“So close,” Paul McCartney joked to the audience, who sang along to “Something” at his show on Saturday at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. It was one of a handful of songs that differed from their appearance the night before at the venue. “This ukulele was given to me by George,” he explained, before launching into the George Harrison-penned Beatles tune with a strutty romp, later switching to acoustic guitar to round out the song.
McCartney’s show on Saturday was the second of a two-night stint, which brought fortunate fans together for an intimate set inside the 1,200-standing room capacity venue. The weekend’s shows marked his first concerts since McCartney wrapped his Got Back Tour and caps off a week when the musician announced his first new album in five years, The Boys of Dungeon Lane and released its first single, the reflective “Days We Left Behind.” While that news was fresh, he did not perform the new wistful song live over the weekend.
Instead, those lucky enough to score entry after registering for the limited lottery-style tickets were treated to an abridged version of his set list from his Got Back Tour, performing 25 songs over the course of a nearly two-hour set. He preceded this small show with other underplays, including one in Nashville at the 4,500 capacity Pinnacle in November, and the downright minuscule in comparison, the Bowery Ballroom just over a year ago, with three pop-up shows in the 575-capacity theatre. And while the Fonda’s size lands squarely between those two in capacity size, McCartney delivered on what was billed ‘Paul McCartney Rocks the Fonda!’ and then some.
On the Got Back Tour, he reintroduced “Help!” to the set list, marking the first time McCartney has played the song in its entirety since 1965. It was the “emotional climax” as Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield described it at the Got Back tour opener in Palm Springs in September. At the Fonda, he also opened with it, delivering a communal declarative statement in a troubling world to the elation of fans as well as giving a look back as he spanned gems from his immense catalog of Beatles, Wings, and solo material.
Along with his dedication to Harrison, over the course of the night he paid tribute to Jimi Hendrix with a rousing instrumental cover of “Foxey Lady” appended to “Let Me Roll It,” and later dedicated a song to his wife Nancy Shevell, who was in the audience, with the piano-led “My Valentine.”
Backed by his longstanding incredible band — keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens, guitarist Rusty Anderson, guitarist-bassist Brian Ray, and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., along with a three-piece horn section — the universe’s beloved living legend shared stories as breezily as one would tell at a dinner party with friends, except those friends are famous and this exclusive gathering comprised fortunate ticket holders and the likes of Elton John and Sharon Osbourne, alongside other celebrities who apparently occupied the balcony where general ticketholders were not allowed. McCartney good-naturedly acknowledged the seating arrangement. “How you doing upstairs, up in the expensive seats, I see,” he joked. “And all the poor people down here.” But no matter the vantage, just being in the room was a privilege that few would take for granted — in the queue into the venue, there were dozens of folks looking for tickets in hopes of catching the rare, intimate show.
One dinner memory he shared involved Tony Bennett, who said at a show how much he enjoyed the acoustics of the room and then Bennett asked the soundperson to turn off the mic; McCartney then mimicked Bennett singing “Fly Me to the Moon” off-mic. But then Bennett later pulled the same trick at the Beverly Hilton hotel, to McCartney’s amusement.
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He also reflected on the Beatles and their time in Liverpool, four chaps who “eventually came to America, where it was new, different,” and included a lot of screaming girls, he said. “Give me a Beatles scream,” he prompted, to which the audience happily obliged before he launched into “From Me to You.”
While the set traversed the songs he played during his Got Back run as did his show at the Fonda on Friday, Saturday’s attendees were treated to some special surprises that night one guests at the Fonda did not witness, including a stunning “Maybe I’m Amazed.” His voice remained as supple as ever, moving from gentle falsettos to raw, gritty emotion throughout the set. Another highlight in a night that didn’t miss was “Band on the Run,” with him and the band’s seamless delivery of the three-part epic. McCartney also went solo for a tender “Blackbird.”
The longtime arena-and-stadium-filling musician obviously doesn’t need to play intimate venues, but it was clear on Saturday these underplays bring him, and those fortunate few in attendance, a whole lot of joy, something we can all use in these times. Early in the set, he welcomed attendees to the 100-year-old theatre once known as the Music Box, and later said he was enjoying “experiencing the vibes at the Fonda.” Before performing “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” he jovially remarked, “Nice to see you all … your beautiful faces,” revelling in the fact that he could even see everyone’s “shining eyes.”
The concert required attendees to lock their cell phones away, adding to the intimacy and harkening to the days when living in a shared, sacred moment was all one needed to mark memories. While McCartney steered away from politics, only referencing President Trump by way of a goofy dance move, the show served as a salve and temporary reprieve from the world outside on a weekend that also included a crucial, important No Kings rally, at least for two magical hours.
At the encore he thanked the “fantastic crowd, but it’s time for us to go home and time for you to go home, too.” He concluded with the Abbey Road medley he’s been closing out his shows, which elicited tears from some in the crowd, with “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight,” and “The End.” It was a cathartic finale to cap off an amazing night.
Set List
“Help!”
“Coming Up”
“Got to Get You Into My Life”
“Let Me Roll It”
“Foxey Lady”
“Getting Better”
“Let ‘Em In”
“My Valentine”
“Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five”
“Maybe I’m Amazed”
“I’ve Just Seen a Face”
“Every Night”
“From Me to You”
“Blackbird”
“Now and Then”
“Lady Madonna”
“Something”
“Band on the Run”
“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
“Get Back”
“Let It Be”
“Hey Jude”
“Golden Slumbers”
“Carry That Weight”
“The End”
From Rolling Stone US
