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Paul McCartney - Back in the U.S. (Live 2002 Concert Film)

Paul McCartney - Back in the U.S. (Live 2002 Concert Film)

List Price: $24.98
Your Price: $19.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I love Macca, but...
Review: If only this concert DVD was one-tenth as good as "Concert for George," but it fails by almost every standard. I'm a life-long Macca fan, I've seen him in concert 12 times, but this DVD is extremely disappointing. How so? Well, the picture quality is spotty, sometimes the screen is too dark, other times it's annoyingly bright. The sound quality doesn't sound like it was mixed correctly, it has a tinny edge to it. The bass lines seem fuzzy, the percussion seems too "thumpy."

It's disappointing, because Paul is a perfectionist (as you all know), and he rarely puts out something of this inferior quality. Something went wrong somewhere, but when a Beatles fanatic doesn't even get a tingly feeling when Paul launches into "Hey Jude," you know something is wrong. I wanted so much to like this since I adore Paul, but it just isn't happening.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: 2 down, 2....
Review: To sum this up: a pathetic piece of self-indulgence on Paul's part and that of his audience, trying to relive the not-so-good 60's - and a rip off to boot!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Did I watch the same concert?
Review: After scrolling through reviews here,I have come to the conclusion,that people who rate this dvd 5 stars are a)watching their first concert dvd,or b)lovers of anything Paul,and therefore incapable of giving an honest,objective opinion on this piece of product.I own about 30 or so concerts and this may be the worst sounding of the bunch.Paul has a great band that is fun to watch,if only I could hear them.The sonic quality of this dvd is inferior in all aspects,save for vocals.Abe Laboriel Jr. attacks his kit with furious precision,but is muted,and from most accounts,this is not the case when witnessed live.The crowd noise is excessive,and painful on the ears.The directors fascination with star gazing,and the editors super quick cuts is also dissappointing.Paul Mcartney is not short of funds.With the availability of Hi-Definition cameras,and top notch audio recording equipment that many artists are utilizing today,there is no excuse for this dvd not to be of the highest calibre.Paul,before you give it up ,get it right!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Backstage Pass to Paul McCartney & Friends
Review: Truly an off the charts experience for old & new fans alike. I wished I had the opportunity to be there, but this concert film went above & beyond. Paul offers us a personalized, fireside chat between songs as he takes the audience to his side & shows them what it was like from his perspective. Ever so gracious, we meet his wife, the crew, his band, and the fans. An unforgettable experience: once we pressed "play" Sir McCartney had our rapt attention. A MUST SEE! A wonderful gift idea, too!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The concert of the decade?
Review: This is a documentary/concert experience captured on DVD of one the finest & energetic performances by Paul & his band that I've ever seen the man involved in - only eclipsed by when the Beatles themselves were performing live. As for the negative reviews of this disc here, the probability is very high that these people did not attend one of Paul's shows on this tour and shamefully so - you're probably Paul-bashers from way back and anything the man does will not meet your approval anyway. But enough on that: I did attend Paul's show in NC last year and it was the best concert I've ever been to. I've had this DVD for about a year and just recently gave it a fresh viewing, putting some space between when I actually saw him live and seeing this video for a more objective opinion and found that this show is just awesome. Paul's in great voice, his band is top-notch. Rusty Anderson is an excellent lead guitarist, Brian Ray has those classic Paul bass riffs down superbly - just listen to "Getting Better". And, oh man, Abraham Laboriel, Jr is one of the best drummers I've ever seen and heard; like Paul himself says in the video, "Abe is a serious drummer". How anyone can look at this DVD and not get into these Beatle & solo Paul classics performed so energetically is way beyond my comprehension. I was sitting and watching Paul & his band playing some of these tunes and thinking to myself, "even if the other Beatles were still around to reunite, could they be any better than this?" That statement might infuriate a few Beatles purist, but so be it -I'm as big a Beatles fan as the next guy. What amazes me most, I think, about the performances on this DVD is Paul displays more energy and love for his craft than guys half his age. The concert of the decade? Absolutely, unless Paul tops himself on the next tour.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Despite some interruptions, a great DVD
Review: This DVD is astounding to me. Plenty of music, great musicians, humorous quips by everyone. As already said, there are some interruptions in some songs, but it does not happen commonly and the rest of the DVD makes up for it, plus some. The sound quality is crystal clear, the band has tons of stage prescence, and everyone harmonizes their voices beautifully.
There are a few drawbacks, though. Even though the talking between songs is usually fine, it seems to drag the concert on. Also, it is my opinion that Paul McCartney should stick with his Höfner (bass guitar). He's an okay guitarist, but his solos just don't quite cut it for me.
The pros greatly outweigh the cons, however. Every song is done perfect (sans a barely-noticable off-beat point in the middle of one song, lasting for not even a second before they get back on track). The band has tons of energy, prescence, and the visuals for the show are spectacular. The choice of their many songs was well-picked, including superior songs like "Yesterday," "Blackbird," "Hey Jude," "Let it Be," "Live and Let Die," "Lady Madonna," "Band on the Run," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Hello, Goodbye," and "Back in the U.S.S.R." (just to name a few).

In total, I highly reccommend this DVD. Great songs, great personalities, great visuals, great sound. It's great to see someone like McCartney still rockin' it on stage and just as good a musician as ever.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: You like me you like me
Review: I agree with my fellow Bostonian Martin Gregory, who asks, in his 10/10/03 review of this DVD, if Paul is "really that insecure? If so, perhaps this explains his inability to perform a real, spontaneous rock and roll show, or release a visual record that doesn't spend most of its time trying to show just how revered the star of the show is." For most of my life I have been fascinated and captivated by the Beatles and their mystique. They just won't go away. Their music, and some of it from the respective solo careers, is some of the best ever written or performed. So, like Martin, I am continually amazed at how Sir Paul seems to need his ego stroked, even after all this time. His music is tremendous, but this DVD suffers a lot from Paul's "schtickiness"-- ooh, there's a camera...ooh, there's another. It's plastic, phony, and sometimes embarassing. He is like the anti-George. On the other hand, perhaps we would not have had any Beatle releases after Revolver were it not for some of these qualities. I just wish that someday Paul would put aside all of the campiness and schtick and production and release a straight ahead rock and roll no holds barred recording. In my opinion the best pieces of this DVD are the sound checks- they are simple, bare, essential, and even contain MISTAKES! But their rawness is what I find enjoyable. For all of Paul's lamenting what Phil Spector did to Let it Be, he has managed to do much of the same schmaltzy overproduction in much of his solo career. Here's hoping that some success for the Beatle's "Let it Be...Naked" results in Paul chucking all the artifice. He can do it, but I doubt we will see it.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Five stars for the music, two for the effort
Review: Paul McCartney's boundless ego and self-absorption are nothing new, but this DVD, like the concerts themselves, is a major disappointment. Don't get me wrong, the 2002 band was probably the best of McCartney's solo career, and there is much evidence of that on this release. No, the problem is not with the music, but rather McCartney's presentation of it, and his own on-stage routine. I went to all three shows in Boston on the 2002 tour, and by the third I literally could not wait for it to end. Each show had the same tedious jokes, phony forgotten words, hokey George Harrison tribute, and worst of all, the endless "solo" applause for McCartney. I'm sure he could have squeezed at least a couple more numbers into the set if he hadn't spent so much time standing in the spotlight, arms aloft, wallowing in the adulation. Save for a couple of set changes between the April and September shows, the whole thing was scripted to a word, and acted as such. Given this then, it is no wonder that the DVD record of the tour should reflect a similar disregard for the spontaneity of rock music. Instead of showing the concert as performed, we are "treated" to songs interspersed with more of the McCartney adulation routine; endless one-liners from adoring fans, a slew of shots of audience members waving "I love you Paul" signs, a short clip of Jack Nicholson, or some other celeb, grooving along in some VIP box. You get the idea.

It was revealing that around the same time as the release of the tour DVD and CD the whole "Lennon-McCartney" thing broke in the news, when Macca locked horns with Yoko Ono over his insistence on reversing the most famous song writing credits in music history to suit his own purposes. What really disturbs me is that there is just no need for McCartney to do all of this. Is he really that insecure? If so, perhaps this explains his inability to perform a real, spontaneous rock and roll show, or release a visual record that doesn't spend most of its time trying to show just how revered the star of the show is. Five stars for the music. Two stars for the effort.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sing more, Less talk
Review: If they just showed the concert, I would give this 5 stars.
They could leave the interviews and etc to special features.
BUT now it is a bit of everything mixed together... sad

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Where's the Music?
Review: Poor quality mix with lots of interruptions of the thing you bought the DVD for: The Music! If what you want is a DVD of parts of songs and interviews then this is the disk for you. If you want Paul's incredible music don't waste your time and money.


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