Paul McCartney amazes at Barclays Center

For his “Out There” tour, which stopped at Barclays Center Saturday night and returns again Monday, McCartney focused on streamlining his well-known arrangements and delivering them with the fire of a garage band playing, well, the world’s biggest garages.

His two-hour-and-40-minute set was also a model of efficiency, barely breaking between songs for more than a few words of banter or a quick story. As Macca took off his waistcoat early in the show, he declared, “That is the big wardrobe change of the evening.”

He didn’t really need any of the usual arena show trappings. The massive pyrotechnics for “Live and Let Die,” with flame pots set so high you could feel the heat from sections away, do add to the song’s apocalyptic feel. And McCartney’s move to a smaller stage that lifted him 30 or so feet in the air did give “Blackbird” a more placid, inspirational feel. However, what made his show memorable were the songs – especially the ones that made their New York debut after all these years, including the anthemic “All Together Now,” the playful “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” and the sweeping “Lovely Rita” – and the chance to see McCartney himself.

It’s rare to see a performer so at ease that he makes even the most complicated transitions seem effortless and who is so gracefully able to pay tribute to those he has lost. His dedication to John Lennon, “Here Today,” remains poignant, while his ukulele tribute to George Harrison on “Something” grows warmer with age. However, it was his glorious love song to his late wife Linda, “Maybe I’m Amazed,” that was even more stunning than usual, his mix of rough and sweet vocals even more emotional.

McCartney even dedicated “Another Day” to producer Phil Ramone, who died in March. He added a nice story about how Ramone’s visit to the McCartney home in the English countryside had drawn the attention of the police, mainly because of Ramone’s big Stetson hat. At one point, McCartney caught himself, saying, “I’m just going on now. I know. I don’t care.”

SEE PHOTOSRock stars then and now

It doesn’t get much more rock and roll than that.