Paul McCartney got some help from a pair of fellow English music legends during his final show of 2024 on Thursday night at The O2 Arena in London. In addition to bringing out The Rolling Stones stalwart Ronnie Wood for a song, McCartney surprised the crowd with a guest appearance by his sole surviving Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr.
After barreling through a lengthy setlist ranging from his days in Liverpool with The Quarrymen through The Beatles’ “last” song, 2023’s “Now and Then”, and all the classics he churned out in between, Paul McCartney got into the holiday spirit with a rendition of “Wonderful Christmastime”, which recently returned to his setlist in Manchester after a six-year gap. Midway through the song, The Capital Choir ran onstage to add some choral cheer to the performance, much to the delight of the sold-out crowd.
Next, Macca strapped on his old bass (“I haven’t played her in 50 years,” he said) and welcomed Ronnie Wood on guitar for a lively take on late-Beatles rocker “Get Back”. The main set ramped up to its conclusion from there with “Let It Be”, “Live and Let Die”, and “Hey Jude”.
Paul McCartney returned to the stage in London to begin his final encore of 2024 with “I’ve Got A Feeling” before calling on “the mighty, the one and only, Mr. Ringo Starr” to play drums on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Helter Skelter”.
Strangely enough, both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones are up for Grammy Awards at the Recording Academy 67th annual ceremony in early 2025. The Beatles, who officially broke up more than half a century ago, earned a Record of the Year nod for their “last song,” 2023’s “Now and Then“, which Starr and McCartney completed from unfinished recordings featuring John Lennon and George Harrison. The Rolling Stones have remained as active as ever, and will compete in the Best Rock Album category via their well-received 24th studio album, 2023’s Hackney Diamonds.
Below, check out the full setlist from the Paul McCartney tour closer in London featuring Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood and view crowd-shot videos of the sit-in.
While Paul McCartney and Ronnie Wood/The Rolling Stones have no upcoming dates confirmed on their respective tour calendars, Ringo Starr will hit the ground running in 2024 with a spring tour alongside his All Starr Band and a new album of country songs, Look Up, featuring T Bone Burnett, Billy Strings, Alison Krauss, Molly Tuttle, and more. Find a list of dates and ticketing information for the upcoming Ringo Starr tour here.
Paul McCartney w/ Ringo Starr – “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”, “Helter Skelter” – 12/19/24
Paul McCartney w/ Ronnie Wood – “Get Back” – 12/19/24
[Video: 71lox]
Paul McCartney w/ The Capital Choir – “Wonderful Christmastime” – 12/19/24
[Video: MrBeatlematt]
Setlist: Paul McCartney | The O2 Arena | London, England | 12/19/24
Set: A Hard Day’s Night, Junior’s Farm, Letting Go, Drive My Car, Got to Get You Into My Life, Come On to Me, Let Me Roll It [1], 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, 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, Wonderful Christmastime [2], Get Back [3], Let It Be, Live and Let Die, Hey Jude
Encore: I’ve Got a Feeling, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) [4], Helter Skelter, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End
Notes:
[1] with Foxy Lady coda (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
[2] with The Capital Choir
[3] with Ronnie Wood (guitar, The Rolling Stones); first performance with Paul’s original bass in over 50 years
[4] with Ringo Starr (drums, The Beatles)