Paul McCartney plays magical mystery birthday show with Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi
The Paul McCartney concert on Thursday, June 16, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford was more than just a show.
It was a three-hour magical mystery birthday tour of the last 65 years in the life of a music legend who still very much has it.
Rockers, ballads, odes to Beatles who have passed on, visits by Jersey friends Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, two stadium “Happy Birthday” serenades, rain (not the Beatles song) and more made it a night to remember.
The thing is, McCartney, who will be 80 on Saturday, June 18, seemed to get stronger as the night went on. Macca delivered throaty yelps and jives on “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” and hearty howls on “Let Me Roll It.”
His yells on “Helter Skelter” still unnerve. McCartney ran up the riser to play piano on “Let 'Em In,” and kicked and skipped as he and his band, with Springsteen, were taking their bows as midnight approached.
McCartney, who wears his still considerably wavy hair below the ears, is forever spry.
“80 is fine when you look 39,” read one fan's sign.
McCartney was a bit more talkative compared to previous tours, setting up and following songs with a few minutes of dialogue. He has an easy, conversational tone, and the stories, while some are familiar, do not get old. Jimi Hendrix looking for Eric Clapton to tune his guitar after he performed “Sgt. Pepper” is golden.
McCartney dedicated “My Valentine” to his wife, Nancy Shevell, an Edison native. She was in the audience. A sublime “Something,” with a ukulele intro, was played to remember George Harrison; a gentle “Here Today” was for John Lennon.
“If you got something you want to say to someone and you're thinking I'll put it off to another time — don't,” McCartney said. “Get it said. Why not?”
McCartney later performed virtually with Lennon on “I've Got a Feeling” from the “Let It Be” footage, which was re-edited by filmmaker Peter Jackson for the “Get Back” documentary. McCartney thanked Jackson for providing the Lennon vocals on the song.
The Beatle was unapologetic about performing a handful of newer songs, but the tracks fit nicely into the tempo of the night. “New,” from the 2013 album of the same name, was especially buoyant.
An acoustic segment featured a song, “In Spite of All the Danger,” recorded by the pre-Beatles band, the Quarrymen. “Love Me Do” was the first song the Beatles recorded for EMI, and McCartney told the audience he was nervous when producer George Martin asked him to sing lead so Lennon could play harmonica.
“When I listen to the record on the radio these days, I can still hear the terror in my voice,” McCartney said. “But not tonight.”
A number of fans were probably frightened that they would not make it into the stadium for the show due to backups on the roads and highways surrounding MetLife, and backups at the stadium entrances. Fans were getting out of pulled over cars on Route 3 and Route 120 as showtime approached.
Parking lot booth clerks waved fans into the stadium grounds, forgoing a parking fee, starting around 8 p.m.
There wasn't a birthday cake on Thursday, but there were plenty of birthday surprises. Springsteen came on stage to duet with McCartney on “Glory Days” and ”I Wanna Be Your Man.” Click here to see it.
“We got a special surprise for you,” McCartney said. “A friend of mine, he's a local boy. I think you guessed it! I said you got to come and sing with us!”
“Here's to 80 more years of glory days!” Springsteen said.
Springsteen's appearance prompted the stadium to yell “Bruuuucce,” and, coincidently, it seemed to start the rain. The Boss, who playfully bowed down to McCartney, later came on to trade guitar licks on a show-closing “The End” with McCartney and guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray.
The exceptional band also features Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums and Wix Wickens on keys. There was also a three-piece horn section.
The crowd broke into a spontaneous rendition of “Happy Birthday” earlier in the night.
“Yeah, you're right, I got a birthday coming up,” McCartney said. “I'm not trying to ignore it, but ...”
More: Will the Paul McCartney show at MetLife Stadium be a hometown birthday party?
Later, Jon Bon Jovi led a second stadium serenade of “Happy Birthday” to McCartney. He gave balloons to the Beatles legend, too.
And yes, McCartney did perform the Beatles classic “Birthday.”
Three hours after the show began, the energy was still crisp.
“There's one thing that remains to be said,” McCartney said. “We'll see you next time!”
Setlist follows galleries
Paul McCartney MetLife setlist
Can't Buy Me Love
Junior's Farm
Letting Go
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
New
Lady Madonna
Jet
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Something
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
You Never Give Me Your Money
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
Get Back
Band on the Run
Glory Days
I Wanna Be Your Man
Let It Be
Live and Let Die
Hey Jude
I've Got a Feeling
Birthday
Helter Skelter
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Paul McCartney plays with Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi at MetLife
