Paul McCartney takes fans back down the long and winding road

Paul McCartney’s first national Australian tour in 24 years spanned a half-century of popular music.

Iconic singer-songwriter Paul McCartney performed a set “filled with passion”. Picture: AAP

When we walked in — passing Perth-based guitar legend Hank Marvin in the snaking queue — it was understood, even expected, that our collective musical lives would flash before our eyes during the opening night of Paul McCartney’s first national Australian tour in 24 years.

With a set list of almost 40 songs reaching back to McCartney’s pre-Beatles band the Quarrymen (In Spite of All the Danger) and going up to his surprise 2015 hit collaboration with Kanye West and Rihanna (FourFiveSeconds), this would be a show spanning a half-century of popular music. Not so expected was the emotional power of every minute of the three hours that McCartney was on stage.

Under a full moon, McCartney and his band of four played hit after hit after hit.

He told heartwarming story after heartwarming story. There was a singalong of Mull of Kintyre with the Western Australian Police Pipe Band, which came after a blistering Helter Skelter — and then a marriage proposal, and acceptance, between a couple in the audience. To say this show had everything would be a massive understatement.

McCartney is an incredibly fit and healthy 75, but this long show made no compromises for stature or seniority. His voice, still immediately recognisable, has lost little of its strength. At no point was his voice masked or hidden, even as he occasionally strained to sing songs written when he was a much younger man, setting out with three friends to change the world.

He gave touching tributes to John Lennon (Here Today), George Harrison (Something) and George Martin (Love Me Do). He dedicated songs to both his current wife Nancy (My Valentine) and late first wife Linda (Maybe I’m Amazed). The audience was invited into his world for a few hours. I don’t expect many of us wanted to leave.

From the opening chord of A Hard Day’s Night to the closing notes of The End, McCartney carried the show. The musicians in his band — who have been together for 15 years, longer than McCartney played with the Beatles — fell in behind their leader and offered lean and powerful re-imaginings of his back catalogue. Most performances were faithful to the originals. Only Something was noticeably different: it began with McCartney on a ukulele Harrison had given him, before switching to the more familiar arrangement.

Mid-set, McCartney announced that the band were about to play two songs from his latest album, 2013’s New. McCartney knew which songs the near capacity crowd had come to hear. “When we do a Beatles song your phones light up like a galaxy of stars and when we do a new song it’s like a black hole,” he laughed. He added: “We don’t care, we’re gonna do ’em anyway.”

Old songs or new, every second McCartney was on stage was filled with passion. Like McCartney himself, his songs do not carry an ounce of extra weight. A Beatles tribute band of 20-somethings could not have played with more energy.

Lady Madonna, Hey Jude, I’ve Got a Feeling, Love Me Do, A Day in the Life, Blackbird, Eleanor Rigby — all sparkled, each song a new highlight leading to a touching reading of Let It Be which delivered the evening’s tear-inducing high point. Perfection.

AAMI Park, Melbourne tomorrow and Wednesday; Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Saturday and Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney December 11 and 12.