Roskilde Festival • Saturday, July 4, 2015

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From Online Post, July 5th 2015:

Whether you’re a fan of Paul McCartney or share the opinion that the Beatles are dying in the order of how talented they were – one thing everyone could agree on last night at Roskilde’s grand finale is that this 73-year-old deserves our respect for giving a performance just shy of three hours.

Emotions running high
Being more of a Rolling Stone kinda girl myself, I couldn’t conjure up the same ‘in the land of legends’ emotions that I felt at last year’s Roskilde when the world’s oldest boy band performed.

However, the vast crowd of elated Roskilde-goers around me were undoubtedly on the other end of the emotional spectrum.

Crowd catering
I have to say it’s no wonder, as even I enjoyed the breathtaking show at the Orange Stage with fireworks and all.

McCartney didn’t spare any effort to indulge the audience: from a successful joke about a visit to the USSR that featured a flawless Russian accent, to inviting fans up on stage and autographing a young girl’s arm for a tattoo whilst not forgetting to acknowledge parental responsibility: “Does your mother know about this?”

Some sound skills
Vocally McCartney proved he still has a lot of stamina left, although in my opinion there were times when he relied too heavily on his two backup singers – winging it a little some might say.

Instrumentally he demonstrated effortless competence on the piano, ukulele and guitar, proving he’s maintained a more than respectable skill-set.

No lack of songs
The ex-Beatle, who last played in Denmark 11 years ago, played a total of 39 songs, from ‘Let it Be’, which sent the crowd into positive euphoria, to ‘Live and let die’, which had a similar effect and was very well performed indeed.

And I’d bet good money that not a single member of the audience wasn’t singing along to ‘Hey Jude’, which was also the song everyone started singing to get him back for the encore.

From For Whom The Bell Tells, August 7, 2015:

Roskilde is the largest festival in Northern Europe. It launched in 1971 (the year Paul released RAM) and attracts 130,000 people each year, and that figure includes the line-up of thousands of artists. It will be Paul’s third European festival appearance to date (the others were Glastonbury in 2004 and Isle of Wight in 2010). In the days leading up to the show Paul gave an exclusive Danish interview to website SoundVenue, explaining: “Everyone speaks very nicely about Roskilde as a nice place with a great atmosphere, so I’m really looking forward to it.” 

Today, Denmark is roasting in a heatwave and the temperature seems to be magnified on the exposed festival site. Paul arrives on site shortly after 7pm, three hours before he is due to take to the stage, and to prepare for the show, he takes a Danish translation session so that he can speak to the crowd in their own language. After being primed with his phrases he has a birthday surprise for tour photographer MJ Kim. MJ is summoned to meet the boss and Paul has gathered the crew together for a “Happy Birthday” sing-song and a cake presentation. 

This being a festival, there isn’t the opportunity for the normal pre-show soundcheck, so tonight’s warm up is a couple of acoustic numbers in the backstage area. Festival staff gather to listen excitedly on the other side of the fence from Paul’s backstage compound to catch versions of ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’ and ‘Good Day Sunshine’. At 10pm, Paul hits the Orange Stage and is greeted with a phenomenal reception. You can feel the energy coming from the crowd.

Berlingske Tidende:

“McCartney gave Roskilde a gift – his music

“The classics were lining up when Paul McCartney gave us a musical history lesson on the Orange Stage on Saturday evening…and it was the best lesson ever.

“The concert, that lasted nearly three hours, was a fantastic musical experience for all.

“McCartney and his four fellow musicians played brilliantly. As he constantly shifted around between his iconic Höfner bass, electric and acoustic guitars and keys, there could be no doubt about his great musical talent and his legendary status.”

Politiken:

“McCartney gave a historic end to a great concert – ‘The magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away / Waiting to take you away’. That is what one hopes for when Paul McCartney gives a concert and that is what happens. He takes us to a magical place where we drown ourselves in excitement.

“I do not think in the history of Roskilde I’ve seen so many good songs together performed in one set. It was overwhelming to stand in the middle of the audience and be part of such a communal moment.

“Paul McCartney with his insanely tight band gave a historic end to a great concert and festival.”

Stuart Bell

Last updated on November 15, 2020

Roskilde Festival

This was the 1st and only concert played at Roskilde Festival.

Setlist for the concert