Paul McCartney - Back In The World

02.04.2003, Antwerp; "Sportpaleis", Belgium

Thanks for the review to Dirk van Damme from Belgium / Danke für den Konzertbericht an Dirk van Damme aus Belgien 

 

Paul spent the night of April 1st at the Royal Windsor hotel in the city centre of Brussels. 

Songs from the soundcheck (again information given to me by a friend) Coming Up, India, Honey Don't, What'd I say, ?, Midnight Special, Things we said today, All things must pass , ?, Lady Madonna. 

A 15 minute face-to-face interview for Radio 2 with Jan Leyers was done at the Sportpaleis between the soundcheck and the concert. It was broadcast on April 3, between 16.05 and 16.12 during the program Guodzoekers (Golddiggers), fragments were also heard on Saturday April 5 in the program Zig Zag between 13.00 and 17.00. 

Second concert started about 15 minutes late at 20.45. Probably because of the lack of enthusiasm during the first day Paul had asked to allow people stand in front of the stage, so there were about 100 and at the end of the concert some 200 people having a good time at a couple of meters away from Paul. 

Both days before Getting better he said in Flemish; "Het is de eerste keer dat ik dit nummer zing in België". (This is the first time I sing this number in Belgium). Did he already forget he was already in Belgium on 
April's Fool Day? After All My Loving and Every night people in front of the stage started to sing Paul McCartney in the rhythm of the Coming Up live version. 

There was more atmosphere during the second concert, during Can't Buy Me Love there was a guy from the Cirque Du Soleil group dancing at the side of the stage. People also stamped much more with their feet on the ground than the first day Again Yellow Submarine was sung after Something

I talked to some people, Beatlesfans or concertgoers, who either attended the first or second show, all told me that the concert was great, technically alright, good video show, but the magic touch was missing, the spark didn't come through. Me as a big Beatlefan felt just the same, all his fans complain about hearing the same songs over and over. He's got a repertoire much bigger than Springsteen, who changes his setlist every concert, especially when he's performing twice in the same city. I'm sure it would please the fans to hear other songs than the ones he performs every tour since 1989 or even 1976. And the casual concertgoer won't be disappointed if he hears other big hits than Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road, The Fool on the Hill
Can't Buy Me Love and so on. 

I hope to get a much more spirited show in Cologne, Rome and eventually Liverpool. 

Personal highlights on both days were Here Today, Calico Skies, Band On The Run, She's Leaving Home and Sgt Pepper's/The End. Both days were sold out with an attendance of 13.500. 

Dirk van Damme

 

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