Coming together in the Big Apple.
Paul McCartney, 82, hosted a surprise show at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on Tuesday night, after announcing the pop-up concert just hours earlier.
The legendary musician was joined by his band — guitarist Rusty Anderson, guitarist-bassist Brian Ray, keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. — and a three-member horn section for the show, which kicked off at exactly 6:44 p.m., according to CBS News.
The Grammy Award winner played for an audience of about 500 people, who had to snag their $50 tickets in-person at the Bowery Ballroom’s box office.
Phones and audio/video recording were banned during the show.
“So, here we are,” McCartney said on stage. “Some little gig. New York. Why not?”
McCartney’s performance that lasted about an hour and 40 minutes kicked off with the Beatles hit “A Hard Day’s Night.”
He also treated attendees to classics like “Letting Go,” “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “Let Me Roll It,” “My Valentine,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Come on to Me,” “Now and Then,” “Let It Be,” “Hey Jude,” “Jet,” and more.
Before performing “Let Me Roll It,” McCartney said to the crowd, “I can’t quite believe we’re here, doing this. But we are here, doing this.”
He did a solo number to “Blackbird” on an acoustic guitar, and afterward reflected on how he wrote the song for the Beatles during the Civil Rights Movement.
“We were just kids. I’ve got grandchildren older than that now,” said McCartney, per the AP.
The audience went wild throughout McCartney’s show, which didn’t go unnoticed by the singer.
After one loud scream from the crowd, McCartney said, “That was a Beatles scream!,” reflecting on his days with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. “OK, let’s get it out of the way. Girls, give me a Beatles scream.” And the audience did just that.
After the performance, McCartney greeted crowds of fans outside the venue.
“It was incredible. This is actually my 10th time seeing Paul McCartney. I have no words for it. I honestly thought he was going to go on for three hours like he usually does, but, you know, I’ll take this,” fan Wendy Miranda told CBS News.
McCartney’s show was announced on his website and on social media at noon on Tuesday. Tickets sold out in 30 minutes.
Sharing photos from the epic event on Instagram, McCartney wrote, “BOWERY! You ROCKED!”
The Bowery Ballroom was McCartney’s first gig of 2025. His last performance in the tristate area was headlining New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, which has a capacity of 82,000 people, in 2022.
The Beatles frontman spent most of last year on the final leg of his “Got Back Tour.” The run started in 2022 and wrapped in December 2024. The final show was in London and featured Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood.
McCartney will next appear on “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” on NBC Sunday.