After the clear failure of Press To Play in 1986, followed by the musical side project Back In The USSR, Paul bounced back with one of his major works: Flowers In The Dirt. The album's quality stands alongside Band On The Run and Tug Of War. What made Flowers In The Dirt special was the collaboration with Elvis Costello, plus support from a roster of skilled, experienced musicians. Paul assembled this group and took them on one of the most prestigious world tours of the era, his first major tour in 10 years since Wings wrapped up their UK dates in 1979.

The Paul McCartney World Tour

The tour kicked off in September 1989 in Oslo, Norway, following rehearsals at the Playhouse Theatre in London. It ran for 10 months, wrapping up at Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago at the end of July 1990.

The numbers tell the story: 102 concerts across 13 countries in front of more than 2.8 million fans. The spectacle was massive, the sound quality irreproachable, and the band's performance was exemplary. Paul gave his audiences everything they wanted: new songs from Flowers In The Dirt, standards from his Wings and solo years, Beatles classics, and old rock and roll numbers from the Fifties. Multiple generations of fans heard their collective memories perfectly restored through these songs, many of which Paul either wrote or inherited as his musical legacy.

The tour supported the Friends of the Earth, an environmental organization Paul's values aligned with. Performance Magazine named it "International Tour of the Year."

Standout Shows

The concerts at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium set records. On the first night, 132,000 fans attended. The second night drew 184,000 people, establishing a new world record for the largest stadium concert in rock and roll history.

The Liverpool show in June 1990 marked Paul's return to his birthplace on stage. He performed a rare and memorable medley of Beatles songs dedicated to John Lennon, including Strawberry Fields Forever, Help!, and Give Peace A Chance. Paul and the band also performed at the Knebworth charity concert in June 1990.

The Band

The touring group recorded Flowers In The Dirt together. On stage, Paul handled bass, piano, and guitars while Linda played keyboards. The core musicians were Robbie McIntosh on electric guitar, Hamish Stuart on guitars and bass, Chris Whitten on drums, and Paul "Wix" Wickens on keyboards.

Robbie McIntosh, from London, had previously played with Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders. Hamish Stuart played with the Average White Band and composed titles for Diana Ross, The Temptations, and Jeffrey Osborne. Chris Whitten had already worked with Paul, handling drums on most tracks from Back In The USSR, recorded in 1987. Paul "Wix" Wickens brought keyboard skills honed working as a studio musician with Status Quo, Barry Manilow, The Pretenders, and Paul Young. Wix didn't play on Flowers In The Dirt sessions but fit seamlessly into the touring lineup.

The Live Album

Double-CD Tripping The Live Fantastic captured 37 songs recorded across the 102 concerts. Released in November 1990, it stayed on US charts for 16 weeks, peaking at number 26.

The album opens with Showtime, a mix of backstage noise and the band's pre-show ritual. What follows covers Paul's full touring repertory: 6 solo or Wings songs, 15 Beatles classics, 6 tracks from Flowers In The Dirt, 7 old rock and roll standards, and 2 new band compositions.

From Flowers In The Dirt, Figure Of Eight warmed up the crowd at show's start. Rough Ride and the very electric We Got Married projected audiences straight into McCartney's rock universe. Put It There offered an acoustic break with romantic, nostalgic appeal typical of Paul's ballads. This One and My Brave Face rounded out the album material, the latter carrying Beatles echoes into its rock framework.

Paul covered his two decades of solo and Wings material. Band On The Run, Maybe I'm Amazed, Jet, and Live And Let Die came from the '75 and '76 Wings tours. Coming Up appeared during the '79 Wings tour and returned for this '89 run. Ebony And Ivory, another Paul number one from the Eighties, offered another surprise.