There is a moment on this great DVD that sums up the way many of us who grew up with Paul McCartney and the Beatles feel. As a family spanning three generations prepares to go to the concert, "Dad" comments on how McCartney's music has been an influence on his life matched only by that of his family and his religion.
And, for the most part, that's how it is for those of us who grew up with the Beatles. My own life experience is defined in much the same way as the "Dad" on this DVD. From the moment I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show at the tender age of seven, their music had such a profound effect on me, it would impact me for the rest of my life. It continues to do so to this day.
It's often been said the music you grow up with becomes the soundtrack of your life. But in the case of the Beatles, this rings truer than perhaps with any music ever made. The Beatles' music literally was that soundtrack for anybody who grew up in the sixties. It not only provided the backdrop to the events of that tumultuous decade, but in many ways it defined them. For myself growing up at that time, the Beatles music defined who I would become in my adult life every bit as much as my belief in God and family did.
As much as I love people like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, for example, and as much as I both respect and revere the contribution their songs have made to modern culture, I don't think there is anyone living or dead who can lay claim to an impact matching that of the Beatles.
So "Dad" was definitely onto something in his assessment as far as I am concerned.
But the other thing about that is the songs themselves are so timeless they span generations. Watching this DVD, with it's many crowd shots, this becomes especially apparent. You see middle-aged couples hugging each other, and kids singing along who know every single word to the songs just as surely as their Moms and Dads do.
With both John Lennon and George Harrison now gone, Paul McCartney is really our last link to the promise that the music of the Beatles gave us. And that is not to disrespect Ringo Starr - because lets face it, the guy's backbeat is simply unmatched in music. But it was the songs, mostly written by McCartney and John Lennon, that convinced us that the world could really be a better place. Thank God that Paul McCartney is performing so many of them live now.
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Article comments
1 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article has been forwarded to the Advance.net websites.
2 - Glen Boyd
Great news. Thanx Connie. -Glen
3 - Gillian Gaar
Howdy Glen; I have to say I disagree. To me, the constant crowd shots rapidly became very tiresome; after the first three I was thinking "Yes, we get the point, people of many generations like Paul, you can stop w/the crowd shots now!" I'd be happy if I never saw another crowd shot in any live vid/DVD again actually... I have to say I also found the constant parade of people saying How Absolutely Wonderful Paul McCartney Is to be tiresome, mainly because that kind of stuff's been done in his previous vids/DVDs. But most of all, I really didn't like that rapid editing during the concert; a cut on every line practically. You can't really get into the show that way. Compare w/something like Concert for Bangladesh; I interviewed that director, and we bemoaned the quick cutting that's too prevalent today. I have to say I don't feel Paul's put out a good live vid/DVD to date...and that's one reason, I think, why bootlegs remain so popular.
4 - Glen Boyd
Nice to hear from you again Gillian. Been awhile...(and yes it is "me").
Anyway, I think we may have to just agree to disagree on this point. Normally I would totally agree that the crowd shots are a distraction. But in this particular case, I think they actually add to the overall story being told here. Which, in this particular case is the unique way Big Mac has impacted not only "our" generation, but subsequent ones through his music. I may be turning into a "softie" in my old age, but I actually found myself getting a little choked up at all the shots of the audience embracing, etc. to the timeless songs here. So for me, on the level of telling a story, it kinda works.
I can relate to what you are saying on a purely musical level though. I know you are a big fan, and I have to admit that were this, say a Springsteen show, I might find myself similarly irritated (cutting to the audience during say, the mid-section of "Backstreets" would probably piss me off pretty good).
For me the most irritating thing about this vid is the choice to exclude huge chunks of songs like "Let it Be" and especially "Hey Jude."
Anyway, thanks for putting in your $.02 here. And it was also good to hear from you again after all these years.
-Glen
5 - Sam
That's a nice article and I agree with most of it except the exclusion of Hey Jude and Let It Be. I think that's smart because for fans who've already watched "Back In The US" and "In Red Square" it's better to hold back these 2 songs for a while not to be overly exposed. Too much of a good thing dilutes its impact. They still give you "Yesterday" though.
Another point is the backstage where you see Jay Z and Beyonce. I would guess that's Grammy Awards backstage, not Paul's because Bono was there too. But I could be wrong 'cos I was not there! Cheers.