Paul McCartney's Bonnaroo Concert Dissected Over Gchat

FUSE TV - Paul McCartney's Bonnaroo Concert Dissected Over Gchat

Paul McCartney's set at Bonnaroo 2013 was a modest affair. Just your typical three-hour show packed with dozens of rock's all-time greatest songs, heart-wrenching tributes to late musical legends, Pussy Riot shout-outs, more fireworks than D.C. on the Fourth of July and an impromptu serenade to a stuffed walrus. He handily owned Friday night at the Tennessee fest by delivering the kind of joyous concert that reminds you why you fell in love with music in the first place.

Oscillating between Beatles classics (i.e., many of the best songs ever written), Wings hits (which are more enduring than snobby critics like to allow) and a couple of solo tracks, McCartney's energy never let up. And somehow—even for those watching him as a speck on a stage a football field away—his cheery, endearingly hammy personality managed to enrapture the crowd of tens of thousands.

Throughout the night, Macca took a break to jokingly chide certain "Bonnaroo-vians" for expecting him to read signs with tiny text, compliment front-row tokers on the quality of their weed and imitate Russian politicians quoting Beatles lyrics.

That impersonation—not to mention a roaring take on "Back in U.S.S.R."—allowed him to reiterate his support for Pussy Riot, whom he recently tried to free via handwritten pleas to Russian officials. Perhaps the government's refusal to free the two imprisoned women explains how ready he was to cartoonishly mock their accents.

Throw in tributes to the recently deceased producer Phil Ramone ("Another Day"), John Lennon ("Here Today"), George Harrison ("Something" on ukulele) and Jimi Hendrix ("Foxy Lady" was referenced at the end of "Let Me Roll It"), and Bonnaroo 2013 had its first truly consummate performer.

I watched the show with Fuse Senior Writer Jason Newman and we discussed after our brains returned to our bodies. Here are our unedited, raw Gchat thoughts on the show below. 

Paul Rodriguez

22m

Paul Rodriguez

Angel McCoughtry

21m

Angel McCoughtry

Fort McMurray

21m

Fort McMurray

Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy

1h 18m

Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy

Poppin' Up All Over The Place

20m

Poppin' Up All Over The Place

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8m

Have Beauty Standards Changed Over The Years?

Odalys and Jamie Discuss Career Over Smoothies: The 212

1m

Odalys and Jamie Discuss Career Over Smoothies: The 212

Young M.A Jumps Over Cars To Open For Beyoncé

2m

Young M.A Jumps Over Cars To Open For Beyoncé

Twerkloose

20m

Twerkloose

Jill Scott and Marc Anthony

22m

Jill Scott and Marc Anthony

Freedia's Twerk On Washington

21m

Freedia's Twerk On Washington

Building Community

20m

Building Community

Skate or Die

21m

Skate or Die

Reebok

12m

Reebok

Black Thought

20m

Black Thought

Final Fight

14m

Final Fight

King Keraun Becomes A Wolf Rescuer

6m

King Keraun Becomes A Wolf Rescuer

Ready or Not - Trailer

2m

Ready or Not - Trailer

Saturday Morning Fever Episode 4: First Look

3m

Saturday Morning Fever Episode 4: First Look

The Feels - Trailer

1m

The Feels - Trailer

Back To The Heart Attack Grill

2m

Back To The Heart Attack Grill

The Feels

1h 21m

The Feels

Sin City Shakedown

41m

Sin City Shakedown

The Every Damn Internet Challenge

20m

The Every Damn Internet Challenge

Smackdown

45m

Smackdown

Food Culture

20m

Food Culture

Frugal Fashionista

44m

Frugal Fashionista

Ariel

5m

Ariel

Season 1, Episode 3: First Look

44s

Season 1, Episode 3: First Look

Rolling Stones: Rock Royalty

59m

Rolling Stones: Rock Royalty

Deep Sea Drama

22m

Deep Sea Drama

Levi and Troy

40m

Levi and Troy

Danny Krivit

10m

Danny Krivit

Mike and Gabe

40m

Mike and Gabe

The Rise of K-Pop

41m

The Rise of K-Pop

It's Probably Illegal

21m

It's Probably Illegal

Bionka's Wild Favorite Moment From Season 1

1m

Bionka's Wild Favorite Moment From Season 1

We Need To Talk About America

We Need To Talk About America

We Need To Talk About America - S2 Trailer

1m

We Need To Talk About America - S2 Trailer

The Third Strike

1h 3m

The Third Strike