Paul McCartney delivered more than just a show when he took to the stage Thursday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The event turned into a three-hour journey through 65 years in the life of one of rock's icons. As the Asbury Park Press noted, fans were worried that they may not make it into the stadium. With traffic backed up on the roads and highways surrounding MetLife, attendees were rushing out of vehicles parked along the roads to make it to the concert.
McCartney made his way through dozens of songs that helped to define key moments of his decades-long musical career. He delivered sterling performances of "My Valentine," which he dedicated to his wife, Nancy Shevell, as well as "Something," which was played with a ukulele intro in memory of George Harrison.
John Lennon's presence was also felt during the show. McCartney dedicated "Here Today" to the late rocker, then later performed virtually with Lennon on "I've Got a Feeling" from the "Let It Be" footage, which the Asbury Park Press noted was re-edited by Peter Jackson for his "Get Back" documentary.
McCartney also performed several newer songs from his later years and at one point brought out Bruce Springsteen to duet with him on "Glory Days" and "I Wanna Be Your Man."
"We got a special surprise for you," McCartney said. "A friend of mine, he's a local boy. I think you guessed it! I said you got to come and sing with us!"
Springsteen, taking to the stage, made a nod at McCartney's upcoming 80th birthday, which takes place Saturday.
“Here's to 80 more years of glory days,” Springsteen said.
Earlier in the night, the crowd broke into a spontaneous rendition of "Happy Birthday" and sang the song again later during the concert when Jon Bon Jovi led the stadium in a serenade.
It was only fitting that McCartney also played "Happy Birthday," which he did, Asbury Park Press reported, noting that after three hours "the energy was still crisp."
"There's one thing that remains to be said," McCartney said as the show came to a close. "We'll see you next time!"
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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