The Concert:

As a Beatles fan (who isn't), my least favorite Beatle has always been Paul McCartney. I don't really know why this is, but there have been periods in my life where one of the other three Beatles became my favorite (Yes, even Ringo for a brief experimental time), but Paul was always the odd one out. I understand that this doesn't make much sense, since in pure songwriting terms, the Lennon/McCartney duo was the backbone of the band and as much as I idolized John Lennon during my teen years, I always understood that you couldn't have one without the other.

Maybe it has something to do with being underwhelmed with McCartney's post-Beatles solo career. Apart from early albums like Band on the Run and McCartney, I've never really been that impressed with his solo output the way I was with Lennon and especially Harrison, who constantly reinvented himself in fresh new ways. I guess the point of this intro is to let true McCartney fans know about my lack of interest in a Musicares tribute concert dedicated to him and that perhaps they'll have a much better time enjoying this Blu-Ray, which comes with excellent video and sound.

The Musicares tributes have been going on for over twenty years and they are almost always handled with a significant amount of talent and respect. Established artists paying tribute to one of their favorite legends is always a treat to watch and listen to. My favorite to this day is the sublime tribute to Neil Young. In the case of Paul McCartney, we get a bunch of contemporary and classic music stars performing some of his Beatles and solo hits.

Some of the highlights include Alicia Keys' soulful rendition of Blackbird, Sergio Mendes' delightful bossa nova version of Fool On The Hill and Diana Krall singing For No One with her trademark haunting voice. Now that I praised Neil Young, I guess it's time to take him down a peg or two, since his misguided cover of I Saw Her Standing There is one of the low points of the concert. Young and Crazy Horse perform excellently as usual, but the song doesn't really fit their style. The opening full of performers from the Beatles-inspired Cirque Du Soleil show Love is a bit awkward, since they're obviously in need of a larger stage to do their thing.

However, once Paul McCartney takes the stage during the last fifteen minutes or so, we understand why he's still a legend for his fans.

The Blu-Ray:

Video:

Musicares takes full advantage of the 60-minute length of the concert and the lack of extras to bring a 1080p transfer with an exceptionally high bit rate that hovers around mid-30s. Therefore, we get an incredibly crisp and clean transfer that can be easily used as a home theatre demo for music fans.

Audio:

We get a DTS-HD 5.1 track, as well as a PCM Stereo offering. The 5.1 track is perfect for an immersive experience and gets a lot of surround presence. However, I felt that the PCM Stereo track had more depth and provided a more genuine experience. Either track should provide to be an excellent choice.

Extras:

We get nothing.

Final Thoughts:

Musicares Tribute to Paul McCartney should please hard-core fans as well as those who enjoy the Musicares tributes. It's brief, to the point, yet manages to create a delightful tribute to McCartney. One pet peeve might be that some of his most iconic songs like Band on the Run and Maybe I'm Amazed are missing. However, I understand that squeezing a fifty-year career into an hour will result in some omissions.

Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic and screenwriter based in Portland, Oregon. He also writes for The Playlist, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.com