Montevideo • Sunday, April 15, 2012

About

This concert in Montevideo was the first concert of the Latin American leg of the “On The Run” tour. It was also the first ever visit of Paul McCartney to Uruguay.

From For Whom The Bell Tells, June 1, 2012:

On this part of the tour, we’d been to Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico. Paul and the guys played a total of nine shows, each one with its own significance.  Mood in the camp was excellent throughout.  With lots of travel and the added pressure of playing in places in the world that had never quite experienced anything like this before, each department excelled.  The boss set a high standard and the rest of the team followed his example.  We will all share some incredible memories of moments from this trip, from Paul inviting a two year-old mini Sgt. Pepper on stage to the spectacle of the free show in Mexico.

The amount of attention and coverage garnered from Paul’s South American adventure was staggering.  In each city there was extensive coverage in the build up to the show, the day of Paul’s arrival, the day of the show and then the reviews and post-show news. The media and public appetite for anything Macca- related was huge. It’s hard to communicate the sense of excitement in each country the tour went to. From the thousands of fans camped outside the hotels, the mobbed airports, the streets lined with posters, the giant Paul dolls (yes, you read that right!), the helicopters in the sky trailing our man’s every move, the ridiculously enormous stadiums, the endless newspaper front-pages, a host of mayors and presidents asking for meet and greets, the homemade Macca masks, the list really does goes on – it was proper mania.  The press office was an incredibly exciting place to be on this trip.  The enthusiasm of the local media was unique and infectious. I met a lot of really cool writers and journalists that I look forward to staying in touch with. They simply were delighted that they had a role to play in what was going on and wanted to report on all the excitement. They were also delighted that Paul’s visit would shine a light on their country and encourage other artists to visit too.  In Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia and Recife (in Brazil), the press all commented on the cultural significance of ‘On The Run’ being there and the fact it will now attract other artists. 

The reviews were sensational too, utterly brilliant.  With lines like, ‘Every smile, move, nod of the head captivated the audience, from children to adults, everyone showed their devotion to this idol’ and ‘He might be 69 but you’d think he’s a teenager.  He is the most powerful musician in the world but retains the humanity to visit new countries and to actually stop and greet fans, not to mention jumping on stage for a show that lasted almost three hours with an unbeatable repertoire and stories of the past and present, always delivered with great emotion’. When I told Paul about some of them, he was clearly moved and joked, ‘If I’m not careful I could get a big head here’. I would if it was me!  I’ve never seen reviews like the ones I’ve read recently.  Even by Paul’s exceptional standards, these were something else.

Stuart Bell

Last updated on November 7, 2020

Estadio Centenario

This was the 2nd concert played at Estadio Centenario.

A total of 4 concerts have been played there • 2012 • Apr 14th • Apr 15th • 2014 • Apr 18th • Apr 19th

Setlist for the soundcheck

The setlist for this soundcheck is incomplete, or we have not be able to confirm in an accurate way that this was the setlist. If you have any clue, pls let us know and leave a comment.

Setlist for the concert