A SPLENDID TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

Paul McCartney Cardiff's Millennium Stadium 26 June 2010.

You've got to hand it to Macca - on stage for over three hours, two encores, a set list of over thirty songs and he looked as if he could have still kept going. At one point Macca ran on stage, carrying a Welsh flag and claimed that Liverpool was the capital of Wales. He even did that little ditty Ram On after a request from the audience -now that couldn't have been rehearsed. There were seventy odd thousand of us there in that massive stadium and yet once the show was under way, it all seemed really intimate, the sign of a great performer.

When we first got into the stadium it seemed as if we were seated some miles from the stage but the time, show openers, Manic Street Preachers had done their first song, we were rocking. And the Manics did a great set, setting the place alight when they did Rock and Roll Music as a tribute to the late Stuart Cable.

Then the roof was closed, it was lights down and McCartney opened with the track Venus and Mars/Rock Show and the place erupted. The audience were made up of all ages - from babies to teenagers, to adults of all ages. And yet those songs, were known by everyone there - even those who had not been born when Wings split, let alone the Beatles.

Macca was on top form, coming onto stage for the first of his encores carrying a Welsh flag and yelling out a splattering of Welsh phrase. When he went off stage again people started to leave but rushed back in when Macca came back out and did Yesterday before once again being joined by his band for Sgt.Peppers/The End.

An excellent show with the set list not being dominated by Beatles numbers but containing a fair few Wings and even later solo stuff. The Fireman tracks went down well but, as always, the highlight of the night was the spirited version of Hey Judge with the entire audience joining in for the well known chorus - "na, na , naa na na na."

Of course Macca will always have to perform those timeless Beatles numbers but for long time fans such as myself, it was great to see him perform lesser known classics like - 1985 and Venus and Mars.

The last time I saw him was in 2002/2003 at Earl's Court and I must admit I found that show a little dissapointing after seeing him previously in Wembley back in 1989. The Earl's Court gig was okay but it didn't seem to have the fire he had in 89 but tonight that fire was back, hotter than ever.



He may have been going through the motions at Earl's Court but tonight the Beatle was on top form.

Yaki da, Paul!