Sir Paul McCartney has announced that he will conclude his year with four arena shows in London and Manchester, as part of his critically adored Got Back tour.
The Beatles legend, 81, last performed in the UK in 2022 when he headlined the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival.
The new dates will also mark his first Manchester show since 2011 and his first London performance in six years, as he plays two nights at the O2 Arena and two dates at the Co-op Live, respectively.
The Liverpool-born singer-songwriter, one of the most successful musicians of all time, will perform a set spanning 60 years of classics such as “Hey Jude”, “Let It Be”, “Band on the Run”, “Get Back” and “Lady Madonna”.
“I’m excited to be ending my year and 2024 tour dates in the UK,” McCartney said in a statement.
“It’s always such a special feeling to play shows on our home soil. It’s going to be an amazing end to the year. Let’s get set to party. I can’t wait to see you.”
McCartney launched his Got Back tour in 2022, playing a string of 16 dates around the US before landing at Glastonbury in June that year, where he co-headlined with rapper Kendrick Lamar and pop singer Billie Eilish.
In 2023, he played an additional 18 shows as part of the tour in Australia, Mexico and Brazil.
Writing about his Glastonbury performance in a glowing five-star review, The Independent’s critic Mark Beaumont called it a “tell-your-grandkids honour” to watch the “Blackbird” singer make his second headline appearance at Worthy Farm.
“McCartney’s available canon is the greatest in music by such a vast degree that any couple of hours plucked from it at random would be the best gig of any particular year,” he said.
McCartney will be performing with his longtime band, featuring Paul “Wix” Wickens on keys, Brian Ray on bass and guitar, Rusty Anderson on guitar and Abe Lobriel Jr on drums.
He is also joined by the Hot City Horns (Mike Davis on trumpet, Kemji Fenton on sax and Paul Burton on trombone), who first joined him in 2018 when he performed at Grand Central Station.
During his Got Back shows, the singer has also employed constantly upgraded audio and video technology, including John Lennon’s isolated and remixed vocal stems from the concert The Beatles played on the roof of Apple Corps’ London headquarters, on 30 January 1969.
Using a technique developed by The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, the stems enable McCartney to “duet” with his late bandmate on “I’ve Got a Feeling”, from their 1970 album Let It Be.
Tickets to McCartney’s UK shows go on sale at 10am from Friday 21 June.
The UK tour dates are as follows:
Saturday 14 December – Co-op Live, Manchester, UK
Sunday 15 December – Co-op Live, Manchester, UK
Wednesday 18 December – The O2, London, UK
Thursday 19 December – The O2, London, UK
