Sir Paul McCartney warmed up his iconic voice by singing hits from his band The Beatles and his 60s group The Monkees before his show at London’s O2 on Thursday.
The music icon, 82, appeared in high spirits backstage as he and his band sang Hey Jude, 56 years after he first released the song with bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. .
In the clip shared on Instagram, Paul looked dapper in a navy blue jacket as he led the performance accompanied by guitarists and backing vocalists.
The group was having a great time as they performed the famous song before taking the stage for the final night of their Got Back Tour.
Then, as Sir Paul walked down the aisle, he burst into a performance of The Monkees’ 1966 song of the same name.
Paul’s daughter Mary, 55, captured the moment her famous father sipped his tea and sang for everyone to hear.
Sir Paul McCartney, 82, warmed up his iconic voice by singing hits by his band The Beatles and 60s group The Monkees before his show at London’s O2 on Thursday.
Paul and his band sang Hey Jude, 56 years after he first released the song alongside John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (pictured in 1964).
It comes after Sir Paul delighted fans when he brought his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr on stage at Thursday’s O2 show.
Paul invited Ringo, 84, from the audience to join him on drums for the hits Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Helter Skelter.
The pair seemed delighted to be playing together as Paul put his arm around Ringo in a touching moment for fans.
Paul and Ringo’s performance was the first time the old friends had played together in five years, and they last took to the stage for Macca’s Freshen Up tour in 2019.
The music legend also called on Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood to perform Get Back with him.
For his performance last night, Paul was full of personal anecdotes as he took to the stage at London’s O2 Arena.
Reflecting on his years with The Beatles, Paul revealed the moving impact of the band’s famous show in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Liverpool quartet were going to play at the city’s Gator Bowl in 1964, however, they were told the audience would be segregated by color.
In the clip shared on Instagram, Paul looked dapper in a navy blue jacket as he led the performance accompanied by guitarists and backing vocalists.
Then, as Sir Paul (pictured with his daughter Mary) walked down the aisle, he burst into a rendition of The Monkees’ 1966 song of the same name.
(Left to right) Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith of The Monkees photographed in 1966
Recalling the story, Paul told the crowd: “We didn’t fully understand it until we went there and played a place called Jacksonville in the south.
And the promoters said, “Okay, tonight you’re playing for a segregated audience.” And we said “What are you talking about?”
“They said there would be blacks on one side and whites on the other, and we said, ‘No, I mean, why would you do that? What’s the point?’
He continued: “So we refused to touch it (segregated) and we touched it and it integrated.”
Revealing the poignant impact of the programme, he continued: ‘Just the other day I got a text from a girl who was there at the time, she was a black girl and she was sitting with some white kids.
And she said, “I’ve never sat with white people before.” Imagine that, but she said, “I loved it because we were all screaming Beatles fans and it didn’t matter.”
Paul also paid tribute to John Lennon during the performance as he spoke about his late bandmate and friend.
Discussing how attitudes towards male emotions have changed, he explained how in the past it was considered strange to tell your friends you loved them.
He told the crowd: “Even in a group you couldn’t turn to your mates and say, ‘I love you, man,’ it just wasn’t done, you know?”
In an emotional tribute, the star performed the band’s 1969 hit Something on a ukulele given to him by the late George Harrison.
It comes after O2 stated that its Priority Tickets platform has already had a record year with 1.54 million tickets sold from January to November, a 12% increase on the same period in 2023.
Ours, by Dua Lipa, Peter Kay and Lana Del Rey, top this year’s best-seller list, spanning pop, comedy, R&B, heavy metal and more.
Priority Tickets is the rewards platform for O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers, offering exclusive early access to some of the UK’s biggest events and best venues. The UK’s own Dua Lipa is the biggest-selling artist on the chart with her Radical Optimism 2025 tour, after teaming up with O2 for an exclusive pre-sale and new ‘Walk’ advert to celebrate – the first of its kind in six years . .
It comes after Sir Paul delighted fans when he brought his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr on stage at Thursday’s O2 show.
Old friends and bandmates Ringo and Paul pictured in 1963.
John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul LR photographed in 1964 in Liverpool
Dua Lipa is closely followed by Peter Kay, one of Britain’s best-loved comedians whose first tour in more than a decade – including a residency at London’s O2 arena – added a string of new dates just last month due to a phenomenal demand.
The rest of Priority Tickets’ best-seller list includes some of the world’s biggest music acts. These include American singer Lana Del Rey, who announced her first UK stadium shows for the summer of 2025, and R&B superstar Usher, who, following a spectacular Super Bowl halftime performance, announced a ten-show residency at The O2 arena in London.
The rest of the top ten tours on Priority Tickets showcase such musical diversity, from rock icon Bruce Springsteen to Justin Timberlake and heavy metal legends Iron Maiden.
Gareth Griffiths, director of partnerships and sponsorships at Virgin Media O2, commented: ‘Massive tours have been announced this year that will define an entire generation of music and entertainment. Our Priority campaign starring Dua Lipa was a huge success, selling out Wembley Stadium.
‘With relentless demand from O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers to access live shows, we are now seeing Priority Tickets break their own sales records again this year. “Our best-seller list shows the variety of live entertainment the UK has to offer – here’s to an even bigger 2025.”
As well as early access to thousands of popular venues across the UK, Priority members can also benefit from fast track access, cloakroom services, phone charging, VIP hospitality and merchandise discounts at the O2 Arena and venues. 20 O2 Academy locations throughout the country.