Paul McCartney gave New Yorkers an opportunity to “come together” for one night, and one night only –– for a surprise concert at the Bowery Ballroom in Lower Manhattan.
“So, here we are,” the 82-year-old Beatles legend said, grinning. “Some little gig. New York. Why not?” the Associated Press reported.
The show was a much more intimate experience than McCartney’s usual stadium-sized stomping grounds –– filled to the brim with tens of thousands of people.
The last time the Beatles legend performed in the New York area was three years ago at MetLife Stadium –– one of the NFL’s largest venues, with a seating capacity of 82,500. Although the Ballroom says its total capacity is 600 people, Tuesday’s night show could have fit, at most, 575, according to the AP, with the singer’s soundboard and gear flowing out of backstage and occupying a portion of the floor space.
Earlier in the day, McCartney announced his impromptu show on Instagram.
Amid freezing temperatures in the low 30s, fans lined up outside the Lower East Side venue to get tickets – one per person – for the last-minute show. All tickets were sold within 30 minutes.
“We just got lucky,” Phil Sokoloff, 31, told the AP. Sokoloff was on his way to work nearby when he saw McCartney’s Instagram post. He ran in and told his co-worker and both of them rushed to the Bowery Ballroom, a venue highly coveted by musicians since its opening in 1998.
The star took to the stage at 6:30 p.m. with his band and a three-member horn section. The set list was packed with Beatles classics and Wings hits –– with songs like “Lady Madonna,” “Got To Get You Into My Life,” “Let it Be,” and “Hey Jude,” in the line-up.
McCartney also performed “Blackbird” solo on the acoustic guitar, and reflected on how he wrote the song for the Civil Rights Movement. He spoke about his time performing at a concert celebrating freedom and independence in Kyiv for an audience of more than 350,000. “Let’s hope it gets back to that soon,” he said, according to AP.
The Bowery show was peppered with fans hollering and shouting in excitement.
McCartney concluded his “Got Back” world tour in December. His most recent solo album, “McCartney III,” was released in 2020.
The “Hey Jude” singer is next billed to appear on the “SNL50 Anniversary Special” airing on NBC on Sunday, also in New York.
The Beatles were recognized at the Grammy Awards earlier this month when they won a statuette for best rock performance for “Now and Then,” which was released last year by the band’s surviving members McCartney and Ringo Starr.
