Sydney • Friday, October 27, 2023

About

On this day, Paul McCartney and his band were in Sydney to perform the fourth show of their seven-concert Australian leg of the “Got Back” tour. This was the first of two nights in Sydney.

On the evening of October 26th, we were in Sydney ahead of Paul’s double nighter at the Allianz Stadium when I received a call from a friend of Wix and the Hot City Horns. His name was Paul Beard, a respected musical director to many big names and he told me about a choir that his wife is part of, which is made up of cancer patients from the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse hospital. The choir had received national notoriety the previous year with their performance of ‘Let It Be’ on Australia’s Got Talent.

He introduced me to their leader, Shirin Amirbeaggi, who told me about their amazing work and said they’d love to invite Paul to see the choir and hear them sing in person. I explained that sadly his schedule was crammed full and he’d be straight off to the airport after the final Sydney date. Nevertheless, I messaged Paul to let him know about their offer, and he immediately asked me to invite them all to his show (which I must point out was super sold out, but the amazing ticketing team worked overtime to make it work!) and also to pass on his best and how good he thought their rendition of ‘Let It Be’ was. What a lovely call that was to make to the choir, I can tell you.

Those attending the first Sydney show on the 27th may or may not have realised what they were hearing as they took their seats just before it started, nor how lucky they were to hear it at all, but Paul had decided to treat his audience to a very sneaky 30-second teaser of the then-unheard and forthcoming final Beatles single, ‘Now And Then’.

“It was the surprise song not even diehard Beatles fans expected to warm-up the crowd at Paul McCartney’s concert at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on Friday,” reported The Australian Daily Telegraph. “It was a spectacular introduction – and a full circle moment six decades in the making – to a concert which has delighted and profoundly moved hundreds of thousands of Australians already.”

I’m just glad that none of the lucky Aussies leaked it!

Stuart Bell – Paul’s UK publicist – From Paul McCartney | News | For Whom The Bell Tells: ‘GOT BACK’ Australia Tour 2023, December 20, 2023

From news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site, October 28, 2023:

As a full moon beat down on tens of thousands of poncho-clad Aussies at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on Friday night, there was a fervent energy in the air. Paul McCartney was late to come on as many fans were still making their way to their seats amid heightened security at the 45,500-capacity venue. As time rolled on, my mind began wondering whether the former Beatle was okay. After all, it’s not often this many people come out to see an 81 year old perform. Most of us at 81 would likely be curled up at home with the slippers on at this hour.

However, any doubts in my mind were allayed the moment Macca – looking as sharp in his signature suit as he did when he was a spring chicken – graced the stage. As he yelled out the count-in to Can’t Buy Me Love, plucked his viola bass and belted out the hit’s iconic lead vocal, you could see a steely look of determination in his eyes. The crowd were giddy at the sight of a real life Beatle, but it wasn’t all about the Fab Four as McCartney launched into a set that featured a series of Wings hits early on.

His voice was thunderous as he rattled through some of his most uplifting and powerful songs in the Beatles catalogue, including Got to Get You Into My Life and Getting Better.

And, it wasn’t just the fans loving the performance. McCartney himself had to stop for a moment to take it all in. Between songs, he was witty and sharp as a tack. At one point he began reading the bizarre signs in the crowd and offered a sarcastic and deadpan responses to each one.

Musically, Macca is still a force to be reckoned with too. As his fingers danced across the piano during Maybe I’m Amazed, it was clear Sydney was watching one of the all-time greats in action.

Although this was a real stadium show with lasers, lights and exploding pyrotechnics (which McCartney jokingly complained were too loud for him), there were some special stripped-back moments. […]

There was a hushed response from the crowd when Depp appeared alone on the screen as the song began. The visuals then showed Depp and Portman perform an interpretative dance to McCartney’s 2012 song My Valentine – a tune the A-list duo appeared in the video for. […]

Last updated on December 21, 2023

Allianz Stadium

This was the 1st concert played at Allianz Stadium.

A total of 2 concerts have been played there • 2023 • Oct 27th • Oct 28th

Setlist for the soundcheck

Setlist for the concert