Paul McCartney's Surprise Show at NYC's Bowery Ballroom

Here are some TV news reports on Paul's show at the small club last night.

 

The Associated Press provided some highlights in its report of the show:

 Paul McCartney’s previous New York-area performance took place three years ago at MetLife Stadium, capacity 82,500. His surprise show Tuesday night at the Bowery Ballroom fit, at most, 575.

...“So, here we are,” McCartney said, grinning. “Some little gig. New York. Why not?”

Later, he added before launching into “Let Me Roll It”: “I can’t quite believe we’re here, doing this. But we are here, doing this.”

McCartney took the stage roughly on time at 6:30 p.m. with his regular band, along with a three-member horn section. They had only rehearsed once, the day before, McCartney said. Someone shouted: “You don’t need to rehearse!”

If the location was stripped down, the former Beatle didn’t come with a minimized show, packing in a blistering tour through his entire catalog, from Beatles classics to Wings hits. He began with “A Hard Day’s Night” and also performed “Got To Get You Into My Life,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Lady Madonna,” “Jet,” “Get Back,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Let it Be” and “Hey Jude.”

“Blackbird” was a solo number on acoustic guitar, and afterward McCartney reflected on how he wrote it for the Civil Rights Movement, a memory that brought back his first trips to the United States.

....McCartney also performed the so-called last Beatles song, “ Now and Then,” a ballad penned by Lennon in the late ’70s but only released in 2023 with the help of the some of the technology used in Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary, “ The Beatles: Get Back.” The song made McCartney wistful for his songwriting partner, whom he noted loved New York.

“Let’s hear it for John,” he said.

Variety also had a report on the concert and provided this setlist:

Paul McCartney setlist
Bowery Ballroom, New York, 11 Feb. 2025
  1. A Hard Day’s Night
  2. Letting Go
  3. Got to Get You Into My Life
  4. Let Me Roll It
  5. My Valentine
  6. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
  7. Maybe I’m Amazed
  8. I’ve Just Seen a Face
  9. From Me to You
  10. Mrs. Vandebilt
  11. Blackbird
  12. Come on to Me
  13. Jet
  14. Ob-la-di Ob-la-da
  15. Get Back
  16. Now and Then
  17. Lady Madonna
  18. Let It Be
  19. Hey Jude
  20. Encore:
  21. Golden Slumbers-The End

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