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Paul McCartney Enlists The Beatles Bandmate Ringo Starr For Performance in London: Watch

The 82-year-old's mammoth "Got Back" tour concluded in London after a two-year run with guests like Starr and Ronnie Wood.

Sir Paul McCartney durante el concierto de su gira Got Back en el Estadio Centenario en Montevideo, Uruguay, el 1 de octubre de 2024.

Sir Paul McCartney durante el concierto de su gira Got Back en el Estadio Centenario en Montevideo, Uruguay, el 1 de octubre de 2024.

DANTE FERNANDEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Ringo Starr joined his Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney on the final night of the latter’s global ‘Got Back’ tour at London’s The O2 arena yesterday evening (Dec. 19).

The drummer got behind his kit during the show’s encore to perform “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Helter Skelter.” Watch footage of the moment below.


After honoring his late bandmate John Lennon during “I’ve Got A Feeling,” McCartney said to a giddy crowd, “We’ve got another surprise for you. Bring to the stage the mighty, the one and only Mr Ringo Starr.” The pair hugged on stage before McCartney quipped, “Should we rock? Get on your kit la” to Ringo before the two-song appearance.

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The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood also appeared onstage during the show, playing guitar on “Got Back.” McCartney introduced the song by talking about his old bass guitar that was stolen over 50 years ago, and was eventually returned after a public appeal. Holding the Höfner onstage, McCartney revealed that it was the bass’ first stage appearance since it had gone missing: “I haven’t played it in 50 years.”

The “Got Back” tour kicked off in 2022 and has seen the 82-year-old perform all over the globe, and included a headline performance at England’s Glastonbury Festival in June of that year. He then continued the run in the U.S. and through Latin America, eventually concluding with a run in Europe and a number of shows in the U.K. over the past few weeks.

The evening was a star-studded event with big-names such as Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Kate Moss, Dame Judi Dench, Greta Gerwig and more all spotted in the crowd.

There was also a festive surprise with a performance of his 1979 song “Wonderful Christmastime,” accompanied by the Capital Choir who provided backing vocals on the song as snow confetti filled the venue.

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Elsewhere he performed a number of Beatles classics, including “Let It Be”, “Hey Jude” and “Something”, alongside Wings and solo material cuts like “Live and Let Die” and “Band On The Run”. He looked visibly emotional at the conclusion of “Now and Then,” the ‘final’ Beatles song released in 2023 which was completed through the use of assistive AI. McCartney has no more shows lined up in the near future, but promised the crowd at the conclusion that “we’ll see you again soon”.

This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.

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Billboard France Announces the Launch of Billboard Paris
Media

Billboard France Announces the Launch of Billboard Paris

The French edition of the world's leading music media outlet is creating a local vertical to cover music news in the Greater Paris region.

Billboard France, the French edition of the world’s leading music media outlet, today announced the official launch of Billboard Paris.

This new vertical, which has already reached 10 million views on social media, will focus exclusively on music news from across the Paris region, covering local events — from small-scale concerts and club nights to music exhibitions — as well as major celebrations such as Fête de la Musique, Nuit Blanche, Techno Parade, and Pride Month.

Billboard Paris will be operated by Billboard France under the leadership of Nicolas Baudoin and Ulysse Hennessy. Yanis Si Youcef has been appointed editor-in-chief, with support from Julien Zeidan.

“In the space of a year, Billboard France has established itself as both a leading outlet for French and international music news and a reference point for industry professionals," Nicolas Baudoin and Ulysse Hennessy, president and managing Director of Billboard France and Billboard Paris, said in a joint statement. "This new Paris-focused event vertical allows us to build a highly localized audience while simultaneously expanding both our editorial and commercial offering. We are pleased to entrust it to Yanis Si Youcef, whose expertise closely aligns with our editorial ambitions.”

“Paris deserved its own benchmark music platform. Billboard Paris will tell the story of the city through its music, its scenes, and its nightlife, with the standards that have defined the Billboard brand for more than a century," added Yanis Si Youcef, editor-in-chief of Billboard Paris.

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