14.12.2024 at Co-Op Live, Manchester
Yes, Paul is live and rocking-out, and what a privilege was to be there
Ah, the 14th of December 2024, Manchester—an evening that confirmed what I’ve always known: Paul McCartney is not just a musician; he is time itself, a living, breathing embodiment of the magic that binds music, history, memory. If you weren’t there, I’m not sure I can do it justice, but I’ll give it a try.
What a night. It was electric, but that’s putting it mildly. A more fitting word might be “epochal.” The gig wasn’t just a concert—it was a journey through time. A dazzling, dizzying whirlwind that swept us all across decades, bending space and sound, turning us all into time travelers.
The energy in the arena was palpable from the second the lights dimmed. You could feel it—the reverence, the weight of it all, the knowledge that we were in the presence of a man who’s literally woven into the fabric of pop culture. McCartney isn’t just a legend; he’s the legend—the one whose music, whose songs, whose very being has shaped the past six decades of people’s lives. And at 82, he still commands every second, every note, every glance. The man is music, he is rock ‘n’ roll.
But you know what? It wasn’t just about nostalgia. It was about truth. The kind of truth that only someone like Paul can bring—rich, soulful, and eternally connected to the very essence of our lives. You don’t go to see McCartney; you experience him. The way he owns the stage, not just with his iconic songs but with every note, every word, and every gesture—it’s like he’s inviting you into his world, where time is irrelevant and only the music matters.
Now, let’s talk about the setlist. 36 songs, spanning decades of his career, and it wasn’t just a hit parade or a greatest hits catalog. No, that was an immersive, emotional journey. Paul played everything: from The Beatles to Wings to his solo career: you’d hear one song and feel like you were back in the 60s, and before you could even catch your breath, you’d be launched into the late 70s, the early 80s. And yet, everything felt right now. No, it wasn’t nostalgia; it was timelessness. The way McCartney bends time with his music is beyond explanation.
The first half of the show was all about building. The classics, sure, but there was an intensity, a quiet tension, like Paul was drawing you in deeper and deeper. I cried when he sang Here Today: it was as though the song somehow brought my past right up to my face, and suddenly, I wasn’t just a fan of Paul McCartney or The Beatles. I was alive, caught in something that transcends music.
But then, Paul slammed us with “Band on the Run.” And just like that, the whole room was lifted with a raw, unfiltered energy that only a song like that can create, pure, unadulterated joy. And you could see it in Paul’s eyes—he was loving it, feeding off the crowd, giving back everything he had, pouring it all into the performance. If there’s one thing you should know about Paul McCartney, it’s that he doesn’t take a single second of the stage for granted. He lives every moment, and it’s impossible not to get swept up in that.
At 82, McCartney doesn’t just perform; he embodies the music. His bass playing, his iconic voice—there are moments when you forget you’re listening to the man who wrote “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude”. He’s the living link to the most transformative musical era of the 20th century. He is the man who changed the course of music forever.
And the finale? “The End”, the perfect bookend to this legendary night. You could almost feel the weight of it – the closing of a circle. A lifetime of music, of history, all culminating in one perfect, final note. A song about endings, yes, but when McCartney plays it live, you’re struck by the thought that this man will never truly end. He will live on in the music, in the memory, in the legacy he’s created. A true giant. The End felt like a beginning, and it was everything I wanted it to be.
As I walked out of the Co-Op arena, my heart was full—full of awe and full of gratitude because what else can you call it when a man, a beacon of everything that makes (my) life worth living, can take a room full of strangers, shake them, lift them, and make them remember what it is to feel joy, loss, love, and wonder all at once?
Setlist – Got Back Tour:
- A Hard Day’s Night
- Junior’s Farm
- Letting Go
- Drive My Car
- Got To Get You Into My Life
- Come On To Me
- Let Me Roll It
- Getting Better
- Let ’Em In
- My Valentine
- Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five
- Maybe I’m Amazed
- I’ve Just Seen A Face
- In Spite Of All The Danger
- Love Me Do
- Dance Tonight
- Blackbird
- Here Today
- Now And Then
- Lady Madonna
- Jet
- Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!
- Something
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- Band On The Run
- Wonderful Christmastime
- Get Back
- Let It Be
- Live And Let Die
- Hey Jude
Encore:
- I’ve Got A Feeling
- Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
- Helter Skelter
- Golden Slumbers
- Carry That Weight
- The End
a glimpse of the crowd in the arena
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