Macca’s back and it seems like yesterday

IT’S been a long and winding road but Paul McCartney finally made it back to Ireland for his first show here in 40 years last night.

The pin-up boy of the 60s fittingly returned to the RDS Arena as a 60-year-old to stage his first solo concert in Dublin.

In a 36-song set lasting over two-and-a-half hours, McCartney proved he has lost none of his star quality.

Macca's Back in the World show proved a magical mystery tour through his back catalogue of classic Beatles, Wings and solo numbers.

However, with admission costing as much as 105, many felt it was less a ticket to ride than being taken for one. Many among the 30,000-strong crowd were probably not even born when the Fab Four played their only Irish concert at Dublin's Adelphi Cinema in 1963. McCartney launched straight into Hello Goodbye and Jet.

"Oichemhaith Dubh Linn," said Macca, greeting the crowd in acknowledgement of his Irish roots.

Among the large number of VIPs at the concert was his second wife Heather Mills to whom he dedicated 'Your Loving Flame'.

In the best tradition of summer outdoor concerts in Ireland, a heavy shower greeted the opening chords of 'Getting Better'.

McCartney's music may always divide the critics but for every Frog Chorus he's more than compensated with songs like She's Leaving Home; All My Loving and Hey Jude, all of which were given moving renditions last night.

Adding to the poignancy of the occasion was the unspoken realisation that it is probably the last time Irish audiences will ever see McCartney in a live setting. The verdict on this aging rocker...Macca's own famous hand sign A big thumbs up.