Two of New Jersey’s most famous sons, Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, helped roll out the welcome wagon for Paul McCartney on Thursday evening when he stopped at East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium to wrap up his 2022 Got Back Tour.
McCartney, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on June 18th, delivered a lengthy set on the home turf of the New York Giants and New York Jets featuring a selection of beloved songs written throughout his decades-long career—from the late-’50s, proto-Beatles outfit The Quarrymen to his brief but historic run with The Beatles to his work with Wings and his more recent solo material. McCartney led the way with patented charisma, moving between bass and keys as he led the tens of thousands in attendance on a sing-along tour of one of the most celebrated songbooks in music history.
After a rousing, late-show rendition of Wings classic “Band On The Run”, McCartney informed the crowd that he was about to bring a guest to the stage as “a birthday present to myself.” When the audience responded with the familiar rumble of “Bruuuuce,” McCartney chuckled, “Yeah, I think you guessed it. … He’s gonna come and sing with us. Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen!”
“Happy birthday, Paul!” Springsteen called before toasting to “80 more years of glory days” and counting the band into his 1984 classic. After singing lead on “Glory Days” as Paul peppered in backing vocals, McCartney called for one more and steered the band into early Beatles chestnut “I Wanna Be Your Man”. Once Springsteen made his exit, Sir Paul wrapped up his main set with emphatic renditions of “Let It Be”, “Live and Let Die”, and “Hey Jude”.
Paul McCartney returned to the stage amid thundering applause for his final encore of the tour with “I’ve Got A Feeling”. As the band prepared for the next song, he joked, “Does anyone in the audience have a birthday [coming up]?”
“I know it’s somebody’s birthday,” another familiar New Jersey rock voice responded as Jon Bon Jovi strolled onto the stage with a bundle of balloons for Paul. “Welcome to New Jersey,” Bon Jovi said, “I’ve got 60,000 people who want to sing happy birthday to you.” After dispensing with the usual birthday customs, McCartney queued up his own (far superior) b-day anthem, The White Album‘s “Birthday”, for the rest of the people in the audience celebrating another year older.
After a rousing “Helter Skelter”, Paul McCartney finally wrapped his tour with Abbey Road‘s powerful “Golden Slumbers” > “Carry That Weight” > “The End”. Springsteen once again made his way onstage during the final number to help build up distorted guitar tension ahead of the song’s prophetic final line, a lyric that rang particularly true after this grandiose show of mutual respect between music legends: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Check out videos and photos of Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi joining Paul McCartney onstage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ below.
Paul McCartney w/ Bruce Springsteen – “Glory Days”, “I Wanna Be Your Man” – 6/16/22
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Paul McCartney – “Happy Birthday To You” (w/ Bon Jovi), “Birthday”, “Helter Skelter” – 6/16/22
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Paul McCartney w/ Bruce Springsteen – “The End” Breakdown – 6/16/22
[Videos: Jim Powers]
Setlist [via setlist.fm]: Paul McCartney | MetLife Stadium | East Rutherford, NJ | 6/26/22
Set: Can’t Buy Me Love, Junior’s Farm, Letting Go, Got To Get You Into My Life, Come On To Me, Let Me Roll It [1], Getting Better, Let ‘Em In [2], My Valentine [2], Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five [2], Maybe I’m Amazed [2], I’ve Just Seen A Face, In Spite Of All The Danger, Love Me Do, Dance Tonight, Blackbird, Here Today, New[ 2], Lady Madonna, Fuh You, Jet, Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite, Something, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, You Never Give Me Your Money, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Get Back, Band On The Run, Glory Days (Bruce Springsteen) [3], I Wanna Be Your Man [3], Let It Be, Live and Let Die, Hey Jude
Encore: I’ve Got A Feeling, Happy Birthday To You[4], Birthday, Helter Skelter, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End [3]
[1] with Foxy Lady outro jam
[2] with Paul on keys
[3] with Bruce Springsteen
[4] with Jon Bon Jovi