paul mccartney tour 2022 reviews

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Paul McCartney’s ‘Got Back’ Tour Scores a Touchdown With Marathon SoFi Stadium Show: Concert Review

Coming up on the cusp of 80, does he "feel like letting go" of his high-energy touring regimen? Apparently not.

By Chris Willman

Chris Willman

Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic

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Paul McCartney has something to prove. What that is is between him and his shrink, although maybe a desire to seem and feel undiminished is not as mysterious as all that. What we do know for certain is that, in the year of our lord 2022, McCartney is doing two-hour-and-40-minute sets that encompass 36 songs. If this seems at all slacker-ish, consider also that the singer is keeping with his touring custom of recent years and doing more informal, hour-long, 8-to-13-song “soundchecks” before the doors open for fans who buy VIP packages, something that puts him stage close to four hours each show day.

Unspoken at Friday night’s SoFi Stadium show in L.A., and un-alluded to in even the slightest way — even though Beatlemaniacs have it marked on their calendars for next month — is that he turns 80 next month, two days after the tour wraps up. It may be unfair to compare the ways in which different performers age, but it’s worth pointing out that McCartney is doing these fairly marathon shows at a point in his life that is past the point at which Frank Sinatra did his final concert, following a few years of publicly noted erraticism. And yet here we are at a point where, for him anyway, 80 seems to be the new July-or-August of his years. No one would begrudge McCartney, or very few would, if he cut a few corners: cutting the set length to a reasonable two hours here, lowering the keys a little there, or dropping some of the vocal ad libs to save his voice for Syracuse. But McCartney is not about to use impending octogenarianism as a rationale to finally half-ass it. In fact, he’s not even going to three-quarters-ass it.

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Of course, SoFi Stadium was filled with repeat customers — veterans of “Wings Over America” at the Forum in ’76 if not the Beatles at the Bowl in ’64 — but you didn’t have to look too far to see the sight of a 20-ish kid attending with a 75-ish grandfather, or even groups of proactive Gen-Z-ers that didn’t need boomer chaperones to see the value in coming. Whatever else might motivate McCartney to prove it all night, he’s surely aware that the “Got Back” tour is the only live experience of his or the Beatles’ music that these younger attendees will have in their lifetimes, and they’re not going to be grading it on a curve. That’s up to the oldsters: Were there enough deep ’70s cuts in the setlist? Is his voice what it was on the 2003 tour? But it’s hard to imagine too many people who were experiencing this as their first or only McCartney show not walking away with some deep feels they may feel compelled to tell their own grandkids about.

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The show here largely follows the template established by the 2019 tour, so anyone who caught the tour finale at Dodger Stadium in July of that year but missed SoFi doesn’t have to worry they missed out on too major a variation on the previous iteration. But McCartney didn’t really design the show with double-dippers in mind; L.A. is one of very few markets he hit in ’19 that he’s coming back to in ’22, whereas several other cities, he hasn’t played in decades (Baltimore) or at all (Spokane). Since three years ago, a number of songs have come out (gone this time are “A Hard Day’s Night,” the “Sgt. Pepper” reprise, “Eleanor Rigby,” “From Me to You,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and — bet you saw this one coming, or going — “Back in the U.S.S.R.”). Other have been reinserted from years and tours past (including “Getting Better,” “We Can Work It Out,” “New” and — hey, what’s this buried nugget?  — “Get Back”).

Somewhat surprisingly, “Women and Wives” is the only song from his most recent album, “McCartney III,” to be plugged into the tour, and even that was absent from the setlist at SoFi, for some reason. But maybe the reasons for underplaying “III” generally are obvious; it was a pandemic album, scaled down and clearly not designed with stadiums in mind, unlike its predecessor, “Egypt Station.” McCartney half-joked that when he plays a Beatles song it’s like a galaxy of cell-phone lights, and when he does contemporary material he peers out into a black hole. But there were no bathroom stampedes during the 21st century picks, not even for “Fuh You,” the Ryan Tedder co-write that McCartney continues to seem to love beyond all reason, despite the better recent choices available to him. (Would he take a request for “Deep, Deep Feeling” instead? No, he probably wouldn’t.)

As for older songs that haven’t been tried on tour before, McCartney isn’t doing so much of that rediscovery this go-round, although fans are getting “You Never Give Me Your Money” (last played on tour in 2003) and “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window” (only ever toured in 2005) as a medley for the first time. Maybe the true newbie in the lineup is the idea of “I’ve Got a Feeling” as a Lennon-and-McCartney encore duet, with footage and isolated audio of his late partner snipped out of the “Get Back” film by Peter Jackson for the tour’s purposes.

The loose structure of the show will also raise some deja vu for those returning from 2019: a rocking opening stretch highly reliant on ’70s rockers like “Junior’s Farm” and “Letting Go” as Act 1; a partially acoustic, “Storytellers”-like magical history tour of the Beatles’ rise as the backbone of Act 2, going all the way back to the Quarrymen’s “In Spite of All the Danger” and leading up the Lennon tribute “Here Today” and the Harrison cover “Something”; and then, letting the third hour be birthday sons, na-na-na-na-na-na-na-ing and “Abbey Road” medley-izing.

That structure indisputably works, and so, as part of a winning formula, does a band that has now been together for many more years than the Beatles ever were, guitarist Rusty Anderson, guitarist-bassist Brian Ray, keyboard player Paul “Wix” Wickens and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. The latter player also doubles as the tour’s sole dancer, mugging up a storm behind the kit during “Dance Tonight” before finally being forced to sit down and help kick out an acoustic jam midway through the tune. Anderson and Ray do an eternally expert job of recreating parts McCartney largely did on his own on his own on his DIY records, and get to step into the shoes of Lennon and Harrison in joining in for the triplicate guitar solos of “The End.” Horns have sometimes been replicated as keyboard parts on past tours, so the sight of a real three-man horn section on selections like “Letting Go” and “Got to Get You Into My Life” was a welcome one. The real star of the show, in some ways: the Hofner bass, which McCartney not only plays for a substantial part of the show, but which has been animated for the pre-show countdown, descending on the big screen like some version of the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball, and landing like a giant version of the “2001” monolith before attendees see it in the wooden flesh.

And what of McCartney as a singer… at age 79-and-11/12ths? He has been, by some almost objective measures, the best all-around singer as well as most accomplished mainstream songwriter of the rock ‘n’ roll era — and how convenient it was during the 20th century to have both of those in one package. The catalog is set in stone, but his ability to ape Little Richard’s scream, or to navigate the eternally tricky twists of “Maybe I’m Amazed,” eternally is not something we can assume or expect. It’s just assumed that rockers can sing their classics forever, until we’re jolted awake to the fact that they cannot, as with the recent instance of videos being circulated of a certain ’80s icon who is not coming within a prayer of hitting the notes on his band’s most enduring hit anymore. Any fears that this would happen with McCartney are fortunately unfounded, so far. Which is not to say that attentive fans will not take note of and discuss inevitable balladic passages in which you will hear an interesting combination of vigor and time-wisened fragility in his voice. But make no mistake — he’s going for the notes he’s always gone for, and hitting them, without the usual accommodations powerhouse singers have to make as they reach an advanced age. He still howls . And if you listen carefully, it’s maybe a softer, less throat-ravaging version of the howl than he used to do. That’s more of a technical adjustment than anything that is going to stand in the way of anyone enjoying a balls-out resurrection of “Helter Skelter,” anyway

Yes, “Helter Skelter” is still in the set, and still as gratifying as it ever was, with McCartney maintaining his king-of-the-heap status on the precipice of an age where we used to think Chuck Berry going through the motions with a pickup band in front of a few hundred people was as good as grandfather-statesman rocking got. As much as McCartney made history with the Beatles 60 years ago, it feels like he’s making history again in pushing the envelope of how long you can keep doing this kind of a massive, demanding show (as opposed to a Dylan or a Willie, who also are out there and doing it, but with lower expectations of heightened stadium energy). Being on stage in front of 60,000 people being able to confidently coo and bellow songs that you wrote 60 years prior is not something that God wrote into the human contract, but McCartney (like the Stones and Who and not too many others) is are out to prove nature and the Almighty wrong. McCartney’s only nod to the passage of time was a final promise that “we’ll see you next time.” Do we get this privilege, at this high a performing level, again in two or three years? In six? Who knows, but for now, there’s reason to be grateful that he just can’t stop going back to the top of the slide.

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Concert review: paul mccartney.

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Giant digital displays featuring a defiant Paul McCartney loomed outside the Climate Pledge Arena as swarms of people waited to enter the auditorium on this third night of his Got Back tour. Either Sir Paul was in on the joke or there was some serious oversight when naming this most recent tour, the musician’s first string of dates since the pandemic began. According to McCartney, the tour name came about because, “I said at the end of the last tour that I’d see you next time. I said I was going to get back to you. Well, I got back!” Imminent return or not, the signs looked like the one-time Beatle was bragging about the size of his posterior.

All jokes aside, people turned out in droves to see the living legend tear through a 36-song, 160-minute set featuring music from all the diverse corners of McCartney’s discography. For a man who turns 80 next month, McCartney hasn’t lost any of his spryness as he bounded from bass to guitar to piano, pausing to regale the audience with Beatles lore during breaks in between songs.

For those who have seen McCartney before (like the guy in the front holding up a sign that this was his 126th performance), the concert likely felt like a comforting return to quasi-normalcy, a well-worn experience featuring many of the usual suspects from tours past along with a few surprises. But as the chances of seeing a living Beatle grow slimmer, the concert served as a reaffirmation as to why the Fab Four are among the most enduring pop groups on the planet.

Re-energized by Peter Jackson’s exhaustive The Beatles: Get Back documentary and a lovingly anthologized collection of lyrics, McCartney has long been the torchbearer of the Beatles legacy. Even before the untimely deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison, McCartney appeared to be the one member unable and unwilling to move past the group’s looming mythology. If getting back is the goal, McCartney has constantly been searching for a way to get back to his roots, even as he took flight with Wings and his own solo career after the Beatles disbanded.

The concert served this goal, this notion of looking to the past, by not dwelling very much on the present and the future. McCartney played no songs from his most recent record – 2020’s McCartney III – and only included five tracks on the setlist that he released post-2000 (“Dance Tonight,” “My Valentine,” “Queenie Eye,” “Come on to Me” and “Fuh You”). The bulk of his set was drawn from the Beatles and from Wings as McCartney opted for more upbeat tunes this time around, leaving behind some of the more melancholy classics he played on recent tours such as “Eleanor Rigby.”

Rather, McCartney used the time as an excavation of rock ‘n’ roll history. During a stripped-down, acoustic section, McCartney dug up “In Spite of All Danger,” a song he recorded with the Quarrymen, repeating the same tale about the demo record that appears in his Lyrics book. But the true value comes in hearing classics such as “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Love Me Do” played by their author and listening to the stories behind these legendary tracks. After including an outro of “Foxy Lady” following a particularly inspired version of “Let Me Roll It,” McCartney regaled Jimi Hendrix’s hometown with tales about meeting the musician as he broke out in England. Perhaps McCartney tells the same exact story in the same exact way in other cities but hearing it in Seattle added particular gravitas to the story.

Part of the fun of seeing McCartney is finding out which Beatles classics he will air out. “Getting Better” is being played for the first time since 2003, while “Get to Get You into My Life” rollicked early on in the set. McCartney also took time to honor his dead comrades. He played a touching version of “Something” on the ukulele before the band burst into a full-bodied performance of the George Harrison classic. The encore began with McCartney duetting with John Lennon from Get Back footage on “I’ve Got a Feeling.” If anything didn’t work that evening, it was the inclusion of “You Never Give Me Your Money” and “She Came in through the Bathroom Window” in the main set, separating it from the rest of the Abbey Road suite that finished the concert.

Now more than ever, a sense of mortality hung over the concert. In the age of Covid-19 and war (McCartney came out for the encore waving a Ukrainian flag), will the musician actually get back to us again? It is amazing that he can still play nearly three hours at this level with 80 just around the corner. Thank you, Paul, for getting back to us, for playing the songs that have been woven into the fabric of rock ‘n’ roll history. In these trying times, songs like these are a welcome embrace.

Photos: Tim Durkan

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May 14, 2022 at 7:26 am

It’s amazing Sir Paul is still out there doing what he loves. Congrats Sir Paul. But if I could ask you 1 question. Respectfully of course. The entire world and especially the die hard Beatles fan would love to see you and Ringo and both Sean and George Harrison’s son do a 1 time PPV concert together. What a wonderful way to pay a tribute and homage to your fellow Brits. You can donate all the money to any cause you wish. What a way to tie a bow on it and give the world 1 last gift. We all would love to see those young talented boys join you and let the world show you just how much we all love the message the Beatles gave us.

Beatriz Fefel

May 14, 2022 at 10:36 am

We have tickets to see Sir Paul this June in Baltimore at Camden Yards. He is truly an icon, a legend, and an inspiration most of all. I’ve seen him once before, when he was much younger, as was I, and I’m so grateful I am able to do so again. I can truly say The Beatles got me through my difficult teenage years. I could never put into words what they mean to me. I know some people would find it difficult to believe you could love someone without ever having met them, but that is the way I feel. I am honored and grateful that I existed during the time they came to be and was able to experience their genius as it happened in real time. I only wish all four of them could have gone on forever.

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We review Paul McCartney in Knoxville using (almost) only Beatles and Wings lyrics

There are plenty of places Paul McCartney remembers. Yet, throughout his long and winding career — all the years he's been wandering around — how come nobody told him there is a place called Knoxville? 

He has played the friendly state of Tennessee before, down in Nashville town. Then there was that time he had a golden slumber at Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge-West in Knoxville due to troubles driving his car. But the Apple scruffs of Scruffy City have been waiting for this live musical moment to arise, longer than the road that stretches out ahead. 

Tuesday afternoon was never ending for those who knew there would be a show tonight. They sat at work unable to wait like they were supposed to, ready to dine and dance. 

At the college, with money spent on tickets, they gathered outside the University of Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena just to see his face and to experience the magic feeling of his live performance. 

Fans would be stuck inside those eight walls for hours, but there's just something in the way live music can pull you out of time, especially the music of a star that always shines. 

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While many artists wait for someone to perform with – a brand new star – McCartney wasn't just topping the bill. He was the only performer scheduled, meaning a splendid time guaranteed for all. Eventually, security got the word: "Let em' in." 

Elton John:  We review the Knoxville concert using (almost) only his lyrics

As fans filled in deep inside the arena, they didn't know what they would find there. But what a scene that awaited them: a stage production second to none and, in about an hour off ... darkness. It was time for the show.

Smiles awaited McCartney as the crowd decided to rise. It was clear from the first notes of "Can't Buy Me Love" that everybody's gonna dance around tonight, from those who were older and losing their hair to what seemed like children at the 79-year-old's feet. Multiple generations were all in the palm of McCartney's hand. Don’t you know, I mean boys on fathers’ shoulders to  69-year-old superfan Dianne Walls Anderson, who Knox News wrote about earlier this week. 

They just couldn't get enough of that sweet stuff, as McCartney played the tunes of yesterday, today and in between, with fans helping sing his songs. He even stopped in place to have a moment “just to drink it all in.”  Although these songs had been heard by millions over the years – and 22,000 on this good night – each note felt just fuh you. 

I looked at his hand as he picked the bass guitar with ease, like a casual conversation after all these years. He's getting better all the time as days and nights pass by, but he may not have a lot to give for much longer. 

After more than 30 songs, unexpected pyro hot as sun and John Lennon coming together with the band in virtual fashion, it’s safe to say people won't forget the time or place they saw McCartney – that lucky day he came to Knoxville. While everyone has had a hard couple of years, everyone let their hair down, had a good time and surely will be listening to the music playing in their head over and over for days to come. 

Yes, the tickets were pricey. One sign-wielding fan claimed a floor seat was purchased using money from 176 aerobics lessons. But the memories are something money just can't buy. And for though we may be parted, there’s still a chance we will see McCartney on stage in Knoxville again.

Until then, life goes on. 

Knoxville setlist - May 31, 2022 

• Can't Buy Me Love (The Beatles)
• Junior's Farm (Wings)
• Letting Go (Wings)
• Got to Get You Into My Life (The Beatles)
• Come On to Me 
• Let Me Roll It (Wings) with "Foxy Lady" jam 
• Getting Better (The Beatles)
• Let 'Em In (Wings)
• My Valentine
• Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (Wings)
• Maybe I'm Amazed 
• We Can Work It Out (The Beatles)
• In Spite of All the Danger (The Quarrymen)
• Love Me Do (The Beatles)
• Dance Tonight
• Blackbird (The Beatles) 
• Lady Madonna (The Beatles)
• Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (The Beatles)
• Something (The Beatles) 
• Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles)
• You Never Give Me Your Money (The Beatles)
• She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (The Beatles) 
• Get Back (The Beatles)
• Band on the Run (Wings)
• Let It Be (The Beatles) 
• Live and Let Die (Wings)
• Hey Jude (The Beatles)
• I've Got A Feeling (The Beatles with virtual John Lennon duet) 
• Birthday (The Beatles)
• Helter Skelter (The Beatles)
• Golden Slumbers (The Beatles) 
• Carry That Weight (The Beatles)
• The End (The Beatles)

Bold = encore

Concert Review: Paul McCartney at Thompson-Boling Arena

May 31st, 2022 | knoxville, tn.

The legendary Sir Paul McCartney took the stage at a packed out Thompson-Boling Arena for what is sure to be an unforgettable show for the entire audience.

Paul McCartney 5/31/2022 at Thompson-Boling Arena | Dylan Basden Photography

It is truly hard to find a place to begin when talking about this show. The "Got Back" tour is McCartney's first tour back post-pandemic and marks the musician's first show in Knoxville. With 22 NME awards, 18 Grammy awards, an Academy award, Knighthood, a two spots in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and much, much more, Paul McCartney has nothing to prove.

Just a hair short of 80, McCartney should already be living in his legacy. It should go without saying, but the former Beatle is widely regarded as one of the best musicians of all time, and that's without factoring in his stint with Wings and his collection of solo work (and his albums as The Fireman). Yet, despite mountains of success, McCartney still tours with the vigor of artists with a fraction of his achievement. He has chosen not to bask in the rays of his legacy, but continue to strengthen it. Paul McCartney performed for over two and a half hours, something that is rare to find in any live act today.

Let's go ahead and get it out of the way; Paul McCartney is an extremely talented player. Throughout the night he rotated between his iconic Höfner bass, grand piano, and electric guitar. Paul would also pickup a mandolin, an ukulele, and various other guitars and keys throughout the night. He was also backed by an equally talented band, including a horn section. His drummer, Abraham Laboriel Jr., was practically the second star of the show with his impressive percussion and hilarious stage antics.

How do I pick a notable moment from a show that was nothing but? "Live and Let Die" was an explosive rocker that just absolutely pounded into your chest, "Let Me Roll It" just brought a pure smile to my face, and "Helter Skelter" was quite frankly a face-melter. On the flip side, you have the beautiful "Blackbird" which McCartney did alone, the joyous singalong of "Hey Jude," and the passionate love ballad of "My Valentine." In addition, fans were given a special treat seeing "In spite of All the Danger" by The Quarrymen, the original rendition of The Beatles, performed live.

5/31/2022 at Thompson-Boling Arena | Dylan Basden Photography

Paul may not be doing any spins, kicks, or jumps, but he still knows how to hold an audience's attention. From witty stage banter, old stories from his day in The Beatles, to interaction with the sea of signs in his honor, McCartney's stage presence was everything you could hope for. I also don't want to spoil too much about his stage setup (I love a good production, it's just who I am), but when I say McCartney lit fireworks above the crowd, I mean it literally.

It may seem crazy, but even after 36 songs (yes, McCartney performed 36 songs) it still felt as if whole chunks of McCartney's career were overlooked. Not a single song from Ram , Flaming Pie , Chaos and Creation In the Backyard , Rubber Soul , Magical Mystery Tour , and only one song from the McCartney trilogy made the cut. Even then, with so much material left untouched, it was still hit, after hit, after hit the entire night. 

          1. Can't Buy Me Love (B)

          2. junior's farm (w),           3. letting go (w),           4. got to get you into my life (b),           5. come on to me,           6. let me roll it (w),           7. getting better (b),           8. let 'em in (w),           9. my valentine,           10. nineteen hundred and eighty-five (w),           11. maybe i'm amazed,           12. we can work it out (b),           13. in spite of all the danger (q),           14. love me do (b),           15. dance tonight,           16. blackbird (b)(solo),           17. here today (solo),           18. new,           19. lady madonna (b),           20. fuh you,           21. being for the benefit of mr. kite (b),           22. something (b),           23. ob-la-di, ob-la-da (b),           24. you never give me your money (b),           25. she came in through the bathroom window (b),           26. get back (b),           27. band on the run (w),           28. let it be (b),           29. live and let die (w),           30. hey jude (b),           -,           31. i've got a feeling (b),           32. birthday (b),           33. helter skelter (b),           34. golden slumbers (b) -> carry that weight (b) -> the end (b),           (b) the beatles,           (w) wings,           (q) the quarrymen.

A short run of shows for the "Got Back" tour is quickly coming to a close. With just six more dates to close out June, your chances of seeing McCartney this summer are quickly waning. With some massive stops left on this run, including two nights at the legendary Fenway Park and a headlining set at Glastonbury, it is sure to end on a high note. Paul McCartney's remaining tour dates for this year are below.

          6/04 Syracuse, NY — JMA Wireless Dome

          6/07 boston, ma — fenway park,           6/08 boston, ma — fenway park,           6/12 baltimore, md — oriole park,           6/16 east rutherford, nj — metlife stadium,           6/24 pilton, uk — glastonbury festival of contemporary performing arts 2022.

The tour may be called "Got Back," but I don't think Paul McCartney ever even left. Paul is one of the biggest names in popular culture, a living legend. Speaking from personal experience, an experience I expect to be shared by many at this show, Paul McCartney is still kicking and just as strong of a performer as ever. McCartney continues to remind audiences that he is something beyond a generation talent, beyond a cultural zeitgeist, beyond any words I could possibly write in a 1,000 word review for the student radio. Sir Paul McCartney is an icon.

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Concert review: chris renzema at john emerald distillery, rapture waltz by johnny manchild and the poor bastards: album review.

On the cusp of 80, Paul McCartney is still our most charming rock god

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Even — or especially — in front of 50,000 adoring fans, Paul McCartney was just another proud grandparent.

As the 79-year-old pop legend sang his classic soft-rock ballad “Maybe I’m Amazed” on Friday night, giant screens at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium flashed old images of him cradling his newborn daughter Mary inside a shearling jacket. You know the photos, the most famous of which — snapped by his late wife Linda, about whom he wrote “Maybe I’m Amazed” — appeared on the back cover of McCartney’s homemade 1970 solo debut, when he’d retreated into the bosom of his family amid the Beatles’ painful breakup.

“That baby in my jacket’s now got four babies of her own,” he told the capacity crowd, itself a clear bastion of grandparenting, at the end of the song.

After more than half a century as one of music’s biggest acts, Sir Paul has an earnest charm that remains his superpower. It’s not that he lacks rock-star swagger. And “relatable” probably isn’t the word for a guy with more money than he could ever spend. But as an icon, what McCartney gets is that people crave art that makes magic from their everyday experiences.

Friday’s concert came a couple of weeks into McCartney’s first tour since a 2019 outing that concluded at Dodger Stadium, where he brought out his old bandmate Ringo Starr for a surprise jam on the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” Called “Got Back,” the current 14-date jaunt also marks McCartney’s return to the road after a lengthy interruption caused by COVID-19.

“We said we’d come back,” he declared at SoFi. “And we got back.”

He wasn’t exactly out of sight during the pandemic. In late 2020 he released “McCartney III,” another DIY solo LP in the shabby-chic spirit of the 1970 disc, as well as a book of his collected lyrics. And last year he helped set off a fresh wave of Beatlemania with “ Get Back ,” Peter Jackson’s epic fly-on the-wall docuseries about the making of the band’s final two studio albums and its historic 1969 performance atop the Apple Corps building in London.

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Still, the stage is where McCartney seems most invested in stewarding his legacy as he prepares to turn 80 next month. (A week after his birthday, he’ll become the oldest person ever to headline England’s massive Glastonbury festival.) McCartney has long viewed his live show as an opportunity to condense his life’s work — music with the Beatles, music with Wings, music on his own — into a 2½-hour survey of crackling riffs, honeyed harmonies and the kind of deep-seated emotional optimism that led him to accompany “Getting Better” on Friday with a video that depicted flowers springing up through the rubble of a post-apocalyptic landscape.

Unlike some of his fellow classic-rock survivors — Bob Dylan and Neil Young, let’s say — McCartney displays little interest in spontaneity or unpredictability, to say nothing of the bewilderment and confusion that Dylan seems to relish sowing in his audiences. Here he recycled between-song banter he’s been using for years, as when he told a story about meeting Jimi Hendrix in London in 1967 and when he introduced the title track from 2013’s “New” album with a quip about how the stadium’s galaxy of glowing cellphones transformed into a black hole every time he played something relatively recent.

During another of those newish tunes — the torchy “My Valentine,” which he dedicated to his wife, Nancy, who he said was in the house Friday — the screens showed Johnny Depp in black-and-white footage shot before the actor’s involvement in an ugly legal battle regarding domestic abuse that you’d have thought the perpetually sunny McCartney would’ve been glad not to conjure.

Awkward associations aside, the unchanging living-museum quality of a McCartney gig is precisely its intended virtue; the show, in which he’s backed by a band of stalwart musicians he’s played with for ages, represents a chance to behold someone still out there doing it at an extremely high level — and, of course, to live inside his songs for an evening.

And, oh, those glorious songs: At SoFi, McCartney played no fewer than three dozen of them, including many you knew you wanted to hear (“Blackbird,” “Band on the Run,” “Hey Jude”), a few you maybe hadn’t realized you wanted to hear (“Let ’Em In,” “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five”) and at least one you definitely didn’t want to hear but endured anyway (“Fuh You,” about which the less said the better).

“Letting Go” had a mean strut; “Let Me Roll It” was snarling and sensual. “Get Back” throbbed with the pent-up energy of both the Beatles in Jackson’s doc and McCartney and his guys after an unwelcome break from the road. For “Live and Let Die” the stage erupted with comically over-the-top pyrotechnics; “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” inspired a euphoric crowd singalong.

In the middle of the show, McCartney and the members of his band convened near the front of the stage for relatively stripped-down versions of the Beatles’ debut single, “Love Me Do,” and “In Spite of All the Danger,” which he, John Lennon and George Harrison recorded when they were known as the Quarrymen.

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To start his encore, McCartney — who reemerged onstage waving a huge Ukrainian flag, while one of his bandmates waved an LGBTQ pride one — deployed a bit of digital tricknology he said Jackson had hooked up for him: a virtual duet with Lennon on “I’ve Got a Feeling” that used the late Beatle’s vocals from a recording of the rooftop concert. It was one of several moments Friday in which McCartney paid loving tribute to his old bandmates, along with a tender rendition of “Here Today,” which he said told Lennon all the things he wasn’t able to in real life, and Harrison’s “Something,” which he began on ukulele before moving to acoustic guitar.

Touchingly, McCartney’s age was more evident here than it was at Dodger Stadium. He moved a little more slowly than he has in the past, and his voice took a little longer to warm up. (His perfect hair, for what it’s worth, still swooped just so.) Yet to view these inevitable concessions as drawbacks is to miss the point of Paul McCartney. The point is that his music allowed for them.

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Mikael Wood is pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times.

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Review: Paul McCartney treats Seattle fans to 60 years of rock history during Climate Pledge Arena concert

Climate Pledge Arena was as packed as I’ve seen. The thousands of out-of-towners who’ve witnessed Paul McCartney perform dozens of times and locals — some who were there when the living Beatle played the old Kingdome back in 1976 — had already been on their feet for the better part of two hours when the sweet piano-set intro to Wings’ James Bond tune “Live and Let Die” lulled them into a false sense of security.

There was an audible gasp when the flame cannons at the front of the stage thunder-clapped in, seemingly to the delight of McCartney’s longtime guitarist Rusty Anderson, who was either tickled by the crowd’s reaction or a little spooked himself. Before anyone could catch their breath, the expansive, cinematic tune darted off faster than a BMW motorcycle, with a Mysterious Rock Star Breeze (aka a hidden fan) blowing McCartney’s feathery hair as he hammered away on the piano. Fireworks cracked and banged overhead during the somersaulting, hairpin-turning, bad-guy-dueling crescendo that capped the most dramatic number of McCartney’s marathon set, triggering the longest applause of the night once everyone finally came up for air.

Turns out the Liverpool lad, who turns 80 next month, still has some razzle dazzle and we hadn’t even made it to the encore.

On Monday night, McCartney and his ace backing band settled into their first of two Climate Pledge Arena shows, already sounding in midtour form (minus any strained vocal cords) just two dates into their first outing since the pandemic. With the appropriately titled Got Back tour opening in Spokane last Thursday — a city Sir Paul had never played — Washington state became the center of the rock icon’s COVID-era comeback and seemed to pick up where his last cut-short outing left off, with a similarly constructed set list. (They even closed with the same mammoth “Abbey Road” medley.)

In typical fashion, McCartney’s first Seattle show in six years was a 2.5-hour stroll through the superstar’s extensive catalog of solo material, choice Wings cuts and Beatles classics, which includes some of the most enduring songs in popular music history.

After that explosive “Live and Let Die,” a song that found a new generation when Guns N’ Roses’ cover made it a hit again two decades after its initial release, the crowd joined McCartney for the most famous na-na-na-nas of all time in a harmonious “Hey Jude.” Even among the biggest of big-tent artists, McCartney/the Beatles’ timeless songs have attained a rare cultural ubiquity that transcends age and demographics. Twenty-five years from now, it won’t be surprising to see some kid hop off a school bus that runs on bean sprouts wearing a Beatles shirt underneath their class of 2047 letter jacket.

Glancing around at the multigenerational faces na-na-na’ing in unison, it was one of those arena-show moments that make you feel like everyone on the planet is vibing out to the same song at exactly the same time. As long as you didn’t check Twitter.

Hours before the show, the ever-divided country was rocked by a report that the Supreme Court could be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade , potentially undoing the half-century-old abortion rights ruling that’s one of many flashpoints in our polarized society. An artist who’s selectively weighed into politics, Macca didn’t touch that one with a 10-foot mic stand. The closest he came to politics on Monday night was waving a Ukrainian flag as he reemerged to begin the encore with an easy-grooving “I’ve Got a Feeling.” That and the PETA members passing out literature in the concourse. (Sir Paul’s been meat-free since the ’70s.)

Using footage from last year’s Peter Jackson-directed docuseries “Get Back,” McCartney duetted (via video) with his late mate John Lennon, turning to face the screen when Lennon’s verse began. The move could have felt forced and cheesy, but came off fun, heartfelt and relevant given the buzz around the illuminating three-part documentary that captured the making of what became the last album the Beatles would release in 1970.

McCartney saluted his esteemed songwriting partner earlier in the night, too, with tender weeper “Here Today,” which he explained was a letter to his old friend that he “never got the chance” to write while Lennon was alive. And not to be forgotten, McCartney played a gently swelling version of the George Harrison-penned “Something” using a ukulele the other fallen Beatle had given him.

Part of the fun of a latter-day McCartney set is the feeling you have a not-inexpensive seat to a piece of rock ‘n’ roll history, whether taking in the rickety-in-a-good-way “Can’t Buy Me Love” that opened the show (absent screaming teens) or hearing grade-A rock folklore retold straight from the living legend himself. After swaying Wings cut “Let Me Roll It” segued into a brief “Foxy Lady” jam, McCartney told the one about Jimi Hendrix famously covering “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” days after its release, after which he asked Eric Clapton, who was among the who’s-who London audience, to tune his guitar. It’s a tour favorite that will probably never get old and still sorta functioned as a reciprocal nod to a hometown hero, even if Macca didn’t acknowledge Hendrix’s Seattle roots. (Maybe next time, Paul.)

While there was undoubtedly a nostalgia factor for the many baby boomers in the house, it wasn’t entirely a night of throwbacks. McCartney joked about how the sea of cellphones that lit up for every Beatles hit go dark whenever he plays a new one. “Women and Wives,” a standout off his savory pandemic album “McCartney III,” might not have been a crowd favorite by comparison, but perfectly suits the huskiness in his voice these days. The brooding piano ballad had Macca sounding more like a less raspy Mark Lanegan than the boyish singer who just wanted to hold your hand 60 years ago.

The closest thing to a dud was the Coldplay-channeling “Fuh You” from Macca’s 2018 album “Egypt Station.” Though the cheeky tune came off better live than on record, its buoyant modern pop swing felt a little out of step nestled between “Lady Madonna” and the whirling, psychedelic quirks of “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”

With a number of baby boomers’ musical icons getting up there in age, there was speculation that COVID-19 could inadvertently mean the end of touring days for some of the generation’s still-active stars. Broadly speaking, it hasn’t exactly played out that way, although sadly, the Beatles old rival the Rolling Stones would never again get to tour with founding drummer Charlie Watts, who died last year. While Macca seems to be in great shape, still playfully shaking his hips to remind us he’ll always be the cute one, it’s hard not to wonder when or if the sounds of a manic “Helter Skelter” will shake a Seattle arena again after McCartney’s second show on Tuesday.

If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s not to take these moments for granted.

Can’t Buy Me Love

Junior’s Farm

Got to Get You Into My Life

Come on to Me

Let Me Roll It

Getting Better

Women and Wives

My Valentine

Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five

Maybe I’m Amazed

I’ve Just Seen a Face

In Spite of All the Danger

Dance Tonight

Lady Madonna

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

You Never Give Me Your Money

Band on the Run

Live and Let Die

I’ve Got a Feeling

Helter Skelter

Golden Slumbers-Carry That Weight-The End medley

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The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.

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Concert Review and Photos: Paul McCartney rocks Fenway Park

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From the opening chords of “Can’t Buy Me Love,” through the pyrotechnics that closed out the “Golden Slumbers” medley at the end of the show, Paul McCartney electrified Fenway Park for the first of two Boston appearances. Adoring Boston fans were overjoyed to have Sir Paul back, and they showered him and his talented band with what Paul affectionately dubbed “Beatles-level” screams throughout the evening of June 7.

McCartney alternated between Beatles favorites (including “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “Obla Di Obla Da,” “Love Me Do,” and “Lady Madonna”), solo work (including “Junior’s Farm” and “My Valentine”), and Wings classics (including “Band on the Run” and “Live and Let Die”). Halfway through his nearly three-hour set, Sir Paul took to the stage solo for beautiful acoustic versions of “Blackbird” and “Here Today,” the latter of which he dedicated to his dear friend, John Lennon. 

John made another appearance in the first encore number. Peter Jackson, filmmaker of the Beatles Get Back documentary, was able to isolate John’s vocals and video from the famous rooftop concert, and Paul dueted with him on a fabulous rendition of “I’ve Got a Feeling.” Paul moved between bass and piano throughout the show, and he even picked up the ukulele for a stripped-down version of “Something,” a tribute to George Harrison. For the first time ever, he played live “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” from Abbey Road . 

As he closed out the show with “Golden Slumbers – Carry That Weight – The End,” the crowd sang along with Sir Paul: “And in the end/The love you take/Is equal to the love you make.” The mutual sharing of love back and forth between audience and artist all night was reflective of a musical life lived according to this creed. McCartney has spent more than 65 years making spectacular music and sharing his prolific talent with the world — and we are all fortunate to continue basking in his presence. 

Check out some photos of the show below from WUN contributor Gary Alpert.

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Thursday, June 2, 2022

Got back tour - an honest paul mccartney concert review.

This past Saturday (May 28, 2022) I saw Paul McCartney perform at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.    I flew to Orlando from my home in the St. Louis area because I wanted to see this tour.  It was literally a dream come true to see Paul again in concert.  All during the lockdown in 2020,  I was super focused on the fact that I wasn't able to go any Beatles events -- especially seeing Paul McCartney live.   I questioned if 2019 was really going to be my last concert and I didn't want that.    I am beyond happy that I had a chance to see him again and can accept that it could be the last time. 

Here are my honest thoughts about the concert 

Thought #1 -  A Paul McCartney concert is actually not really about just hearing Paul McCartney sing his hits.   It is about the experience.

I am sure I have written about this before.   People who just go to hear Paul McCartney perform songs are missing out on the true experience.    The atmosphere is worth taking in.   It is fun to watch the fans arrive and see the t-shirts and outfits everyone chose to wear.   It is amazing to meet up with friends that you may have only spoken to over social media.   The excitement of listening to DJ Chris play the Paul songs and then seeing the screen show can't be beat.    I really advise you to take the entire day for Paul.  Traffic at these events have been a nightmare and some ticket holders have missed the entire concert because of traffic.   Take this advice:  arrive before 4:00pm.  

Thought #2 -  The limo watch is very stressful but worth it.

Sometimes the limo watch to see Paul arrive is easy and other times it is like the one in Orlando and it is stressful.   No one knew where Paul was going to enter.   Many fans were sent on a wild chase around the stadium in the search for Paul.   Here is my advice on the limo watch:  if someone (ANYONE) tell you that Paul is already inside of the stadium, do not believe it and keep waiting.    If you are able to see Paul arrive -- it is SO worth it!   There was a very small group of us and Paul saw me in my Minnie Mouse ears with a British flag on it and smiled right at me!  

Thought #3 -   The handicapped section isn't the best seats in the house.

Due to my mom needing a motorized scooter due to long Covid, we had to get seats in the handicapped section of the Stadium.   I purchased the best seats we could get on the field.    While I knew we wouldn't be up in the very front, I thought we'd get the seat that I chose on the Ticketmaster site.   Now I am not sure if this is standard or just in Orlando.  When we arrived the handicapped section was "first come-first serve."   The seats weren't numbers and so we had to sit wherever we could fit.   I had picked seats that were closer to the stage than where we ended up.   That wasn't a huge deal, but some people who got there right as the concert was starting, could not squeeze into a spot and I am not sure what they did. 

Thought #4 -  Paul doesn't sing as well as he once did -- but it still isn't bad.

Thought #5 -  The setlist  hasn't changed very much and that is fine! (the jokes are getting old though)

One interesting observation  -  "My Valentine" used to be the song where people left for their beer and bathroom break.   During this song, Paul shows the video with Johnny Depp doing sign language to it and playing the guitar.   He has shown this same video literally for 10 years during his shows.   Now since the Johnny Depp trial, people have been staying for the song and cheer whenever Johnny is on the screen.    I've seen people online say how bold it is for Paul to take such a strong stand in favor of Johnny Depp and I want to say, "People -- this is the same video he has shown for years.  It is on Youtube.  You just didn't notice because you left to get beer."   

Go see Paul on the Got Back Tour --  It is a night you won't forget. 

*All photos taken by Sara Schmidt 

7 comments:

honest review

having seen other artists it's common for them to do the same material including jokes but in his case and at his age, it just might be easier for him

I just saw him play in Sydney, Australia and agree with your review! However, comparing Macca's concert to Billy Joel's in Melbourne last December, it is more visually spectacular lighting and fireworks etc but the sound quality was not. The mix was too bass heavy and created a muddy sound, the vocals were too far mixed back so that you struggle to hear whether (a) it is Paul McC singing and (b) whether he can actually sing. ZEven the low strings on his acoustic guitar were booming too loudly on Blackbird & Here Today. Maybe this is done to disguise the thinness of the aging voice and it works OK with Hey Jude as the crowd carries it along, but on the newer songs when people listen, the low vocals mix and bass heavy balance made us think 'that song does not work live as well as we thought it would' - eg 1985, Queenie Eye and Helter Skelter.

agree w/6:20 pm

The problem in Sydney was the stadium, sound was awful in the Allianz. I went to Melbourne and Newcastle and the sound was way better in each case.

I don't know why people keep going on about Paul's jokes, gags, videos, and setlists which indicates they've been lucky enough to see Paul in concert several times. Do they not realize that many people NEVER get to see him at all? They could step aside and give a newbie a chance of a ticket. I don't understand why people go for the experience knowing Paul's voice has been off for the last ten years. Then go and criticize it.

I saw him in 2022 as well, but this had been my first time, so all the jokes were new to me! Overall, it was the best experience of my life, though I really enjoyed seeing Ringo as well, just to see a real live Beatle!

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Paul McCartney Announces Dates For 2022 ‘Got Back’ Tour

Macca's hitting the road for his first live shows since 2019.

By Gil Kaufman

Gil Kaufman

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Sir Paul McCartney is hitting the road for his first live shows since 2019. The pop icon announced dates for his 2022 “Got Back” arena/stadium tour on Friday (Feb. 18), which is slated to kick off on April 28 at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington, his first-ever show in that city.

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The 13-city, 14-date outing will also find the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer playing East Rutherford, New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium for the first time since 2016. “I said at the end of the last tour that I’d see you next time. I said I was going to get back to you. Well, I got back!,” the indefatigable 79-year-old said in a statement.

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The tour will mark some other firsts and landmarks for Macca, who will make his live debut in three cities — Hollywood (FL), Knoxville (TN) and Winston-Salem (NC) — as well as his first gigs in Fort Worth, Texas and Baltimore, Maryland since 1976 with Wings and 1964 with the Beatles, respectively; he’ll also play in Oakland for the first time in 20 years.

Tickets for the tour will go on sale to the general public beginning Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. local time, with American Express card members invited to get in early on Tuesday (Feb. 22) at 10 a.m. local time through Thursday (Feb. 24) at 10 p.m. local time. The Got Back dates are McCartney’s first run of live shows since his 39-date, 12-country Freshen Up tour wrapped up in July 2019.

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Check out the dates for the Got Back tour below.

April 28 – Spokane, WA @  Spokane Arena May 2 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena May 3 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena May 6 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena May 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium May 17 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena May 21 – Winston Salem, NC @ Truist Field May 25 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live May 28 – Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium May 31 – Knoxville, TN @ Thompson-Boling Arena June 4 – Syracuse, NY @ Carrier Dome June 7 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park June 12 – Baltimore, MD @ Oriole Park June 16 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium

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Paul McCartney announces 2024 South American tour dates

Tickets go on sale this weekend

Paul McCartney has announced a handful of tour dates in South America later this year – check out the full list of dates below.

• READ MORE:  ‘Let It Be’ review: The Beatles dust off their spellbinding 1970 break-up doc

Last night (June 10), McCartney took to his website to share five live dates in South America, all take place in October. The trek will kick off in Uruguay on October 1, before he performs in Argentina on October 5 and Chile on October 11. After a short break, Macca will return to Argentina for an October 23 show before he ends his tour in Peru on October 27.

Paul McCartney’s South American ‘Got Back’ tour dates are:

OCTOBER 01 – Estadio Centenario – Montevideo, Uruguay 05 – River Plate Stadium – Bueno Aires, Argentina 11 – Estadio Monumental – Santiago, Chile 23 – Mario Alberto Kempes – Córdoba, Argentina 27 – Estadio Nacional – Lima, Peru

Pre-sale codes are available at staggered dates between now and June 27. General tickets will be available between June 14 and June 21 at staggered dates via Paul McCartney’s official website .

In other Macca news, it was reported in April that Paul McCartney & Wings are set to release their 1974 live studio album ‘One Hand Clapping’ for the first time later this week.

In May, he was confirmed as the first billionaire musician in the UK , with his net worth skyrocketing over the past year. In the listing, he is said to have a net worth of £1billion – a figure which has grown significantly over the past 12 months.

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In the past year,  The   Sunday Times  reports, the 81-year-old music icon boosted his wealth by £50million. This will have been aided by his time touring across 2023 and the lucrative value of his lengthy discography.

It will also have been aided no doubt by the release of  ‘Now And Then’ – the “final” song by The Beatles to feature all four members, which was shared in November – and the re-release of their 1970 documentary  Let It Be .

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PAUL McCARTNEY Is Bringing His 2024 "Got Back" Tour To South America

June 11, 2024, 4 days ago

news classic rock paul mccartney the beatles

Paul McCartney will bring his acclaimed "Got Back" tour to South America later this year. Fulfilling his promise to 'get back', Paul will return to Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Peru. His first show of 2024 will take place on October 1 in Montevideo.

With songs like "Hey Jude", "Live and Let Die", "Band on the Run", "Let It Be" and so many more, the Paul McCartney live experience is everything any music lover could ever want from a rock show: hours of the greatest moments from the last 60 years of music – dozens of songs from Paul’s solo, Wings and of course Beatles catalogues that have formed the soundtracks of our lives.

Paul will return for his first live performance in Montevideo in ten years. He has previously performed in Montevideo twice (2012, 2014) and this will be his third time at Estadio Centenario. This will mark his first live performances in Bueno Aires in five years - in 2019 he played at Campo Argentino de Polo. For fans in Córdoba the wait has been even longer as it has been eight years since Paul visited the city. Paul played his first solo show in Argentina in 1993 and has played eight shows there since. Santiago will see him return after five years - he has previously performed in the city four times, starting in 1993. And lastly, Paul will return to Lima after ten years, and this will mark his third time performing in Peru and his second visit to the Estadio Nacional.

Paul launched his Got Back tour in 2022, completing 16 huge shows across the US before performing what the British Times newspaper described as the “best gig ever” with his history-making set at Glastonbury in June 2022. In 2023 Paul performed 18 incredible shows as the Got Back tour rocked through Australia, Mexico and Brazil.

Tickets will be on general sale beginning Friday, June 14. All general sale timings are staggered by show - for more information on timings and dates go to PaulMcCartneyGotBack.com .

Sign up to the PaulMcCartney.com mailing list for a pre-sale code.

October 1 - Estadio Centenario - Montevideo, Uruguay 5 - River Plate Stadium - Buenos Aires, Argentina 11 - Estadio Monumental - Santiago, Chile 23 - Estadio Mario Kempes - Córdoba, Argentina 27 - Estadio Nacional - Lima, Peru

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• Entertainment

Paul McCartney cryptically teases 2024 tour

Is Paul McCartney getting back on the road in 2024?

Andrew Korpan

Paul McCartney could be heading back onto the road in 2024 for another concert tour .

In a social media post from June 9, McCartney shared a video of a case being shut. It appears to be one that would hold music equipment and instruments for a tour.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Paul McCartney (@paulmccartney)

No caption was shared with the video. However, one of McCartney's guitarists, Rusty Anderson, added fuel to the fire . He reposted the video with the caption, “Hmmm…”

His other guitarist, Brian Ray, also reposted the video on his story.

Both Ray and Anderson have been a part of McCartney's touring band since 2002. Paul “Wix” Wickens and Abe Laboriel Jr. are also a part of the band.

A 2024 Paul McCartney tour

It would be a big deal if Paul McCartney tours in 2024. He recently embarked on the “Got Back” tour from 2022-2023. Since Wings broke up, McCartney has gone on 17 concert tours. His current touring band has been with him since the 2002 “Driving Rain” tour.

The tour commenced on April 28, 2022, with a show in Spokane, Washington. Throughout the next couple of months, McCartney and his touring band traveled across North America. The first leg of the tour concluded on June 16, 2022, with a show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The tour continued with a headlining show at the Glastonbury Festival in England. He would resume the tour in October 2023 with shows in Australia, Mexico, and Brazil.

It's unknown whether or not this impending tour announcement would mark a new tour or a continuation of the “Got Back” tour.

Who is Paul McCartney?

Paul McCartney is best known for his time with the Beatles. He was one of the primary songwriters of the Fab Four along with John Lennon. The band was together for a decade between 1960-70 and released 13 studio albums.

After the band broke up, Macca got to work with his first studio album, McCartney. He subsequently released Ram, which he recorded with his life Linda McCartney, and the first Wings album, Wild Life, in 1971.

Throughout the seventies, McCartney and Wings released six more albums including Band on the Run. McCartney will soon release a remastered live studio album, One Hand Clapping, from his time with Wings.

Since 1980, McCartney has released 17 studio albums. That doesn't include the five classical albums and three albums with The Fireman that he recorded.

His most recent studio album completed a trilogy of McCartney albums. McCartney III came out in 2020 and came out over 40 years after McCartney II. A remix edition of the album, McCartney III Imagined, was subsequently released in 2021. The likes of Idris Elba, Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, and Dominic Fike contributed to the album.

As an artist, McCartney has been nominated for 81 Grammy Awards. He has won 18 awards throughout his illustrious career. His most recent nominations came at the 2022 Grammys when he was nominated for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song for McCartney III and “Find My Way,” respectively.

Andrew Korpan is the lead entertainment editor and film critic for ClutchPoints. Residing in Philadelphia, Andrew is an award-winning journalist with previous bylines at Collider, Above the Line, and Below the Line.

Got Back Tour - 2024

Estadio Centenario, Montevideo

1 October 2024

Estadio Centenario 11400 Montevideo Departamento de Montevideo Uruguay

River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires

5 October 2024

River Plate Stadium Av. Pres. Figueroa Alcorta 7597 C1428 Cdad. Autónoma de Buenos Aires Argentina

6 October 2024

Estadio Monumental, Santiago

11 October 2024

Estadio Monumental Av. Marathon 5300 Macul Región Metropolitana Chile

Estadio Mario Kempes, Córdoba

23 October 2024

Estadio Mario Kempes Ramón Cárcano Córdoba Argentina

Estadio Nacional, Lima

27 October 2024

Estadio Nacional C. José Díaz s/n Lima 15046 Peru

Tour Information

Paul will bring his acclaimed 'Got Back' tour to South America later this year! Fulfilling his promise to 'get back', Paul will return to Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Peru. His first show of 2024 will take place on 1st October in Montevideo. PRE-SALE AND GENERAL SALE TIMINGS ARE STAGGERED BY SHOW Tuesday 1st October - Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, URUGUAY ⁠PaulMcCartney.com pre-sale: Monday 10 June 2PM UYT / 6PM BST ⁠General sale: Monday 17 June 12.01PM UYT / 4.O1PM BST ⁠ ⁠Saturday 5th October - River Plate Stadium, Bueno Aires, ARGENTINA Sunday 6th October - River Plate Stadium, Bueno Aires, ARGENTINA ⁠⁠PaulMcCartney.com pre-sale: Tuesday 11 June 10AM ART / 2PM BST ⁠⁠General sale: Wednesday 12 June 12pm ART / 4PM BST ⁠ ⁠Friday 11th October - Estadio Monumental, Santiago, CHILE ⁠⁠⁠PaulMcCartney.com pre-sale: Monday 17 June 11AM CLT / 4PM BST ⁠⁠General sale: Friday 21 June 11.01AM CLT / 4.01PM BST ⁠ ⁠Wednesday 23rd October - Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba, ARGENTINA ⁠⁠⁠PaulMcCartney.com pre-sale: Tuesday 11 June 10AM ART / 2PM BST ⁠⁠General sale: Wednesday 12 June 12pm ART / 4PM BST ⁠ ⁠Sunday 27th October - Estadio Nacional, Lima, PERU ⁠⁠⁠PaulMcCartney.com pre-sale: Friday 14 June 10AM PET / 4PM BST ⁠⁠General sale: Sunday 16 June 10AM PET / 4PM BST

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