Paul McCartney @ La Défense Arena, Paris - November 28th, 2018

It had been a couple of years since Macca's last concert in Paris, which means we were overdue for a visit. This time, the occasion is the release of his new album, "Egypt Station", another strong release like every one since the new millenium, chock-full of meticulously-crafted songs, peerless melodies,  perfect harmonies and fantastic performances.

His act hasn't changed much in the past few years. In fact it's almost exactly the same show that I first saw in 2011, give and take a few new songs and some rotating classics and deep cuts. But then again, if it ain't broke...

Paul is now closer to eighty than he is to seventy, and sometimes you can hear the age in his voice. It cracked a bit during Maybe I'm Amazed and other songs, but the audience was singing so loud that it more than made up for it. And this is not classical music, to be played note for note, perfectly. This is rock and roll. Classy, up-market rock and roll but rock and roll nonetheless and when he busts into Helter Skelter, his energy rivals that of artists fifty years younger.

Paul is one of the last ones. So many are gone, starting with his erstwhile bandmates John and George. Others have become caricatures of themselves (as much as I still love the Stones, they have become cartoon characters) and some just don't give a shit anymore. Paul is still out there like he means it, bringing those fantastic songs that have brought joy to several generations to the masses. No one in popular music has a catalogue like that. He played close to three hours and could have played three more. Hearing those songs, singing along to them, dancing, laughing, crying as the man  serenades us is as close to a religious experience as pop music can offer. Even in a sterile environment like this new arena, the magic is still there.

The word legend is overused, but how else would you qualify Sir Paul McCartney, a man whose songs have not only shaped popular culture but also helped to change the world? That he can walk onstage and present himself in such a simple, humble fashion, playing his timeless music with good humour and abandon is just another sign that this man is not just another entertainer. The honorific address before his moniker says it all: he is Royalty.