Packing stadium venues in Australia, still belting out some of his most famous tunes, Paul McCartney is on the final stretch of his Got Back world tour.
And just in case you didn’t know, the name of the tour is a reference to the conclusion of The Beatles, given that Get Back was the lead single and the original name of their final album release, before Let It Be was chosen instead. So there’s plenty of nostalgia surrounding this tour for McCartney
According to news.com.au reports, the crowds in Australia have thoroughly enjoyed watching Paul McCartney on stage, and especially when he plays those old favourite tracks by The Beatles. Notably, he opened each show with 1964 hit Can’t Buy Me Love, and at the very end of each performance, concluded with The End, which is appropriately the final song they recorded together.
McCartney has included tracks from his most recent album, self-titled McCartney III release in late 2020, although he acknowledges that fans most want to hear The Beatles classics. “When we play an old Beatles song the place lights up with all your phones, it’s like a galaxy of stars. When we play a new song, it’s like a black hole. But we play ‘em anyway!” He quipped to journalists after one gig.
Beatles Influence
Interest surrounding The Beatles never seems fade away, even after the band split more than fifty years ago in 1970 and went their separate creative ways. Much of the current buzz around the current Paul McCartney tour emanates from that fascination, continually fed by a wealth of stories and, of course, their back catalogue of great hits.
Released in 2021 via Disney+, the three-part documentary series The Beatles: Get Back really captivated viewers, produced and directed by Peter Jackson. It features previously unseen footage and commentary from when the band made Let It Be, their final studio album together. The made-for-TV production received glowing reviews, mostly because it squashed certain myths and rumours around why the band eventually grew apart.
The legacy of the band has also left its fingerprints on popular culture, not only influencing countless acts in the music industry, but many other fields of media entertainment. In 2019, sleeper hit movie Yesterday was set in an alternate world, where nobody had ever heard of The Beatles aside from one aspiring musician.
In Australia, even casino games and pokies reviewed at topaustraliangambling.com feature the Liverpudlian band. One of them, simply called The Beatles, follows their entire career with images on the spinning reels. Another by Aussie developer Aristocrat focuses on Yellow Submarine, featuring animated images and music from the 1968 film.
What Next for McCartney?
The Got Back tour began in the United States in April 2022, before heading back to England for two dates around the Glastonbury Festival, where McCartney was joined on stage by Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen. Such an extensive run of shows in Australia wasn’t part of the original plan, apparently, but his desire to perform live was highlighted by Forbes.com earlier this year.
Following a break lasting more than a year, the Oceania leg finally got underway in October this year, and the Australian trip featured seven dates, beginning in Adelade, taking in Melbourne and Newcastle, Sydney and Brisbane, concluding at the Heritage Bank Stadium in Gold Coast. Without any shadow of doubt, fans of McCartney and The Beatles have cherished every minute of his vibrant performances.
Excusing the obvious pun that fans will recognise, McCartney will then don his wings and take flight for Mexico City, briefly returning to North America for two dates, before heading south for Brazil. The very last date for the Got Back tour will take place at one of the most iconic venues in the world, the gigantic Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Despite turning the ripe old age of 81 back in June of 2023, McCartney keeps himself busy with a variety of creative projects. As yet, no further tours are planned for the future, suggesting that Got Back might be the last global adventure. But so long as Paul remains fit and healthy, it’s impossible to rule anything out, given how much he enjoys playing live.