McCartney rolls out the hits as world tour reaches UK

Sir Paul McCartney got back to Manchester for his first show in the city in more than a decade on Saturday, regaling more than 23,000 fans with a career-spanning set comprising songs from his Beatles, Wings and solo catalogues.

- ROISIN O'CONNOR

At the first of two sold-out shows – part of his celebrated Got Back tour and his first UK gig since 2018 – the veteran artist “duetted” with the isolated vocals of his late bandmate, John Lennon, and paid tribute to his wife, Nancy, who was in the audience along with his daughter, Stella.

“We’ve been travelling around the world; we’ve been in South America and now we’re up north again! And it’s good to be back,” the octogenarian told his audience. He chose to open with a rollicking version of The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night”, the title track from their third album, which celebrated its 60th birthday earlier this year.

The 82-year-old showed no sign of fatigue as he drew closer to the end of his Got Back tour, having launched it on 28 April 2022 in Spokane, Washington. Sixteen stops later, he was headlining the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, where he was joined by surprise guests Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl.

Since then, he has played in Australia and Europe, and embarked on two Latin American legs, including a show in Uruguay where he debuted the live performance of “Now and Then”. Billed as the final Beatles song, it was released in November 2023 with the help of AI technology, which separated Lennon’s vocals and piano playing from a recording made at his home in New York around 1977.

Outside the Co-Op Arena – up and running at full steam after its somewhat chaotic opening in May this year – fans were in high spirits despite the rain and December chill, as they spoke with reverence and joy about one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

Married couple Stefan and Steffi, from east Germany, held hands on their way to the arena as they told The Independent of how they first met at The Beatles museum in Halle 23 years ago. Saturday marked the 20th time they had seen McCartney together.