First Night  

Label: Front Row
Date: 1993
2 CD set: Front 11-12
Sound quality: very good 
Total Playing Time CD1 : 50:48
Total Playing Time CD2 : 37:29


Paul McCartney and his band recorded live at The Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York during the first night of the "Up Close" TV show, on December 10th, 1992. This bootleg features a complete and unedited recording of Paul's show. It is more complete than Looking For Changes which features the recording of the same show but edited to only one CD.

Review of the event by Keith Badman (excerpt of his book, "The Beatles Diary - Volume 2: After The Breakup") :

   "Thursday December 10 : Paul turns to make an historic return to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, the scene of The Beatles' historic live American TV debut on February 9, 1964. (Ringo appeared at the venue a few months back when he guested on The David Letterman Show for CBS TV.) Paul and his band record, on videotape, at approximately 9:45pm, a concert appearance for the new MTV music series 'Up Close'. During the two days (Thursday 10th and Friday 11th), the group performs the following numbers (electrically):Twenty Flight Rock', 'Get Out Of My Way', 'Fixing A Hole', 'Looking For Changes' and 'Penny Lane'; (acoustically): 'Biker Like An Icon', 'I Owe It All To You', 'Big Boys Bickering', 'Michelle', an ad-lib piece of 'Jingle Bells' on the first night, and 'If I Were Not Upon The Stage' on the second night, 'Hope Of Deliverance' and 'Can't Buy Me Love', presented in a "Country Hoe-down" arrangement. Their second electric set consists of 'Peace In The Neighbourhood', 'Off The Ground', 'I Wanna Be Your Man' and 'Sgt. Pepper's'. The final set features Paul sitting at his Yamaha piano, where, accompanied by the band, he performs 'My Love', 'C Moon', 'Lady Madonna', 'C'mon People' and 'Live And Let Die'..." Continue the review...


Track list - CD1:

"...The programme will premiere on MTV in America on Wednesday February 3,1993, and will include the following 13 tracks: 'Twenty Flight Rock', 'Get Out Of My Way', 'Fixing A Hole', 'Looking For Changes', 'Penny Lane', 'Biker Like An Icon', 'Michelle', 'Hope Of Deliverance', 'I Wanna Be Your Man', 'Off The Ground', 'Sgt. Pepper's', 'My Love' and 'Lady Madonna'. (The first European screening occurs on MTV on Wednesday February 24, 1993, while in the UK, the programme is transmitted on BBC1 during the Easter Weekend on Bank Holiday Monday April 12, 1993. Further worldwide 1993 transmissions include: Norway (on the NRK Channel) in two parts on January 29 and February 5, Sweden (SWTTV) on February 11, Germany (ARD Network) on February 13, Spain (Antenna 3) on February 20, Canada (The MuchMusic TV station) on March 3, Holland (Veronica TV) on March 5, Switzerland (DRF Network) on June 4. A further German TV sale, this time to N3, results in a screening taking place on March 26. In addition, the show is screened in March on Australian TV's Channel 9 and New Zealand's TVNZ to correspond with Paul's concert tour appearances. "

Track list - CD2