which would have been one hell of an achievement considering the comfortable temperature, short show and lack of a crush, but we never found out what had happened. It's a shame as this uncertain Panic! At The Disco moment distracted our attention away from a lovely slow version of Eleanor Rigby. Next up was a glorious rendition of Something for George, and I'm sure some tears were shed around the stadium. Penny Lane then continued the fantastic run of chances to sing along before Macca introduced his special guest star. OK, Dave Grohl's appearance was no surprise, but he seemed happy to be there. The Foo Fighters would somehow be playing to a much larger crowd at Wembley a few days afterwards and would get members of Led Zeppelin onstage. However, that couldn't have been a match to seeing the surviving key members of Nirvana and The Beatles together! I'd predicted Grohl would provide guitar and backing vocals for Band On The Run and was proved correct, but the predictability didn't take away from the fact that this incredible song was the best of the evening! Grohl then got behind a second drum kit for a powerful Back In The U.S.S.R. with Russian-flavoured imagery on the video screen. Next up, Macca got behind his piano and Grohl vacated the stage for an awesome Live And Let Die. I'd expected fireworks but the blinding explosions were beyond my wildest dreams, making this the other contender for best song of the night with Band On The Run. Perhaps Macca had pulled out all the stops to ensure the Wings songs were the best to prove a point? Well he certainly succeeded!
Let It Be was also magical but was overshadowed in the company of Hey Jude. It was the moment we'd been waiting for and its only fault was that other songs had been even better. Once he reached the climax the video screen turned to show the faces of the crowd and he took a bow before leaving the stage. Paul then came back on by himself with everyone firmly behind him. It was now clear that the advertised 10:30pm curfew had been a lie and he would carry on until 11pm, which gave time for a proper finish. Yesterday was jaw dropping, then we enjoyed a psychedelic medley of A Day In The Life morphing into Give Peace A Chance. Although he didn't give a shout-out to John, this was a pretty bold tribute, and Paul has now surely proved himself a much better live performer than John Lennon could ever have been if he was around today. Lady Madonna passed us by nicely enough before a final video screen collage of ancient Beatles clips was displayed for a rousing I Saw Her Standing There, with Dave Grohl returning to play on the drums. It was an amazing climax to a run of songs that few could ever equal. The strongest setlist complaint I could make was the lack of Helter Skelter. Also I was surprised that there was no Get Back. I don't particularly like it, but I'd expected him to play it so had tried really hard to get into it! He had played 27 songs, 8 of which were on the "1" album. By my count, seventeen of the tunes he played were "essential" ones I'd want on my ideal Macca set, so I can hardly complain! This was surely a stadium show at its very best, every bit as satisfying as an indoor gig. However, it hasn't encouraged me to change my mind in the The Beatles versus The Beach Boys argument. The Beach Boys are still ahead, and Brian Wilson had played a musically stronger, albeit much less flashy and energetic, show. The reasons I'm dishing out 9.5/10 to this concert is because the support bands were so strong and that the heights hit will be seared into my mind for the rest of my life, not because Paul himself has as good a back catalogue as Brian, fantastic as he was. I wondered if I'd have any need to see Macca again, as I doubted he could be as good again. Sadly the guy can't have many years left before ill health starts to impact on his ability to play such awesome shows.
After Macca left the stage we were treated to a fireworks display and I took a few shots of The Kop, in addition to the photos I'd been taking throughout, which turned out OK for my cheapish phone camera. We got out pretty fast and walked through the dodgy suburbs towards the bus stop. Dozens of buses were lined up in a satisfying act of forward planning and we pushed our way onto one impressively quickly, although we had to stand up. In our rush to get back safely I'd forgot to buy a program, but it's the memories that matter I guess! As it was late we couldn't get any food so I ate all the hotel biscuits, sat up listening to Macca tunes on my phone and we chilled out. The morning after we did a whistle-stop tour of Liverpool, seeing The Cavern in the "cultural quarter", walking to The Liver Building, getting lost and observing that much of Liverpool was still a building site. I'd visited a couple of years ago and figured out that everything would be finished in time for 2008. However, the fact that there had been next to no progress seriously undermined the city. Manchester had been effectively finished the last time I went, and if I was the City Of Culture organiser I'd had considered stripping Liverpool of the title due to their inability to tidy up in time! However, two Burger King ice creams softened my attitude somewhat as we boarded the train home. The night had gone almost flawlessly, with all performers excelling. Indeed, the more I think about Macca's performance the more fondly I recall this outstanding show. Liverpool may not deserve to be crowned capital of culture due to its people and their inability to finish building the city in time, but Paul McCartney went a very long way towards confirming himself as the true genius of The Beatles!
Mark: 9.5/10
Sir Paul McCartney
Support
Kaiser Chiefs
The Zutons
Where
Liverpool Anfield Stadium
When
1st June 2008
Price
£55.00
Who with
Nick
Position
Towards the front
Comments
It was inevitable that I'd eventually attend a stadium show but I'm pleased to have avoided it for so long. The Rolling Stones would persuade me but otherwise there are very few acts that are worth the fuss. I've always associated gigs of this size with standing at the back and poor sound quality and Sir Paul McCartney is one of the few people in the world who I wanted to see badly enough to justify forking out the £55 plus hotel bills. The show was to celebrate Liverpool's status as 2008 City Of Culture and I'd applied for tickets in a ballot back in 2007 with little hope of success. I was shocked and delighted to get tickets, and can't believe that demand for the show was only a tiny fraction of what it was for the infinitely less exciting Led Zeppelin. Still, extra tickets went on sale nearer the time and I think it did sell out in the end, but shame on anyone who didn't apply! I'd been hyping up the concert for months and saw it as a key moment in my gigging life. However, a trip to Chennai in India with work came out of nowhere and occupied my whole month of May. My sole condition of going to India was that I was flown back in time for Macca and things worked out well, as I avoided sunburn and recovered from the back pains sustained by dragging a heavy suitcase around Birmingham New Street. I didn't listen to Macca as much as I'd wanted to due to this "distraction" though, and also the arrangements were all last minute. We'd originally planned to spend two days seeing the sights of Liverpool but eventually settled with just the day of the concert due to laziness and also because the gates weren't opening until 5pm, which was later than I'd expected, giving us plenty of time to travel on the afternoon. It definitely wasn't a help in our planning that I was looking at the wrong train timetable but my mistake was pointed out to me and, despite a delay, we arrived with plenty of time to spare. When you have travelled all the way from India to be at a concert you do not want anything to interfere with the occasion!
Setlist (The Zutons)
Zuton Fever
Don't Ever Think
Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?
Pressure Point
What's Your Problem
Confusion
Valerie
Dirty Dancehall
Always Right Behind You
You Will You Won't
Setlist (Kaiser Chiefs)
Everything Is Average Nowadays
Everyday I Love You Less And Less
Heat Dies Down
Ruby
Never Miss A Beat
Modern Way
Half The Truth
Na Na Na Na Naa
I Predict A Riot
You Want History
The Angry Mob
Take My Temperature
Oh My God
Setlist (Sir Paul McCartney)
Hippy Hippy Shake
Jet
Drive My Car
Flaming Pie
Got To Get You Into My Life
Let Me Roll It
My Love
C Moon
The Long And Winding Road
Dance Tonight
Blackbird
Calico Skies
In Liverpool
I'll Follow The Sun
Eleanor Rigby
Something
Penny Lane
Band On The Run
Back In The U.S.S.R.
Live And Let Die
Let It Be
Hey Jude
Yesterday
A Day In The Life
Give Peace A Chance
Lady Madonna
I Saw Her Standing There
