‘Do You Feel Like Letting Go?!?’
Paul McCartney and his stellar band offer Buffalo an unforgettable evening
What took place at KeyBank Center on Friday wasn’t so much a concert as it was an emotionally loaded cultural event, one that married wistful nostalgia to present-tense exuberance, as multiple generations gathered to celebrate the greatest songbook of the 20th century.
Yep. Paul McCartney was back in town.
More than perhaps any other living artist’s appearances, a McCartney show comes with its fair share of baggage. A sold-out KeyBank Center for Friday’s stop on the man’s ongoing Got Back Tour meant that somewhere in the area of 19,000 people were in attendance, and more than likely, every one of them had a connection to McCartney and his music that transcends the conventional artist-audience relationship.
For many of us - this writer included - the man’s songs are deeply tied to our very earliest memories. We’ve never inhabited a world without that music in it. And it’s not an exaggeration to suggest that our consciousnesses have been at the very least affected, and in some cases, fully transformed, by McCartney.
Earlier generations might be able to boast of first-hand experiences with Beatlemania at its height.
Still others might’ve been perched on their parents’ couch in front of the family television on February 9, 1964, when the Beatles made their debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and the world was first exposed to that seemingly bottomless well of McCartney charm and charisma.
Since the age of those in attendance at the KeyBank Center show appeared to range from under 10 to well over 70, the variety of experiences with McCartney’s music at this single gig was deep and vast.
19,000 people. 19,000 stories.
To describe the atmosphere as electric and highly charged, even prior to the man’s appearance on stage, is an understatement. And that electricity intensified during the pre-show introductory film and DJ set, which featured a clever and creative mash-up of more than 60 years of McCartney and Beatles music.
And then finally, there he was, standing center stage with his iconic Hofner violin bass held aloft, as the crowd joined together in a cacophonous roar that, if not quite rivaling the hormonal shriek of early Beatlemania, was still more than impressive.
And then it was on, as McCartney and his killer band tore into the Lennon/McCartney gem “Help,” a 60 year-old song that sounds like it could’ve been written yesterday, today, or tomorrow.
The next 3 hours went by in a beautiful blur of smiles, hugs, screams of enthusiasm, proclamations of undying love, and more than a few tears, all set to a stunningly curated soundtrack of some of the finest “pop” songs any of us have ever heard or ever will hear.
At 83, McCartney is remarkably agile and on-point as musician, performer and band-leader. That his voice has inevitably been weathered by those many years is undeniable, and yet somehow, the fragility of the singing during certain points in the show leant additional poignancy to the affair and made it an even more deeply human interaction. Paul couldn’t quite scale the lofty peaks of the original recording of “Coming Up,” for example, but he nailed it anyway, driving home the song’s buoyant positivity, and making it plain exactly why he is widely considered one of the most melodically inventive bassists in rock music history. “Got To Get You Into My Life” followed, and by this point, the man’s pipes were fully warmed up, and the packed house rested comfortably in the palm of his hand, where it would stay fo the duration.
There really aren’t enough superlatives to hurl toward the members of McCartney’s band. Drummer/vocalist Abe Laboriel Jr., guitarists/vocalists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, and keyboardist/vocalist Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens are all absolute virtuosos as individuals, but collectively, they serve McCartney’s music in the live setting more ably than any of his previous ensembles - none of which, by the way, have been anything less than great themselves.
Since McCartney last performed in Buffalo - on October 22, 2015, his debut in our city - he’s added a three-piece horn section comprised of saxophonist Kenji Fenton, trombonist Paul Burton and trumpeter Mike Davis, (collectively, the Hot City Horns) and their taut, punchy arrangements added muscle throughout the evening, particularly during a searing take on the sultry, R&B/rock mash-up “Letting Go.”
With nearly 65 years worth of material to choose from, McCartney has a lot of ground to cover, and by this point, he’s become a brilliant curator of this incredible body of work. The setlist drew from the Beatles oeuvre, obviously, but it also included a healthy dose of Wings songs, solo offerings, deep cuts, and songs written either wholly or partly by his brothers in the Beatles.
Interestingly, all of the people I’ve chatted with who were in attendance at the KeyBank Center show mentioned that they’d been moved to tears several times during the show. I can attest to the power of the music to connect with us on such a deep and seemingly personal level - I was a complete puddle for at least a quarter of the show myself.
One such moment came when McCartney was elevated on a platform high above the stage, there to perform a solo acoustic version of the eternally beautiful “Blackbird,” a song he wrote during the height of the 1960s’ civil rights movement, and one that is perhaps even more relevant and resonant in 2025 than it was back then.
Another came when he prefaced a nakedly emotional take on “Here Today” with a deeply moving dedication to John Lennon.
Later, the gorgeous “Something” was dedicated to its writer, George Harrison, and received a beautiful arrangement that began on solo ukulele and evolved into a heart-rending full-band rendition. ‘Tear-jerking’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.
McCartney pivoted expertly from these ruminative, reflective, and wistful moments toward upbeat rockers like “Jet,” jubilant singalongs like Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” or wholly uplifting, gospel-based pieces like “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude,” ensuring in the process that the show ran through the full gamut of emotions. Few artists are able to pull off such a feat. Then again, even fewer artists have the kind of song catalog at their disposal that would allow them to even attempt it.
Epic, other-worldly, sublime, heartbreaking, uplifting, and so very deeply moving - McCartney’s show was all of these things.
He and his music are the reason I chose a life in music in the first place. At KeyBank Center on Friday, I was joined by thousands of folks who could likely tell similar stories.
There’s simply no one else quite like Paul McCartney. What a gift to share 3 hours with him and his music.
Paul McCartney
Got Back Tour 2025
Friday, November 14
KeyBank Center
Buffalo, NY
Setlist:
Help
Coming Up
Got to Get You Into My Life
Drive My Car
Letting Go
Come On To Me
Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady Jam
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
Now and Then
Lady Madonna
Jet
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite
Something
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Band on the Run
Get Back
Let It Be
Live and Let Die
Hey Jude
Encore:
I’ve Got A Feeling
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
Helter Skelter
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End
Sublime is the adjective I keep coming back to. It was simply, stupendously, emotionally, out of this world sublime.
When reading the review brings tears, you know it was magic. I had the honor of sharing air with Sir Paul a few years back in Syracuse. The single best show (among many) I’ve seen. As I stare down 60, I just don’t know how he does it. Well captured Jeff! Thank you.