Driving USA Tour

First date:: Apr 01, 2002

Last date:: May 18, 2002

Number of concerts:: 27

Number of countries:: 2

Ecce Cor Meum

Standing Stone

Band members

Line-up Discover Backing band 2001-2018

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About

From Wikipedia:

The Driving World Tour was Paul McCartney’s first concert tour of the 21st century and of any kind since 1993’s New World Tour. For the first time in nearly a decade, McCartney returned to the road following the death of first wife, Linda McCartney, the death of George Harrison, and 9/11. This was in promotion of his 2001 album Driving Rain. Paul “Wix” Wickens returned on keyboards and is credited as Musical Director. New to the fold were Americans Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray, and Abe Laboriel Jr. Paul McCartney’s then-fiancée Heather Mills accompanied him on the tour and was in the audience for every American performance.
The tour began on April 1, 2002 when the American leg was kicked off in Oakland, California. The official release chronicling the first U.S. leg of the tour was the CD and DVD Back in the U.S., which itself would be promoted by another leg in the States. The second American leg was followed by visits to Mexico and Japan. A remix of The Fireman tracks and a performance by Cirque du Soleil opened each show. […]

Q: When you went to make the ‘Driving Rain’ album was the idea of doing this tour already in your head?
Paul: No, not really. What happens with me is it’s just always in order and it’s just one step at a time. So it was like: I had enough songs for an album, so then it’s like ‘OK, let’s look around to record it’. My producer, David Kahne, then said ‘Shall we do it with a band or do you just want to multi-track yourself?’
I said ‘Probably with a band, but if it doesn’t work out we’ll multi-track’.
So it was just one step at a time; we got out to Los Angeles; did the album and realised that because the album was going a little bit live and the basis of it was sort of live playing, then it would be interesting to take this out on the road and to work with this band. So that was really about as far as I got. And then we did a benefit concert for Adopt A Minefield in LA, just a little one-off, and I was working with the band there. That worked out OK, so then that was like the first little toe in the water — did I fancy playing live again? But that was like a benefit audience, so I still didn’t know.
And then, after September 11th, the Madison Square Garden concert came up, which again still wasn’t a straightforward audience, there was still a benefit aspect, but it was getting nearer. So I then said to myself and to people who were asking me ‘Well, this will be the toe in the water for me.’ Fairly big toe in a fairly big pool of water! But if I like and enjoy this evening then I’ll probably enjoy touring.’ So it was all these singular events that culminated in the idea that it would be good to get back out on the road.
From the 2003 Back To The World tour book