Novocastrians are gearing up for arguably the most influential concert in our city's history. A real-life Beatle will be here in Newcastle on Tuesday.
By Friday, marquees and what could be reasonably mistaken as a large agility course had been erected in the McDonald Jones Stadium car park. A sign reading 'Welcome to Newcastle Paul' hangs in anticipation from the stadium entry.
The bump-in began on October 18 with almost 1,000 workers and about 30 semi-trailer trucks enlisted to ferry in equipment. For thousands around the city, the night will be one of their life highlights.
But one big question remains. How will thousands of fans be transported to McCartney's Got Back tour, and at the same time as commuters head home from the city, no less?
McDonald Jones Stadium venue manager Dean Mantle said he expected about 28,000 to 30,000 fans to attend on Tuesday. Given the huge crowds, attendees are urged to leave their cars at home and use event transport to get to the stadium.
"The impact of additional traffic is always a concern when we welcome large crowds to events at the stadium, however significant planning has taken place to minimise the disruption," Mr Mantle said.
"The increased use of these services will deliver relief to the public making their way home [ from work who] can't avoid the area and ensure the journey for concert goers is as smooth as possible," he said.
Getting to the concert
Five shuttle routes will run from as far as Cardiff, and a park and ride from Broadmeadow Station will leave about every five minutes. The shuttles leave from:
- Newcastle Interchange
- Charlestown/Kotara: stopping at Charlestown Square and Westfield Kotara
- Glendale/Cardiff: stopping at Stockland Glendale and Cardiff Station
- Wallsend/Jesmond: stopping at Wallsend Library, Newcastle Road at Blue Gum Road and Newcastle Road
- Mayfield: stopping at Wests Mayfield and Waratah Station
A timetable for shuttle times can be found here.
Attendees are encouraged to use existing bus, light rail and ferry services to meet the shuttles.
Taxi and rideshare pick-up will be in Young Road, outside Lambton High School.
Gates open at 5:30pm. A DJ set commences at 7pm and McCartney will be on stage from 8pm. Organisers are urging concert goers to arrive early.
Turton Road will be closed between Griffiths Road and Lambton Road from about 8:30pm and parking restrictions will be in place near the stadium.
Newcastle City Police District will be patrolling the area to make sure "surrounding roads are kept flowing", a Facebook post read.
Leaving the concert
Shuttle buses will run for one hour after the end of the show, following the pre-concert route.
Additional light rail services will run every 10 minutes until midnight and extra ferries will be in service until 1am.
The 81-year-old Beatle is the second in a trifecta of large-scale international acts to grace Broadmeadow in just over a year, creating new challenges for the city's transport network.
Transport provider Keolis Downer conceded routes were "overwhelmed" following hour-long waits for buses from McDonald Jones Stadium after Elton John's first concert in January. More staff and buses were added for a second concert several days later.
Mr Mantle said the bus routes for McCartney's concert had been "identified in conjunction with Kelios Downer as the primary locations throughout the city and surrounding suburbs that provide the best coverage".
"These routes have been successfully tried and tested during Newcastle Knights and other major events over the past few years," he said.
McCartney hasn't sold as many tickets as Elton John - who performed to two near-sold-out crowds in January - or Pink, whose 2024 tickets sold out in hours. But footage from Glastonbury 2022 proved the evergreen rock legend remains a great performer.
