Paul McCartney 2026 Tour: Beatles, Wings & Heartfelt Duets
McCartney has rolled a career’s worth of Beatles, Wings and solo landmarks into a two-and-a-half-hour show that starts fast, gets reflective in the middle, and ends like a stadium-size sing-along. This leg began in the Palm Springs area and is tracking across the U.S. and Canada through late November, with fresh moments that even longtime fans have never seen live before.
Paul McCartney Tour Updates
Paul McCartney’s 2025 Tour is not just a greatest-hits set. It is a carefully paced story about friendship, loss, and why these songs still light up a room. The warm-up in Santa Barbara and opening arena shows set the tone: a full “Help!” for the first time in decades, a quiet “Something” on the ukulele George Harrison gave him, and a Lennon “duet” during “I’ve Got a Feeling” using Peter Jackson’s Get Back footage.
The nights are long, the setlist is deep, and the mood swings from tears to fireworks to the “na-na-na-na” of “Hey Jude.”
What’s new on this leg
- “Help!” returns in full. At the Santa Barbara Bowl on September 26, McCartney performed the song start to finish for the first time in roughly 35 years, then kept it in for the stadium opener in Las Vegas. It is a jolt of adrenaline at the top of the show and it lands like a mission statement.
- Cities getting first-time shows. Places like Albuquerque and the Greater Palm Springs area are new pins on the McCartney map, which is why these dates have a bit of “event” energy around them.
- The Lennon moment is now a fixture. “I’ve Got a Feeling” pairs Paul with John on screen and in the PA, drawn from the Get Back sessions. It is simple, moving, and it works every time.
McCartney show, beat by beat
1) The blast-off
Recent shows have opened with an unmistakable run: “Help!” into a tight sequence that blends Beatles power pop with post-Beatles punch. In Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, the opening sequence set the crowd moving early and never really let up. The pacing here matters; it buys Paul time to stretch later.
2) Story time in the middle
The mood softens for “Blackbird,” performed on an elevated platform with the band stepping back. “Here Today,” written for Lennon, still catches the breath. Then comes the “newest” song of the night, “Now and Then,” which Paul now introduces with a nod to gratitude and time. These are the minutes that frame the show as more than a revue.
3) The bright lights return
Piano rockers and Wings anthems reset the energy: “Lady Madonna,” “Jet,” “Band on the Run,” and the pyro-heavy “Live and Let Die” that still shakes the rafters. With smoke still in the air, he slides into “Hey Jude,” and a stadium turns into a choir. It is predictable on paper. In the room, it still feels earned.
4) The encore that ties it up
The Get Back “duet,” the Sgt. Pepper reprise, the Abbey Road closing suite. You walk out humming three different songs at once.
Setlist themes fans should expect
While individual nights vary, data points from Vegas and early shows show a spine that pulls from every era:
Beatles staples
“Help!,” “Love Me Do,” “Let It Be,” “Get Back,” “Hey Jude”
Wings era punches
“Jet,” “Let ’Em In,” “Band on the Run,” “Live and Let Die”
Solo Cuts
“Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Come On to Me”.
The rotation also keeps space for deep roots like The Quarrymen’s “In Spite of All the Danger.”
Tip for readers: If you want to know exactly what was played at the show you attended or plan to attend, check recent city pages close to your date and compare the middle third of the set. That is where tweaks usually happen.
Production, band and staging
McCartney’s road unit is the same seasoned core that has carried him for years: Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray on guitars, Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums, and Paul “Wix” Wickens on keys, with the Hot City Horns bringing the brass.
The staging is modern without trying to outshine the songs: clean screens, focused camera direction, and a light plot that knows when to disappear. The “Blackbird” platform and the visuals for “I’ve Got a Feeling” are the quiet tech flexes that define the look of this run.
Dates, cities and the arc of the leg
This leg opened with a Palm Springs-area debut at Acrisure Arena on September 29 and runs to a two-night finale at the United Center in Chicago on November 24 and 25. In between are mixed arena and stadium plays across Las Vegas, Denver, Des Moines, Minneapolis, Tulsa, New Orleans, Atlanta, Montreal and more, with a couple of markets getting double nights due to demand.
Why this run matters
- New memories inside familiar songs. “Help!” returning in full, “Something” on George’s ukulele, and that Lennon link make the show feel freshly authored in 2025 rather than sealed in amber.
- A tight narrative. The mid-show reflections give the fireworks a reason to exist. When “Live and Let Die” goes off and “Hey Jude” lands, you have already been through the family album.
- Reach. First-time cities and a broad geographic spread keep the tent wide for fans who have waited years.
Practical notes for fans
How long is the concert? Plan for about two and a half hours of continuous music with no traditional break. Eat early and charge your phone if you plan to film the finale. Some shows may encourage phone pouches, so check the venue notes.
What time should you arrive? Aim to be inside 45–60 minutes before showtime. “Help!” can be first, and you do not want to hear that from a concourse TV.
Which songs are unmissable if you are new to his shows? “Help!,” “Blackbird,” “Live and Let Die,” “Hey Jude,” and the “I’ve Got a Feeling” moment with John. That sequence alone explains the whole thesis of the tour.
Recent reviews highlight the same pillars: a rejuvenated opening, the personal tributes, and the durability of the finale. Consequence’s Las Vegas report underlined how the show balances grief and joy without losing momentum, while regional coverage of the Santa Barbara warm-up captured the surprise and significance of “Help!” returning. Our analysis aligns with both threads, and the pattern has held as the tour moves city to city.
Will there be changes as the tour rolls on?
Yes, but not big swings. Expect small swaps in the middle third, and watch for city-specific nods when Paul talks between songs. The opening punch and the closing suite tend to stay put because they frame the story he wants to tell this year. For the latest city-by-city specifics, track the official tour page and current setlist logs the week of your show.
If you have never seen Paul McCartney, this is a forgiving entry point. The pacing is generous, the sound is built for big rooms, and the storytelling gives shape to songs you already know by heart. If you have seen him many times, the 2025 leg still offers firsts, from the opening blast of “Help!” to the Lennon bridge that turns a stadium into something smaller and strangely intimate. That is the trick this tour keeps pulling off: a history lesson that refuses to feel like one.