A decade from now and the Saturday night legends slot at Glastonbury will struggle for acts. Paul McCartney could be one of the final all-time greats to grace the headline slot of the festival. His 2022 performance preceded Elton John and Neil Young, but who else is left in the pool of active veterans? Ten years from now and it will be whatever is left of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds or a wrinkled Liam Gallagher headlining the show. Not too bad for the new generation, but there is a tragic undercurrent about what happens when we lose the musicians who laid the foundation for the acts to follow. Return to McCartney at Glastonbury, then, a show which had Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl appear, the latter of which to ruin Band on the Run. Fans seemingly loved the premise but hated the voice of The Beatles legend. How wrong they are.
To expect McCartney to sound as good as he did back in his heyday is the same ridiculous expectation Bob Dylan concertgoers have. Had they listened to Rough and Rowdy Ways, they would understand the new context. The same goes for McCartney and his Glastonbury performance, where the Wings legend plays a litany of hits but does little to hide the effect time has had on his voice. Nor should he. Both Egypt Station and McCartney III made this new vocal style clear, and though he sounds a tad weaker in range, he still sounds like McCartney. Clean vocals are the aim, and that is what Live at Glastonbury offers. He sounds of his age, and that gives the songs a fresh layer to them, a stronger core to the likes of Can’t Buy Me Love and Lady Madonna. McCartney certainly sounds better on songs released in the last decade, but he can still hold up with The Beatles and Wings efforts.
Not only is it a tight set of his greatest hits, but the near three-hour show is a highlights reel, a series of moments which showcase the songs McCartney wrote. He has more hits than most and that much becomes extremely clear when he rattles off Let it Be, Live and Let Die, Hey Jude and I’ve Got a Feeling in what may be one of the best-ever Glastonbury Festival headliner moments. This is a real joy for the passing fan who can hear all the hits, but also those who are interested in the deep cuts. My Valentine, In Spite of All the Danger, and Fuh You sound excellent, all holding their own with the best-known classics. A performance of Glory Days with Springsteen is an all-time great moment for the festival. McCartney is keen to pull together a show which goes beyond the “I’ve seen a Beatle” reason for attending. He succeeds with both legendary collaborations and a look back at his own glory days.
Should there ever be a need to assess McCartney’s career through a sole live performance, there are few better spots than his Glastonbury appearance. As complete an overview of his career as can be, though a lack of Ram tracks is still a heartbreaking omission. We cannot complain, though, this is a stretch of all-time great songs, performed by a songwriter whose longevity is matched only by his consistency. Quality is assured by McCartney here, and though he may be a step off the mark of his voice in the 1960s, it is unfair to expect him to sound the same. The trouble with the passing listener is not being eased into this change, the gradual transition of a voice over decades of work. A shame, but nonetheless an essential performance which still holds up.
