22,000 Scream for McCartney (Cleveland 1976)

 

22,000 Scream for McCartney

By Dick Wootten

The Cleveland Press

May 11, 1976

    10 years ago, at the Cleveland Stadium, four Beatles created pandemonium. Last night at the Coliseum, one Beatle created pandemonium. You would think the passage of time and the subtraction of three Beatles would result in a slightly more subdued reaction on the part of the audience. If you think that, then you misjudge the nature of rock fans.

     I had my hopes up that the age of screamers at concerts was long gone. Ha! Last night at the Coliseum, Paul McCartney and his group called Wings kept 22,000 fans at a fever pitch, of mass hysteria. The roar of the crowd equaled the thickness of the cloud of pot smoke. Flash cubes turned the carnivorous Coliseum into a blitzkrieg. The volume of the music was again deafening. Four gigantic speakers suspended from the ceiling gave the guitar, voice, and keyboard sound a fuzzy, blurry tone. No one could understand the words unless they were already memorized, and most of the audience appeared to have those words committed to memory.

     The first few notes excited a roar of recognition from the denim-clad crowd. Many were in their teens and many more in their 20s. Said one girl about 16, "Tonight's sort of historical I came here so I could say I was here."

     The concert was supposed to start at eight. The doors opened at 7:30, and the lines of fans waiting outside seemed endless. The spongers who joined the lines in front of you didn't help matters. When the crowd was finally inside the building, the lines outside the ladies' room were so long you could hardly make your way into the hall. The crowd was treated as if it were cattle. The experience was totally unpleasant. 

    The concert got underway about 8:40. The lights on the performers shifted from red to yellow to pink and to green. Dry ice fogged McCartney's knees and a red planet was shown rising on a screen above the stage. Very dramatic. All was for effect, and effect it had; everyone screamed. The hard edged music had a headlong and bloodthirsty brutality about it, and it kept hammering away as at your nervous system. At least you can turn down a record. When will show producers learn that ear-numbing volume does not equate with quality? Where is the subtlety? Where is judgment? Where is taste? Even such a Beatles classic as "The Long and Winding Road" was hard to enjoy because of the volume, but for the fans, the charisma was ever-present.

     McCartney sang numbers from such recent record albums as Venus and Mars, Band on the Run, and At the Speed of Sound. He was backed up instrumentally and vocally by his wife, Linda, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch, and Joe English, plus a quartet of wind and brass players. It was all sort of historical, but like the Vietnam War, I'm glad it's over.

Fans were very unhappy with this concert review and they wrote into the editoral section of the newspaper to them know....

On Wings Concert:  McCartney:  Yes; Wootten:  No

The Cleveland Press

May 15, 1976

    I was amazed to read Dick Wootten's review of the McCartney and Wings concert at the Coliseum the other night. It is quite obvious that Wootten detests rock music and the audience that comes with it, and I find it hard to believe that anyone with such an extreme bias would review something he intrinsically hates. The fact that he views rock music, especially that of Wings, as nothing more than insufferable noise, lacking dimension and intricacy, sophisticated technique and melody, shows that he has no understanding of what today's music is about.

 The nature of rock fans consists of an intense love and appreciation for both the performer and his music. The McCartney concert was the most well-received, appreciated concert I've seen in years. The ovations were deafening. It was no less than a fitting tribute to someone who, through his music and his charisma, made our coming of age a little less painful. There was a true undercurrent of love and gratitude flowing between the audience and the performer. To compare that with even the slightest insinuation to the Vietnam War is an affront to every person who ever attended and enjoyed a rock concert. Next time, sir, stay home with your musak tapes and let the testimony of 22,000 other people stand as a proper judgment. -- Sara L. Stein

     Mr. Wootten, can't you appreciate the great thrill many experienced at being able to see Paul McCartney, considered by many to be the best the Beatles had to offer? Or can you only criticize the screaming fans for the excess of noise? Were you expecting a symphony orchestra crowd, Mr. Wootten? You expected that the passage of time and the subtraction of three Beatles would result in a slightly more subdued reaction on the part of the audience. However, great is great, and talent is talent, and neither time nor change can alter those qualities. If the crowd had done anything but scream, I suspect McCartney would have been terribly disappointed. As for the quality of the music, I was amazed at the authenticity of the sound. You found fault with the fact that not all the words of the songs were decipherable. The next time you're at a Cavaliers game, listen to the announcer and see if you can understand his every word, then consider the fact that a rock concert is not a rock concert without amplification. Also, if you haven't noticed, the Coliseum is exceptionally large, and amplification is necessary. It's unfortunate you didn't find room in your article to describe the tasteful song selection, McCartney's quality showmanship, or the exceptionally well-behaved crowd -- Cynthia M Bezpiaty

    I couldn't believe Dick Wootten's terrible write-up on Paul McCartney's concert Monday night at the Coliseum. How could he even compare such an ecstatic, happy event to the Vietnam War? I thought it was the most incredible concert I've ever been to. How could it help but not be with Paul in the lead? I know I will never see anything like it again--- until he returns. -- LeeAnn Drenkhan.

    Anyone with any real knowledge of concerts knows that it's rare to see a fantastic light show, such as Wings had. Maybe dry-ice covering McCartney's shoes isn't so amazing, but how many times can you see laser beams shooting all over the Coliseum and actual album covers coming to life? The sound was fuzzy, but it seemed to improve as the concert went on. Personally, it was the greatest concert I've ever heard or seen, and I wish it could have lasted longer. -- Lynda Baranauskas

    That article was a review of the concert. It was a big put-down. Dick Wootten had few comments on the performance itself. He was too busy picking on every petty thing that annoyed him. -- Marian Hudak 

    The fabulous visual effects used by Wings helped make this concert the most exciting and entertaining concert I've ever had the pleasure of attending. Every song performed that historic night far exceeded any of the studio versions. And finally, there was far less use of pot at this concert than any I have ever been to. 

In retrospect, on Dick Woottens review, I find it totally worthless, a waste of ink and paper space, and completely void of any value, as I and any of the 22,000 musically satisfied fans could tell you.-- Mark Baldy

     I think Dick Wootten's article has about as much class as Paul McCartney's toe! His article is much, MUCH too unfair to the hundreds of 1000s of people and fans who read the Press and didn't see the concert. Mr. Wootten apparently didn't realize who actually was on stage Monday night. Paul McCartney, a living legend, along with his dynamic band, performed one of the finest musical and visual concerts that Cleveland has ever witnessed. I alone speak for the 22,000 people who attended and very much enjoyed the concert --  Jerry Abbadine.