Paul McCartney Opens Got Back Tour In Spokane and Karen Freedman Was There

We Paul McCartney fans knew the Beatle would reference the instantly iconic Get Back documentary in his new tour. Not only has Paul titled his first post-pandemic jaunt ‘Got Back’, he thrilled fans with a ‘duet’ with John Lennon.

At the first show in Spokane, Washington, McCartney sang ‘I’ve Got a Feeling’ with his late, great band mate for the first time since that little show on a London rooftop all those years ago.

This time Paul, who turns 80 in seven weeks just two days after headlining at Glastonbury, was able to join John thanks to film guru Peter Jackson who souped up a solo take of Lennon to play on a giant screen. It was a trip back to 1969 in 2022 and it was a magical mystery tour we thought we’d never see.

For myself, I feared I’d never see Paul live again. Would he shut up shop with all the COVID restrictions? Given it took him decades to get back to Australia, I decided to head to The United States for a road trip, with my long-time Paul pal, Seattleite Tessa. Trust me when I say I know my way around a Paul show, Spokane was my 119th (yes, really) McGig since first seeing him in 1989.

It’s still pretty much the greatest hits set that only Sir Paul McCartney CH MBE can do, similar to the one that came to Australia. I sometimes wonder, and maybe even bemoan, what a shame it is he doesn’t go for spontaneity. How incredible would that be? He could and would blow people’s minds. The Rolling Stones play at least one song at every gig that has never been performed in that city, Elvis Costello did it with the spinning wheel, Midnight Oil change the set every night and Bruce Springsteen gives fans a unique experience at every single show.

Even a few solo/Wings deep cuts each tour would be gratefully snaffled up by McCartney’s old faithfuls. After all, his magnificent band (Abe Laboriel Jnr : drums and backing vocals, Brian Ray : guitar, bass and backing vocals, Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens: keyboards, accordion and MD, and Rusty Anderson : guitar and backing vocals),have (astonishingly), been playing with McCartney for more than twice as long as he did with The Beatles. They know each other musically, inside and out.

This tour again includes London trio The Hot City Horns (Kenji Fenton : saxophone, Mike Davis : trumpet, and Paul Burton : trombone) the latter two having met whilst studying at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA), which McCartney co-founded.

They add an extra facet to several of his classics.

Only one song from his latest album, ‘Women and Wives’ off ‘McCartney III’ made the cut and two Beatles classics ‘Getting Better’ and ‘She Came In Through The Bathroom Window’ are back in circulation for the first time in a long time. ‘Getting Better’ was last performed in 2003 and ‘She Came In Through The Bathroom Window’ was last performed in 2008.

I guess an important thing to remember when watching a Paul McCartney gig in 2022 is that he doesn’t sound like he’s 27 anymore or 47 but he sounds terrific and more than capable of being onstage, either singing and/or playing his Hofner, or several electric and acoustic guitars and a magic piano or two for 160 minutes. (Tonight was a rare occasion where he took a few sips of water during a performance). The man is a machine.

Paul must be the fittest octogenarian ever. Long may he reign.

Paul McCartney Spokane 2022 photo by Karen Freedman

Paul McCartney Got Back setlist, Spokane, 28 April 2022

Can’t Buy Me Love (from The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, 1964)
Junior’s Farm (single 1974)
Letting Go (from Venus and Mars, 1975)
Got to Get You Into My Life (from The Beatles, Revolver, 1966)
Come On to Me (from Egypt Station, 2018)
Let Me Roll It (from Band On The Run, 1973)
Getting Better (from The Beatles, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
Women and Wives (from McCartney III, 2021)
My Valentine (from Kisses On The Bottom, 2012)
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (from Band On The Run, 1973)
Maybe I’m Amazed (from McCartney, 1970)
I’ve Just Seen A Face (from Help, 1965)
In Spite of All the Danger (1995 The Quarrymen song released on The Beatles Anthology, 1995)
Love Me Do (from Please Please Me, 1963)
Dance Tonight (from Memory Almost Full, 2007)
Blackbird (from The Beatles, The Beatles, 1968)
Here Today (from New, 2013)
Queenie Eye (from New, 2013)
Lady Madonna (The Beatles single 1968)
Fuh You (from Egypt Station, 2018)
Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite (from The Beatles, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
Something (from The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969)
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (from The Beatles, The Beatles, 1968)
You Never Give Me Your Money (from The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969)
Get Back (from Let It Be, 1970)
Band On The Run (from Band On The Run, 1973)
Let It Be (from Let It Be, 1970)
Live and Let Die (from single 1972, from the Live and Let Die soundtrack)
Hey Jude (The Beatles single 1968)

ENCORE:
I’ve Got A Feeling (from Let It Be, 1970) (duet with John Lennon on screen)
Birthday (from The Beatles, The Beatles, 1968)
Helter Skelter (from The Beatles, The Beatles, 1968)
Golden Slumbers (from The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969)
Carry That Weight (from The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969)
The End (from The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969)

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