Paul McCartney reunited with beloved bass guitar at gig 50 years after it was stolen
It’s been a hard year’s touring and Paul McCartney has been working like a dog . . .
So it was appropriate that he began the final night of his Got Back world trek with the mightiest chord in pop.
The Beatles’ immortal A Hard Day’s Night ushered in a magical (if not-so-mysterious) tour through Macca’s storied back catalogue.
It was a stunning display of showmanship and musicianship by the 82-year-old knight of this realm.
In a set dominated by Beatles classics, he rolled back the years in thrilling style, his voice strong and true.
Let It Be retained its wistful beauty, Live And Let Die was loaded with drama (and very loud pyrotechnics) and EVERYONE sang, “Na na-na-na na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey Jude”.
There were so many lovely touches — among them a “duet” with a filmed John Lennon on I’ve Got A Feeling and a country-tinged In Spite Of All The Danger, a song predating The Beatles, first sung when Paul, John and George were members of The Quarrymen.
McCartney produced a blizzard of instruments which he employed with consummate ease — his go-to bass, his “Magic Piano”, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin and ukulele (the latter notable for a stellar revision of George Harrison’s Something).
It was also a night of surprise appearances, the first being the Höfner violin bass which graced so many iconic Beatles records. Stolen more than 50 years ago, now returned to its rightful owner.
“Sounds like a bass,” said Macca before launching into Get Back (what else?) in the company of lovable Rolling Stones rogue Ronnie Wood.
Then we had the drummer, announced by his old bandmate as “the mighty, the one and only, Ringo Starr”.
“Get on your kit, la,” ordered Macca, and, for a couple of rollicking songs, the surviving members of the world’s greatest band “got back”.