Seth.com: McCartney SUPER at Super Bowl

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Feb 7, 2005
McCartney SUPER at Super Bowl
I thought paul was really awesome today. i was in a room of people who know i'm their "Beatles-crazed" friend.

They kept saying "Lennon was the deep one"-type stuff, while paul was playing. But, i was so tuned into Paul's energy, that it went right by me. Choosing "Drive My Car" as the first song was an incredibly inspired and cool choice by Paul showing that he's probably feeling very loose about himself these days -- not so hung up on what people will think (Yes, I think even Paul McCartney cares what people think). It was also very cool of him to choose a song from his Wings years, "Live and Let Die." A nice reminder to people that HE was the force behind the 2nd biggest act of the 70s, Wings.

How incredible it must have been for most of the billion or so people watching to see him sing "Hey Jude". Most people haven't seen Paul play live (it's too expensive!), so many heard him sing "Hey Jude" live for the first time. Amazing that The Beatles, in the form of McCartney today, are still the top billing in the world today, 42 years after they came on the scene. In-cred-ible! At 62 years old, Paul still played and sang with such vitality. I finally blurted out to the people in the room: "The world will never see another human being like this again."

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Like so many others, I was super pleased with Paul McCartney's Super Bowl performance! Could someone please tell me the names of the musicians who accompanied him? Are any photos of Paul and his compatriots available for download?

Thanks in advance.

Posted by: kim at February 8, 2005 8:12 AM

Kim,
here's a list of Paul's line-up since 2001:

Paul McCartney - vocals, bass, guitars, piano
Rusty Anderson - guitars, backing vocals
Abe Laboriel Jr. drums, percussion, backing vocals
Paul "Wix" Wickens - keyboards, backing vocals
Brian Ray - guitar, bass, backing vocals

L.A. Musicians. Rusty played on a demo of a song I wrote with the late Jim Ellison of Material Issue, in the early 90s. In November, I played on the same bill with Rusty for the George Harrsion Benefit Concert at the Knitting Factory in L.A. Brian and Abe are super nice guys. Last time I caught up with them was at a barbequeue that Jewel's producer, Lester Mendez, was having at the recording studio. I went for a hamburger and got Paul McCartney's band!

Posted by: seth at February 8, 2005 12:43 PM

I thought the McCartney show was awesome. Sitting around the TV, we were all amazed at how good he looked and sounded, and at the energy bursting through the TV screen that gripped us all.

I can't recall another halftime show where I was truly moved by the performance. I'm not even a huge Beatles fan (more of a songster) but I would be the first one to firmly state that McCartney's gig was a true gift to us all.

Posted by: Andrew Katcher at February 9, 2005 8:27 AM

hey andrew. i've heard from many people who really dug mccartney (as i did), that there were a bunch of cynical people in the room (where they were watching the super bowl), who derided paul as being "Lennon-Lite," etc. -- all the same old stuff. But, when you realize what he's acomplished and still accomplishing, it all becomes moot: He wrote the bulk of the soundtracks to many of our lives from 1963-1980ish. Sgt. Pepper was Paul's project. As was Magical Mystery Tour and Let It Be. Need I list the singles he wrote? "Lady Madonna", "Get Back", "The Long and Winding Road", "Hey Jude" (Apple Records first single and biggest selling Beatle single in history), "Penny Lane," "Hello Goodbye," "WeCan Work It Out"...It was John's band from the beginning late '66, when recording for Sgt. Pepper commenced. Then, it was Paul's band, with John the secondary member: Everyone recognizes that John refelcted his times and they refelcted him -- an incredibly rare nexus, especially when it lasts for many years. What people don't realize is from '67-69, Paul was more on the cultural "pulse". Add in George's eastern/ Indian spiritual journey, the Beatles had 3 guys that reflected the masses needs. When a US president is elected, he, for the most part, reflects the masses "needs". There was no election held for the Beatles. They rose up because they reflected perfectly, the hopes and dreams of hundreds of millions of people, regardless of what government structure they were living under. The Beatles spoke most eloquently and simply( !) ,though their music, to our highest aspirations: That a good life is the making and taking of LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

Posted by: seth at February 9, 2005 8:56 AM

Despite anyone's personal preferences, attacking Paul McCartney is akin to attacking mother's milk.

You're exactly right, Seth. When you think about what Paul has accomplished, the number of lives he has touched through his music, the sheer volume of incredible songs he has written that almost EVERYONE can sing along to---the magnitude of his legend should supercede any comparison discussions.

In my opinion, when you're dealing with talent of that caliber, especially in the arts, it's really a matter of taste.

Posted by: Andrew at February 9, 2005 9:50 AM

It's always a matter of taste Andrew, but, I agree, McCartney supercedes everything through the accomplishments you've enumerated. I would never say McCartney must be loved -- but, i think he should be appreciated in a way that he hasn't been. It's partly his own fault: his ridiculosu statement after Lennon's death: "It's a drag", didn't help his image. why? becauase the world, in it's profound, stunned, grief was desperately looking for McCartney to say something (anything) that could help alleviate the overwhelming, unexplainable pain... Surely, McCartney must be feeling even worse than we were...But, maybe he wasn't: "what a drag". smaller words couldn't have been expressed by an enemy. Couple that with the pettiness of him trying to change the writing credits of some Beatles' songs, and you can guess why he's possibly not more appreciated. Musically, there will never be close to another Paul. Just ask yourself the question, when the Beatles recorded those 234 (?) songs, how many could have sounded like they did without Paul's playing, singing, writing or production skills? He was the key ingredient in the great majority of their songs. Did you know the last instrument to go on a Beatles track? Paul's bass. He crafter many of the songs with George Martin and THEN put on his bass. I my favorite LEAD guitarist of the 60s. Listen to his piercing, melodic leads on "Ticket To Ride", "Taxman" and "Sgt. Peppers Reprise" to hear Paul's burning lead "sound". As a drummer, he was superb ("Back In The USSR" is a good example.) These days, everyone "plays all the instruments". In Paul's day, no one did, except, later on, Stevie Wonder, then Peter Frampton, on stage. But, as with many things, Paul did it first.

Posted by: seth at February 9, 2005 10:28 AM