Paul McCartney Adelaide Entertainment Centre 2023 review: Classic set by a legend who hasn’t lost a single note
The legendary Beatle – who’s written some of the greatest songs of all time – has played his first Adelaide show in decades. Here’s our verdict.
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Macca-mania swept over Adelaide on Wednesday night as Sir Paul McCartney kicked off the Australian leg of his Got Back Tour with a vintage performance at a sold-out Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Making his triumphant return to SA after a 30-year absence, The Beatles legend was welcomed back with open arms by 8000 passionate fans – spanning several generations – who were treated to a string of hits from his unrivalled back catalogue.
Appearing on stage 30 minutes late but still to deafening applause and a standing ovation, McCartney, 81, wasted no time launching into Fab Four classic, Can’t Buy Me Love.
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Dressed in a smart black suit, white shirt and vest, McCartney said he was thrilled to be back Down Under.
“Good evening Adelaide,” he said.
“I’ve got to say it’s just so great to be back here.
“We’ve got some old songs, new songs and some in between songs for you tonight.
“Okay, are you ready?”
Released in 1964, the Beatles tune sounded as crisp as ever thanks to McCartney’s evergreen vocals, which appear to have lost nothing over the years.
And Adelaide was up for it, bopping in the aisles or singing along to their favourites, with thunderous claps after every track.
It’s been 16 months since his last performance on his global Got Back Tour, and he looked fresh and full of vigour.
Few musicians know how to captivate a crowd like McCartney, who has been described as arguably the world’s greatest living songwriter.
Joining him on the massive stage – surrounded by four huge screens – were his longtime touring band, including guitarist Rusty Anderson, bassist/guitarist Brian Ray, pianist Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens, and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr.
The quartet supported McCartney to perfection and helped him on vocals when needed.
During Letting Go, McCartney’s horn trio emerged suddenly on the second level, playing along to the track, Love Actually-style.
Switching effortlessly between his Beatles and Wings classics, interspersed with his solo work, McCartney showed off his musical chops on guitar during an extended Let Me Roll It - a tribute to the “late, great” Jimi Hendrix.
Taking a break from the guitar, McCartney shifted to an elevated grand piano for My Valentine, a heartfelt love song for his wife of 12 years, Nancy Shevell, who is with him in Adelaide.
“I wrote this next song for Nancy, she’s here with us in the audience tonight. This one’s for you Nancy,” he said.
Then it was time for a mini trip down memory lane, or into the “mists of time”, as McCartney put it.
He played the first song ever recorded by The Beatles, or The Quarrymen, as they were known at that stage – In Spite of All The Danger, followed by their Abbey Road Studios debut, Love Me Do.
For his smash hit Blackbird, from their 1968 White Album, the lights dimmed and the stage rose 10 metres above the ground.
There it stayed as he paid a touching tribute to his late Beatles bandmate, John Lennon, with Here Today.
“I wrote this after John died. These are some of my feelings after he died. Let’s hear it for John,” he asked, producing emotional applause from the crowd.
Mixing comfortably with the audience, McCartney entertains with funny anecdotes and interactions with fans, never letting the concert drag despite its long run time.
Barely breaking a sweat as the show entered its third hour, the veteran muso cranked out the big guns in the run home, from George Harrison’s Something – on a ukelele gifted to him by the Quiet Beatle – to Band on The Run, Let It Be and a rousing Hey Jude, with the traditional sing-a-long from the audience.
Another highlight came in the form of an epic pyrotechnic show for the James Bond theme Live and Let Die, punctuated by huge explosions and fireworks.
McCartney finished off an unforgettable performance with a four-song encore, including a special “duet” with Lennon on I’ve Got A Feeling.
It’s been suggested this Australian tour, his fifth visit to our shores, could be McCartney’s last Down Under.
But if this concert is anything to go by, there’s plenty of life – and music – left in the beloved megastar.
$300 on merch? Worth it, say this couple
The excitement was palpable among the crowd well before his arrival on stage at 7.30pm.
There were lines 10 deep for merchandise, while souvenir programs were also a hot item from almost three hours before the show.
Among those in the queue were Bordertown couple Michael and Lucy Tootell.
The husband and wife team bought shirts, coasters, stubbie holders and McCartney’s book – all for about $300.
But they say the music icon, who they saw perform in Melbourne in 2017, is worth every penny.
“He’s just amazing. His music is incredible, timeless. He seems like such a humble guy too,” said Lucy, 58.
“We didn’t think we’d get the chance to see him again so this is wonderful.”
Michael, 59, said he’d be driving the couple home straight after the gig, completing the six-hour round trip tonight because he has work on Thursday morning.
“It’ll be okay. The boss said I can start a little later tomorrow,” laughed Michael, who works in the building industry.
Adelaide-raised Elyse Gambell, 26, came from Brisbane for the show – dressed in her own Sgt Pepper’s outfit.
“I sewed the outfit myself. It took countless hours. I love the Sgt Pepper’s album, everything about it, including the outfits,” said Ms Gambell, who’s seen him perform three times before, but never in her hometown.
“I wanted to dress up to get in the spirit and do something special for the concert, it’s not every day you get to see Paul McCartney live.”
The Liverpudlian has stayed out of the public eye in Adelaide since arriving on Sunday morning.
Reportedly staying at luxury accommodation Sequoia Lodge in the Adelaide Hills with his wife, Nancy Shevell, McCartney only emerged for a special soundcheck and rare Q&A with fans on Tuesday afternoon.
He told the small group, winners of a competition by Frontier Touring, that he had been spending most of his time in sleeping following the long flight from Los Angeles.
McCartney’s intimate concert is the only non-stadium show on his Australian tour, which moves on to Melbourne on Saturday, followed by gigs in Newcastle, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
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