Thursday, May 16, 2013

Ultimate McCartney set list

This is a direct challenge to the best Beatle blogger I ever read, Meg over at the never disappointing beatles-365.blogspot.com/. We were looking at the set list for this tour so far, in advance of seeing him later this summer. Later, I started to wonder what my ideal Paul set list would look like. That's not weird; what's weird is that I then contructed it.

My guidelines: I went mostly with what I would want to hear, but I didn't put on a few of my favorite deep cuts that I thought would be unlikely (although I did put a couple on). I also gave myself a couple of peremptory challenges, which is why he wouldn't be performing Eleanor Rigby or The Long and Winding Road. They also had to be songs he was pretty close to an equal partner in, and where John really wouldn't be missed; Eight Days a Week, would (will) still be awesome, whereas you couldn't really put Hey Bulldog on there. It's a fine line, to be sure, but it's my line, so I know where it is. I also gave myself the right to excise any solo stuff I didn't want to hear, no matter how big a staple a song might be in actuality.

Also, I looked at the current set list and drew on my memory of the last time I saw him to try to pace this show the way he actually builds his. But I also tried to make it a little interesting in new; I'm sure he'd never actually put All Together Now in the second encore.

That said:

Baby You're a Rich Man
I Saw Her Standing There
Penny Lane
You Won't See Me
Hi Hi Hi
Junior's Farm
Sing the Changes
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Got to Get You Into My Life
Eight Days a Week
What You're Doing
Day Tripper
Fixing a Hole
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
Dance Tonight
Getting Better
Paperback Writer
We Can Work It Out
Blackbird
Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Band on the Run
Maybe I'm Amazed
Live and Let Die
Rocky Raccoon
I'm Looking Through You
Lovely Rita
Let It Be
You Never Give Me Your Money
Hey Jude

Encore I
I've Just Seen a Face
Jet
Helter Skelter
Lady Madonna
Get Back

Encore II
Yesterday
Drive My Car
All Together Now
Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight/The End