McCartney kicks off NA Got Back tour with surprise Santa Barbara show

Sir Paul McCartney launched the North American leg of his Got Back tour with a surprise, last-minute gig at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Friday night, Sept. 26, 2025, giving fans an intimate preview before the run continues in Southern California later this week. The 4,562-seat venue sold out within minutes, and attendees were required to stow phones in Yondr pouches for the performance, according to local reports.

McCartney opened the show by performing the Beatles song Help! in full, a moment described by multiple accounts as the first complete live performance of the number since 1965. Some reports noted he had previously included only a fragment of the song during a 1990 tour, a discrepancy that reflects differing historical references to his live renditions. The rest of the set drew heavily on Beatles classics, Wings anthems and solo material, including Getting Better, Let Me Roll It, Jet, Live and Let Die, and the new Beatles release Now and Then. He also staged a virtual duet with John Lennon on I’ve Got a Feeling using archival rooftop footage, according to setlists circulated after the show.

Promoters and reporting vary on the tour’s scope. Some listings describe the North...