Lima • Monday, May 9, 2011

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From paulmccartney.com, May 9, 2011:

Paul made history tonight with his first ever show in Peru before 50,000 awestruck fans who had travelled from across the country for the momentous occasion.

The show at Peru’s largest football stadium, the Estadio Monumental in the capital city of Lima, saw Paul on his best form, delivering nearly three hours of the world’s best loved and most known music. Without even a moment’s break or as much as a sip of water, Paul delivered an incredible set list that spanned his entire unrivalled career, from The Beatles, Wings, solo material and The Fireman’s critically acclaimed album ‘Electric Arguments’. Paul, backed by his brilliant band, performed some of the world’s most famous songs including the show opener ‘Hello Goodbye’, ‘Jet’, ‘Drive My Car’, ‘Band on the Run’, ‘Live and Let Die’, ‘Hey Jude’ and ‘Yesterday’.

The delighted audience, made up of fans of all ages, gave Paul an equally unforgettable welcome, screaming, cheering, chanting, singing along with every word and holding up homemade banners, with many even in tears at the sight of Paul finally performing in their own country. Needless to say, fans went wild when language lover Paul even addressed them in their native Spanish!

“I’ve had the best night of my life” said one fan, Rafael Alvarez, 31 from Arequipa. Peru. “It was better than I even dreamt it would be and I couldn’t believe I was actually watching Paul McCartney in the flesh! After tonight, I’m going to do all I can to get into his shows in Brazil because I have to see this show again.”

It was just as exciting for Paul himself to play the country as he has hoped to come to Peru for many years. Before going on stage, the government of Peru expressed their delight at his arrival with their First Minister honouring him with the ‘Orden Del Sol’, the highest recognition in Peru. They also praised Paul for his environmental work by awarding him with the first ever ‘Orden Del Arbol Del La Quina’, while the National Library of Peru gave Paul the ‘Medal of Honour of Peruvian Culture’ – the first time they have ever given this to someone from outside Peru.

From conciertosperu.com.pe, translated from English, May 2011:

[…] A magical day of 2009 the news hit Peru for the first time: “Paul McCartney in Lima!” announced all the country’s media generating collective madness throughout the territory. To everyone’s pity, the news lasted a few hours and was instantly “demented.” A year passed and on May 20, 2010, Paul himself appeared saying that he would “probably” come to Peru in a video uploaded to the Internet. However, the days passed and the news never materialized. Thus, it was again another year for, finally, a miraculous April 21, 2011, the same Peruvian entrepreneur to come out to say that there was only one signature left for this historic moment to become a reality. The next day the uncertainty was over, Paul McCartney in Lima was a fact but very few of us believed it.

So this confusing story was taking shape until May 09, 2011. Historical day in the timeline of Peru. Paul McCartney was already on Peruvian soil and would take to a stage to present his Up and Coming Tour in a spectacular setting of people who covered from side to side the Monumental Stadium.

Crowd to more power, queues, television cameras, a huge screen, cops, vendors and everything we usually see in a concert boosted to a thousand was what we could see barely reached the outskirts of the Monumental. It was just over 5pm and the atmosphere was amazing. Did anyone say beatlemania was dead?

Of course not, and in a few hours all this fever would explode inside the spectacular place that had been achieved. Hours passed and the “Coloso de Ate” achieved an insurmountable set of people to welcome Sir Paul McCartney. The moment was approaching and a few minutes before 9.30pm, after several waves and a crazy DJ mixing the Beatles in salsa, reggae and other genres, photographs of Liverpool’s four began to appear on screens; it was time to go back to our places. […]

From For Whom The Bell Tells, July 8, 2011:

The action kicked off in Peru on 9th May with Paul’s first-ever show in the city, which was greeted with incredible scenes of Macca mania. Like last year in South America, hundreds of fans once again set up a makeshift village outside the stadium days before the show started to ensure they got the best possible position at the front once the doors opened. Must be a Latin thing!

Stuart Bell

Last updated on November 28, 2020

Estadio Monumental

This was the 1st and only concert played at Estadio Monumental.

Setlist for the soundcheck

Setlist for the concert