Another album, another tour, another live album souvenir of the tour.
Paul McCartney has essentially followed this pattern since his 1989 return to arenas for the supporting tour for
Flowers in the Dirt and each of the records are essentially the same: the big solo hits, some of the big
Beatles songs, plus a few tunes from the latest solo album. The repertoire changes slightly over the years, with some
Beatles tunes drifting in and out of rotation, but they all play exactly the same -- glossy, professional readings of the songs that you know and love, played in arrangements very close to the original versions. Comprised of highlights from his 2001/2002 tour, the double-disc
Back in the U.S. is longer than, say,
Paul Is Live, but that's the only difference between this set, or the equally long
Tripping the Live Fantastic. If anything, he's playing for the crowd even more than usual, filling out the set list with sentimental favorites, including a version of "Something" as a tribute to the recently parted
George Harrison. There is an unflagging sense of showmanship here and the musicianship is top-notch, and there's nothing wrong with the music but there's nothing interesting about it, either. Given the hot streak that he'd been on since 1998's Flaming Pie, it's a bit of a disappointment that this doesn't live up to those standards, but then again, this is no better or no worse than what you'd expect given his live albums since 1989. Unfortunately, it's exactly what you'd expect, which is certainly not as satisfying as a good live album and somehow more disappointing than a flat-out bad album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine