Tripping the Live Fantastic
Paul McCartney's world tour of 1989-1990 was big news, and with good reason--after a decade that saw him lose much of his critical and commercial credibility, McCartney had plenty to prove. Backed by an ace band that included Robbie McIntosh of thePretendersand Hamish Stuart of theAverage White Band, McCartney reasserted his relevance on a nightly basis, reminding the world that he'd not only written some of the best songs of the last 30 years, but that he was still capable of rocking the hell out of them. This two-disc, 30-track souvenir of the tour (asingle-disc, 17-track distillation was also released) may lean a little too heavily on songs fromFlowers in the Dirt, but the jaw-dropping live medley of "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight," and "The End" is more than worth the price of admission.--Dan Epstein