Saturday, December 14, 2024
Manchester
Concert • By Paul McCartney • Part of the European leg of the Got Back Tour
Last updated on November 14, 2025
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Concert • By Paul McCartney • Part of the European leg of the Got Back Tour
Last updated on November 14, 2025
Location: Co-op Live • Manchester • UK
Concert Dec 10, 2024 • Spain • Madrid
Interview Dec 13, 2024 • Paul McCartney interview for The Daily Mirror
Concert Dec 14, 2024 • UK • Manchester
Concert Dec 15, 2024 • UK • Manchester
Concert Dec 18, 2024 • UK • London
Paul McCartney shares emotional reason why performing final Beatles track solo is so hard
Dec 13, 2024 • From The Daily Mirror
With guest(s)
On this day, Paul McCartney performed his first UK concert since Glastonbury in June 2022, as part of his 2024 “Got Back” tour. This was the first of two back-to-back nights at Co-op Live, the new indoor arena inaugurated in May 2024. It was also Paul’s first concert in Manchester since his “On The Run” tour in 2011.
“Wonderful Christmastime” was added to the setlist, and Paul and the band were joined by a children choir, the YSBD Theatre Academy.
Simply having a Wonderful Christmastime in Manchester! We’ve been travelling around the world and here we are up north again. It’s good to be back!
Paul McCartney – From Facebook, December 16, 2024
Manchester is like, you know, next to my old hometown. It’s a great city, and we love it really. So that’s going to be good to be there. And then London, we finish it up around Christmas time. So that’s exciting. We’re looking forward to London, and then that will finish this tour, and we’ll all be very glad to have a nice Christmas holiday.
Paul McCartney – Interview with The Mirror, December 13, 2024
The news is out…. This weekend we’re performing at @thecooplive with SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY! It truly is a WONDERUL CHRISTMASTIME!
YSBD Theatre Academy – From Instagram, November 14, 2024
Where to even begin? I am so proud of our YSBD family who performed with @paulmccartney at @thecooplive last night.
What a way to celebrate our 10year Anniversary!
Watching them onstage with such a wonderful, kind and inspirational musical legend was truly a moment I will never forget. Sir Paul you have given us the best Christmas present we could have ever asked for. Seeing their faces light up and the excitement they had the entire evening will be a moment I will treasure forever. From the bottom of my heart thank you.
We simply had a Wonderful Christmastime and cannot wait to do it all again tonight!
YSBD Theatre Academy – From Instagram, November 14, 2024
From The Independent, December 14, 2024:
Paul McCartney got back to Manchester for his first show in the city in over a decade on Saturday, regaling more than 23,000 fans with a career-spanning set comprising songs from his Beatles, Wings and solo catalogues.
At the first of two sold-out shows – part of his celebrated Got Back tour and his first UK gig since 2018 – the veteran artist “duetted” with the isolated vocals of his late bandmate, John Lennon, and paid tribute to his wife, Nancy, who was in the audience along with his daughter, Stella.
“We’ve been travelling around the world; we’ve been in South America and now we’re up north again! And it’s good to be back,” the octogenarian told his audience. He chose to open with a rollicking version of The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night”, the title track from their third album, which celebrated its 60th birthday earlier this year. […]
Outside the Co-Op Arena, up and running at full steam after its somewhat chaotic opening in May this year, fans were in high spirits despite the rain and December chill, as they spoke with reverence and joy about one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
Married couple Stefan and Steffi, from east Germany, held hands on their way to the arena as they told The Independent of how they first met at The Beatles museum in Halle 23 years ago. Saturday marked the 20th time they had seen McCartney together.
“His music is the soundtrack of our lives,” Steffi said, while Stefan recalled: “We loved seeing him play Liverpool. He’s home, everyone there loves him… You can feel it.”
Sisters Eleanor and Gillian had flown over from Drogheda, Co Louth, as a tribute to their late father, Tony Rogers. A huge Beatles fan and local hero, he had run a taxi firm in the town for 30 years until he died while undergoing surgery in Istanbul, Turkey, aged 62. Tragically, he never got to see his hero play, but his daughters came to Manchester in his honour and carried an Irish flag bearing his name and photo.
“He was loved by everyone – his funeral took over the town,” Eleanor, who was named after Tony’s favourite Beatles song “Eleanor Rigby”, said. “He was a pillar of the community.” […]
Fans certainly seemed delighted about the setlist on Saturday, as they joined McCartney in a rousing singalong to “Something in the Way”, which he opened by playing a ukulele given to him by the late George Harrison (“a ukulele enthusiast”). He got into the festive spirit with a surprise performance of “Wonderful Christmastime”, complete with confetti “snow” and a local children’s choir.
By this point in the tour, many of the social media-savvy fans in the audience knew to anticipate the moment McCartney appears to “explode”, Spinal Tap-style, as smoke machines and pyrotechnics obscured the musician for “Live and Let Die”, Wings’s James Bond theme for the 1973 film of the same name.
Then came yet another singalong, this time to “Hey Jude”, before an encore starring the famed “duet” with Lennon on “I’ve Got a Feeling”. It’s a “nice feeling for me”, he told the crowd, “because I get to sing with John again”. McCartney was well and truly back, and his fans couldn’t have been more thrilled. “There’s only one thing left to say,” he said, closing the show. “See you next time!”
From The Independent, December 14, 2024
From Paul McCartney | News | For Whom The Bell Tells: ‘GOT BACK’ Europe Tour 2024:
“Extraordinarily sublime and humblingly beautiful” – The Guardian *****
Excitement levels in Manchester were at fever pitch this weekend, and not just because of the sold-out shows at Co-op Live. The city was gearing up for the massive Manchester derby on Sunday, but for two nights, it was Paul McCartney who took centre stage.
December 14th marked a long-awaited milestone: Paul’s first UK show since that legendary Glastonbury performance in 2022. Since then, Paul has taken Got Back across the world – Australia, South and Central America – and now, finally, he was home. As this week’s UK shows wrap up an incredible 2024 tour, the festive spirit in the air only adds to the sense of celebration. It’s party time.
“Nothing short of breathtaking” – Independent *****
Back at Co-op Live, despite the venue’s rocky start in the press, it’s clear what a fantastic space it is. Paul arrived around 5pm for soundcheck, greeting the team in his usual warm way. By 6pm, he was working with the YSBD (You Should Be Dancing) children’s choir, running through ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ ahead of its first performance tonight. Watching the young singers jump up and down with excitement was a sight to behold – it was pure joy.
But then in soundcheck something happened that none of us will forget.
“Simply having a wonderful Christmastime in the presence of a true great” – Manchester Evening News *****
For the first time in 52 years, Paul held his stolen, lost and now found Hofner bass in his hands once again on stage. Bought in Hamburg in 1961 for just £30, this was the instrument that helped shape The Beatles’ sound, lost for decades after being swiped in 1972, and now, against all odds, returned to its rightful owner. After soundcheck, Paul gathered the band and proudly held up the bass. “There she is, boys,” he said, beaming. Then, looking down at the guitar like an old friend, he simply said, “Hi, baby!” A perfect, heartfelt moment.
While we were all together and in high spirits, I took the opportunity to speak with Barrie Marshall, Paul’s longtime Tour Promoter. Barrie is the one that arranges, books and coordinates every date and venue that Paul plays – but, he tells me, it’s not just down to him to choose destinations.
“I present Paul with different opportunities,” Barrie explains. “He makes the decisions, and so it’s his choice where to play and what to do. He’ll give me some ideas of places he might like to go to, and then it’s my job to go out and see if I can make them work and play the right buildings at the right time. I make sure that the timing of the shows works well, and they somewhat stand alone from anyone else. That really is how it works. He’s the senior partner; I’m just here to do my bit.”
Barrie has been ‘doing his bit’ now since around 1988, when he – like Keith – worked on Paul’s debut solo World Tour. For him, the biggest difference he’s noticed in that time is the widened span of ages that has developed in the gig-goers.
“What’s been interesting is his audiences have gotten even broader,” says Barrie. “His appeal and demographic, age wise, is fantastic; he covers right across the board. I think people go and see him and hear the songs, see the way he performs and how long he performs for, and they’re completely mesmerised and blown away. You know, there’s no half risk with Paul McCartney. He goes out every night to have a great time and really enjoy himself and entertain the audiences, and he does it really, really well.”
Working on a global canvas, Barrie has to negotiate deals in every territory, and some can often prove more difficult than others – not necessarily for any business reasons, but perhaps political reasons, or things beyond his control. For example, the economy in Argentina, Barrie told me, was in recovery, and as such, hadn’t hosted many international artists in recent years. Taylor Swift performed at the River Plate stadium in 2023, and Paul was the only act to play there in 2024. “Paul always likes to do things like that, you know – not everybody does. And that’s part of Paul McCartney’s appeal: he’s special. He walks across places other people don’t even go near.”
Despite the odd problem that may arise, like all of us on Team Macca, Barrie loves his job and takes great satisfaction from being a part of such a machine that brings happiness to so many people. Speaking of his gratitude, he says: “I’ve been privileged to work with some wonderful artists, and I’m very lucky, but to finish up with Paul putting up with me for this long, it is quite remarkable. It’s a joy. He knows I really get off on all these dates, and he knows that sometimes they’re pressured, but, you know, it’s just a great thing, and I feel we have a good relationship. I understand who I am, and I understand who he is. I work for him, he’s the boss, and there’s no question about that. I get a lot of pleasure from that.”
At every venue we arrive at, we are made to feel at home. That is due to the care and effort that Barrie and his team put into ensuring everything runs smoothly with the show, and since everyone feels so comfortable when they’re working, we all get along so well. I’ve said it
before: we’re like a family. “And that comes from the top,” confirms Barrie. “The thing is, he’s Paul McCartney. He’s the biggest, most successful artist in the world, and yet he’s approachable. You get out of a car at a gig and there’s crowds waiting to see him. Depending on how busy he is and what he’s got to do in the time, he’ll just walk over to people and put his hand out and say hi. He doesn’t run from anybody – the opposite, in fact; he’s totally full on, and very real. He’s the most real person. It is a joy to watch him do that.”“The thing you’ve got to make sure,” he adds, before dashing off towards the stage, “is you don’t let him down. None of us like to do that, so we have to make sure. The family atmosphere is built because he acknowledges everybody. He respects all the crew and everybody; he knows who they are. They mean something.”
Meanwhile, backstage was once again a hive of activity. The press office was working frantically, with major media outlets in attendance. The buzz was undeniable. Paul McCartney, back on home soil, in front of a UK crowd for the first time in two years – it was always going to be special.
And indeed it was. A special highlight, for me, was seeing ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ finally unveiled, with the crowd looking very merry and white as indoor snow fell from the heavens. When I caught up with Paul and the band afterwards, they too were still elated from the performance.
“It doesn’t really feel like Christmas,” Abe Laboriel Jr. told me, “until Wix hits that first synthesiser note with trailing delay and the crowd erupts with childlike glee! It was pure perfection!”
“For me,” says Wix, “it means finding a youth choir and getting that side together musically. Fortunately there are some very talented kids out there, which makes for a special moment. Plus, I get to wear a Santa hat!”
“Paul has created his own winter wonderland,” affirmed Brian Ray. “Who doesn’t love a children’s choir with the Hot City Horns dressed up as festive and mischievous elves while the snow falls? We simply had a wonderful Christmastime!”
“The song itself,” added Rusty Anderson, “is such a unique, uptempo, classic Christmas party song, it’s a fun event to find yourself in the middle of. And we can only perform it in December, which keeps it fresh. What’s not to love?”
“We thought we might be spoiled by the South American audiences, and that it might come down a notch in Europe,” Paul said, “but it’s not true. It’s been just as amazing. A different scale, because we were playing big stadiums outdoors in South America, but it’s been fantastic. The fans have been incredible, as they always are, but perhaps more so. We’ve all been very pleased to get such a reaction.”
“It’s a bit cliché,” said Wix, “but every gig is its own special thing. They do like a party in South America, but Europe was definitely buzzing.”
“The crowd intensity has grown to a fever pitch globally,” Abe chipped in. “The warmth and jubilant crowd noise is overwhelming and beautiful!”
“I was taken aback as we moved from South America to France, Spain and the UK, at how those audiences were just as energetic in their own way,” Rusty agreed. “And you can hear the various accents when they are singing along which is so cool, and reminded me how far away I was from my LA home!”
Stuart Bell – Paul McCartney’s UK publicist – From Paul McCartney | News | For Whom The Bell Tells: ‘GOT BACK’ Europe Tour 2024
This was the 1st concert played at Co-op Live.
A total of 2 concerts have been played there • 2024 • Dec 14• Dec 15
Instrumental Jam
Written by Carl Perkins
Written by Carl Perkins
Written by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
See soundcheck statistics for “Got Back Tour”
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
Medley
Written by Jimi Hendrix
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
Written by Paul McCartney
Written by John Lennon
Written by Paul McCartney, Linda Eastman / McCartney
Written by George Harrison
Encore
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