Las Vegas has hosted its share of spectacles (and then some), but nothing quite like the night Sir Paul McCartney turned Allegiant Stadium into Abbey Road West. One of pop music’s most celebrated living legends brought his Got Back tour to Sin City, and the result was a euphoric, nearly three-hour romp through a rock n’ roll time machine that had nearly 60,000 fans singing, dancing, crying, and grinning like teenagers seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan all over again.
It was McCartney’s first show at Las Vegas’ shiny Allegiant Stadium—opened in 2020—and the energy was off the charts from the opening chord. With no Los Angeles stop on this leg, the stars turned out in force, with Amy Schumer, Drew Carey, and even Celine Dion among the crowd of fans and fellow icons who came to worship at the altar of Macca.
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McCartney remains the embodiment of rock’s eternal youth. At 83 years young, he’s still cheeky, tireless, and bounding across the stage like a man half his age. This Got Back run marks his first major North American tour since 2022, and though he’s now playing to grandkids of his original fans, the music has lost none of its bite or brilliance.
He and his band—including Wix Wickens on keys, Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray on guitars, Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums, and the Hot City Horns—opened with “Help!”, Paul’s voice as bright and urgent as ever, before slamming into “Coming Up”. “This world needs a little peace and understanding,” he said in earnest, before nodding to his show as the biggest party in Vegas on a Saturday night. That led into a run of “Got to Get You Into My Life”, “Drive My Car”, and a horn-soaked “Letting Go”.
Paul McCartney — “Help!” — 10/4/25
[Video: Travel The World]
Between songs, Paul played raconteur, spinning stories like the rock ’n’ roll grandfather everyone wishes they had. “Here’s a new one—well, only about ten years old,” he laughed before launching into “Come On To Me”. After a roaring “Let Me Roll It”, he slid into a Jimi Hendrix tribute and shared a story about seeing Jimi in a London club before the guitar icon reshaped psychedelic rock forever.
The set turned cinematic as “Getting Better” unspooled beneath scenes of post-apocalyptic London, followed by Paul at the piano for a gorgeous “Let ’Em In”. He stayed seated for “My Valentine”, an ode to his wife Nancy, underscored by black-and-white footage of Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman reciting the lyrics in sign language. Then came the one-two punch of “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” and “Maybe I’m Amazed”, the latter accompanied by photos and videos of Paul as a young dad.
Paul McCartney — “Maybe I’m Amazed” — 10/4/25
[Video: Jeremy Clark]
When he picked up the acoustic again, he got sentimental and then silly. “That baby in the pictures? She’s got four kids now,” he said, before tearing into “I’ve Just Seen a Face.” He scanned the crowd’s signs—“122 shows!” read one, “Sign my butt!” read another—and shared a bit of his internal dialogue about whether to read them or focus on performing.
Paul then dove deep into history, playing “In Spite of All the Danger”, the first song The Beatles ever recorded (as The Quarrymen), and “Love Me Do”, their first EMI single produced by George Martin. From there, he picked up a mandolin for “Dance Tonight”, during which drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. busted out an unexpected jig that earned a standing ovation. “That’s the only choreography we have tonight,” Paul quipped.
Paul McCartney — “Love Me Do” — 10/4/25
[Video: Scott 24]
Then came the goosebumps moment, as Paul played “Blackbird” alone with his guitar. As he sang, the stage rose up, revealing a giant cage with a blackbird projection that eventually “flew” away. Paul spoke softly about the civil rights movement that inspired the song, then kept the moment sentimental by flowing into a hushed, heartbreaking “Here Today”, his letter to the late John Lennon. He followed that up with “Now and Then”, the “new” Beatles single finished with assistance from AI (and Peter Jackson). The entire stadium seemed to hold its breath as Paul sang alongside video footage of his old bandmates.
The melancholy quickly gave way to pure joy, thanks to “Lady Madonna”, “Jet”, a trippy “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”, and a sweet ukulele tribute to George Harrison on “Something”. The sing-alongs reached fever pitch with “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, “Band on the Run”, “Get Back”, “Let It Be”, and finally “Live and Let Die”, complete with fireworks and enough pyrotechnics to make a Bond villain jealous.
Paul McCartney — “Something” — 10/4/25
[Video: Theweez13]
Then, of course, came “Hey Jude”. The stadium lights came up, phones lit the sky, and Macca led 60,000 voices in one of the greatest communal choruses around. As the cameras panned to fans belting out the “na-na-na”s, it felt like the world’s most joyful karaoke night.
For the encore, Paul returned to the stage, strumming “I’ve Got a Feeling”, duetting virtually with John Lennon via restored rooftop footage. “I love that song,” he said afterward. “I get to sing with John again.” Then came a rock ’n’ roll ruckus, courtesy of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and a rambunctious “Helter Skelter”. Finally, Paul sat back down at the piano, thanked his crew and the crowd, and closed with Abbey Road trifecta “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End.”
As he sang “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make,” it felt more like a toast than a farewell.
If Vegas proved anything, it’s that Paul McCartney is so much more than a Beatle. The legendary Liverpuddlian is rock’s beating heart, still pumping out the songs that built the foundation of modern music. At Allegiant, he didn’t just get back. Rather, he made the world believe, one more time, that love really is all you need.
From here, the Got Back tour heads to Albuquerque (10/7), Denver (10/11), Des Moines (10/14), and beyond, wrapping with a two-night finale at Chicago’s United Center (11/24–11/25).
Check out some photos from Paul McCartney in Las Vegas courtesy of Josh Martin and videos by Scott 24.
Paul McCartney — “Got To Get You Into My Life” — 10/4/25
Setlist: Paul McCartney | Allegiant Stadium | Las Vegas, NV | 10/4/25
Set: Help!, Coming Up, Got to Get You Into My Life, Letting Go, Drive My Car, Come On to Me, Let Me Roll It, Getting Better, Let ‘Em In, My Valentine, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five, Maybe I’m Amazed, I’ve Just Seen a Face, In Spite of All the Danger (The Quarrymen), Love Me Do, Dance Tonight, Blackbird, Here Today, Now and Then, Lady Madonna, Jet, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!, Something, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Band on the Run, Get Back, Let it Be, Liver and Let Die, Hey Jude
Encore: I’ve Got a Feeling, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – Reprise, Helter Skelter, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End
VIP Soundcheck: Jam, Matchbox (Carl Perkins), Flaming Pie, Let ‘Em In, It’s So Easy! (The Crickets), Mrs. Vandebilt, Ram On, Midnight Special (Traditional), New, Lady Madonna
