by Pat Matthews
“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m seventy-five?”
He’s arguably the most successful musician in the history of our planet. Not only that, but he’s three quarters of a century old. You’d think that would be enough to keep people off his back.
Some fans, and I use that term loosely, are taking issue with Paul McCartney and his vocals. They are accusing the former Beatle of singing songs in their original keys and being unable to hit high notes.
Do they want him to lip sync?
An “insider” told the Daily Mail that “Paul’s voice breaks often in every show. The song ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ seems to be at the top of everyone’s list as the worst offender. It’s dog awful.”
“Maybe I’m Amazed” is 47 years old.
Macca just concluded a string of dates in the United States. In September, he’ll return with a string of McCartney concerts in New York and the surrounding area.
On Sept. 11 and 12, McCartney will rock the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. On Sept. 15 and 17, he’ll perform at Madison Square Garden. Then, he’ll visit Barclays Center on Sept. 19 and 21. On the 23rd, he’ll play the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. Circle Sept. 26 and 27 on your calendar. On those nights, he’ll gig at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale.
His last U.S. dates of 2017 are planned for Oct. 1 and 2; shows will be held at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
The aforementioned insider claimed Sir Paul is surrounded by sycophants who are unwilling to pull him aside and tell him the truth.
I get that. Are you going to tell Paul “frickin” McCartney how to play music? I’m sure not. I think he’s earned the right to perform his songs however the hell he wants to.
It’s also funny that Paul McCartney gets raked over the coals for actually singing while many of today’s pop artists blatantly lip sync and no one cares. I guess the bar is a bit higher for the walrus.
All joking and reverence aside (Paul McCartney is my all-time favorite artist, regardless of medium), there is a legitimate issue here. An entire generation of classic rock legends are entering their golden years. They are entering an age when their immense financial resources can no longer stave off the ravages of time.
So, what do they do? Do they retire? Do they quit touring? Do they stop playing large venues and book intimate theaters?
These men and women love making music. Some have been doing it for more than 50 years. Are they just supposed to walk away because a few internet trolls don’t like their vocals?
It really doesn’t matter how many toadies surround our aging rockers. The mechanism that will get them to change is money or the lack thereof. When fans stop packing arenas, when they stop buying their concert tickets, even the most diehard flower children of the Sixties will change their tune (literally).
In other words, McCartney will lower the keys of his songs when he starts performing to half-empty houses. Will that ever happen? I doubt it. Who doesn’t want to see a Beatle in concert?
The post Paul McCartney Fans: Let Him Lip Sync appeared first on Beatles music radio.
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