Paul McCartney Tours of the 2000's

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The 2002 Driving Rain Tour was Paul’s first in nine years. A lot had happened since then. The Beatles had released their highly successful Anthology project and the three surviving Beatles had a new found friendship. Paul released his best album since Wings, with Flaming Pie in 1997. It was a huge success hitting #2 on the US charts his highest charting since 1982. It featured Jeff Lynn, George Martin, Ringo Starr, Steve Miller, & son James. The album was very Beatle inspired and received great reviews. Great tracks like Flaming Pie, The World Tonight, Beautiful Night, Calico Skies, Young Boy & Somedays highlighted the great work. It was nominated for album of the year & In my opinion its one of his top 3 solo albums!

Sadly Linda McCartney passed away from cancer in 1998, then George Harrison in 2001. There was also the attacks of 911 in which Paul was on a plane in New York City watching the events from his window. He was inspired to write the single Freedom an almost Lennon like anthem of the times. Next he became romantically involved with activist Heather Mills. In 1999 he released Run Devil Run a collection of old Rock & Roll songs, and three new tunes. Most notably Try Not To Cry. It was very upbeat, casual & featured David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) on guitars & Ian Piace (Deep Purple) on drums. In May of 2001 he released a Wings Anthology called Wingspan, the album reached #2, a TV documentry & DVD followed. The whole project was another big success.
The 2002 Tour promoted the new Driving Rain album in 2002. The album did better in American than in England, but only hit #26 on the album charts with no hit singles. Many of the songs were Heather inspired and was a pretty good effort overall but not nearly as good as Flaming Pie.

The Driving Rain Tour had a new band backing Paul; Paul "Wix" Wickens (who has been with Paul since 1989), Brian Ray, & Rusty Anderson, on guitars and Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums. This band would accompanying Paul on three tours through 2009. The Tour began in April at Oakland, California. It hit Madison Square Garden on April 26 & 27th. He also did a Long Island and Jersey, NY area show. There were 24 shows on the 1st leg of the tour ending in May, then 23 more shows from September to October. Driving Rain went around the world finishing up in May 2003. Another live film called Back In the US followed.

Driving Rain Tour Set List
1. "Hello Goodbye"
2. "Jet"
3. "All My Loving"
4. "Getting Better"
5. "Coming Up"
6. "Let Me Roll It"
7. "Lonely Road"
8. "Driving Rain"
9. "Your Loving Flame"
10. "Blackbird"
11. "Every Night"
12. "We Can Work It Out"
13. "Mother Nature's Son"
14. "Vanilla Sky"
15. "You Never Give Me Your Money"/"Carry That Weight" (medley)
16. "Fool on the Hill"
17. "Here Today"
18. "Something"
19. "Eleanor Rigby"
20. "Here, There, and Everywhere"
21. "Band on the Run"
22. "Maybe I'm Amazed"
23. "C Moon"
24. "My Love"
25. "Can't Buy Me Love"
26. "Freedom"
27. "Live and Let Die"
28. "Let It Be"
29. "Hey Jude"
30. "The Long and Winding Road"
31. "Lady Madonna"
32. "I Saw Her Standing There"
33. "Yesterday"
34. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)"/"The End (medley)"

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Two years later Paul went out again with the same band on the US Tour of 2005. The tour came after the release of Chaos & Creation in the Back Yard. It was another quality album from McCartney, one in which he played all the instruments but didn’t do any of the producing. It got rave reviews and reached #6 on the charts going gold too. The song Fine Line was released as a single, Friends to Go was inspired by George Harrison & Jenny Wren sounded like it came off the White Album, one of his best songs ever.

The Tour had 37 North American shows hitting Madison Square Garden in New York for four October shows. Paul was great again sounding better than ever up to that point. The set list included some new songs and some new Beatles classics, like Fixing A Hole from Sgt. Pepper. He included In Spite of All the Danger, one of the earliest Lennon/McCartney songs included on the Beatles Anthology 1.

2005 US Tour Set List
1. "Magical Mystery Tour"
2. "Flaming Pie"
3. "Jet"
4. "I'll Get You"
5. "Drive My Car"
6. "Till There Was You"
7. "Let Me Roll It"
8. "Got to Get You Into My Life"
9. "Fine Line"
10. "Maybe I'm Amazed"
11. "The Long and Winding Road"
12. "In Spite of All the Danger"
13. "I Will"
14. "Jenny Wren"
15. "For No One"
16. "Fixing a Hole"
17. "English Tea"
18. "I'll Follow the Sun"
19. "Follow Me"
20. "Blackbird"
21. "Eleanor Rigby"
22. "Too Many People"
23. "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window"
24. "Good Day Sunshine"
25. "Band on the Run"
26. "Penny Lane"
27. "I've Got a Feeling"
28. "Back in the U.S.S.R."
29. "Hey Jude"
30. "Live and Let Die"
31. "Yesterday"
32. "Get Back"
33. "Helter Skelter"
34. "Please Please Me"
35. "Let It Be"
36. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)"/"The End (medley)"

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