Rio de Janeiro
In 1990, Paul McCartney opened his first show on Brazilian soil at the Maracanã with “Figure of Eight”, a song from the album “Flowers in the Dirt” released the previous year.
In the lyrics, he sang about the feeling of moving in circles on the spot or in a “figure of eight” pattern, which the title alludes to. “I don’t know whether I come or go, early or late,” says one of the verses.
After 33 years, back on the same stage at the Maracanã, with a tour that includes many of the songs from that first show in Brazil in its repertoire, one might think that Paul returned to the same point “dancing in circles”. in the text of “Figure of Eight.”
But in the opening minutes, the exBeatle reminds us that no man or Quarrymen, in reference to the band that brought together thenteenagers Paul, John and George swims in the same river twice.
“Can't Buy Me Love” opened the hot night of a crowded Maracanã. The vocal still supports the song, but it obviously doesn't have the same power as the 1990 rendition. And even less than the original recording when Paul was in his early 20s.
However, rather than making the hit fade, the worn throat along with the undeniable remaining power makes his presence there even more meaningful and moving.
The youthful and innocent declaration of principles that opposes money and love pulsates vividly in the voice of an 81yearold man, full of money and love as the packed Maracanã testifies. Confirmation of the impossible dream of eternal innocence, of unceasing renewal through immersion in the same rivers of the same songs these classics.
The artist then composed two songs for his band Wings, “Junior's Farm” and “Letting Go”, which, in addition to the established band, also demonstrate his goldsmithery as a pop composer beyond the Beatles.
“Hello, Rio. What Cariocas?” he said as he addressed the audience for the first time, in his usual search for local expressions from the cities where he performs. “Tonight I'm going to try to speak a little Portuguese. A little,” he ventured minutes later in Portuguese.
The tour program includes eight shows in five Brazilian cities as well as a pocket performance at Clube do Choro in Brasília and also includes songs from various moments in his solo career and one from the protoBeatles phase with the Quarrymen.