Paul McCartney, Allianz Stadium review: Former Beatle brings the thunder on a special night

As a full moon beat down on tens of thousands of poncho-clad Aussies at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on Friday night, there was a fervent energy in the air.

Paul McCartney was late to come on as many fans were still making their way to their seats amid heightened security at the 45,500-capacity venue.

As time rolled on, my mind began wondering whether the former Beatle was okay. After all, it’s not often this many people come out to see an 81 year old perform.

Most of us at 81 would likely be curled up at home with the slippers on at this hour.

However, any doubts in my mind were allayed the moment Macca – looking as sharp in his signature suit as he did when he was a spring chicken – graced the stage.

As he yelled out the count-in to Can’t Buy Me Love, plucked his viola bass and belted out the hit’s iconic lead vocal, you could see a steely look of determination in his eyes.

The crowd were giddy at the sight of a real life Beatle, but it wasn’t all about the Fab Four as McCartney launched into a set that featured a series of Wings hits early on.

His voice was thunderous as he rattled through some of his most uplifting and powerful songs in the Beatles catalogue, including Got to Get You Into My Life and Getting Better.

And, it wasn’t just the fans loving the performance. McCartney himself had to stop for a moment to take it all in.

Between songs, he was witty and sharp as a tack. At one point he began reading the bizarre signs in the crowd and offered a sarcastic and deadpan responses to each one.

Musically, Macca is still a force to be reckoned with too. As his fingers danced across the piano during Maybe I’m Amazed, it was clear Sydney was watching one of the all-time greats in action.

Although this was a real stadium show with lasers, lights and exploding pyrotechnics (which McCartney jokingly complained were too loud for him), there were some special stripped-back moments.

Macca took it back to where it all began, with a rendition of In Spite of All the Danger — the first song he recorded with the proto-Beatles outfit known as The Quarrymen song. Skiffle music never sounded so good in 2023.

There were moments of individual brilliance amongst the bombastic band performances too, as the ex-Beatle showcased his finger-picking on Blackbird, and his emotional solo tribute to John Lennon with Here Today.

There were new songs such as Come On to Me from 2018’s Egypt Station – before which he joked that he knows which songs crowds prefer.

“When we play an old Beatles song the place lights up with all your phones, it’s like a galaxy of stars,” he said. When we play a new song … it’s like a black hole. But we play ’em anyway!”

There was also a moment when A-listers Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman appeared on giant screens behind the band.

There was a hushed response from the crowd when Depp appeared alone on the screen as the song began. The visuals then showed Depp and Portman perform an interpretative dance to McCartney’s 2012 song My Valentine – a tune the A-list duo appeared in the video for.

McCartney meanwhile was nowhere near running out of steam.

The octogenarian barely paused for breath during a mammoth 160-minute performance, with hardly any break for the encore. How he does it without sustenance or toilet breaks remains a mystery for the ages, but he was unrecognisable from the old age pensioner you would expect him to be at this point in his life.

The encore was a festival of Beatles hits, including a virtual duet with John Lennon – who appeared on the big screen behind the band and sang duelling vocals to I’ve Got a Feeling with his old friend.

If the ear drums had not taken a serious enough beating by this point, Helter Skelter – one of the heaviest songs ever recorded in its day – made sure they were ringing.

It’s a hard enough song to sing for anybody, but for Macca to hit the high notes after a sprawling two-hour set was superhuman.

To top it all off he finished with the trio of interwoven songs at the end of Abbey Road that are considered by many to be his magnum opus – Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End.

It was a fitting end to a truly magnificent concert that will never be forgotten by those lucky enough to attend.

And, with the way he performed, I’d speculate that he may be back on Australian soil again at some point in the future.

Full setlist

1. Can’t Buy Me Love (The Beatles)

2. Junior’s Farm (Wings)

3. Letting Go (Wings)

4. She’s a Woman (The Beatles)

5. Got to Get You Into My Life (The Beatles)

6. Come On to Me

7. Let Me Roll It (Wings)

8. Getting Better (The Beatles)

9. Let ‘Em In (Wings)

10. My Valentine

11. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (Wings)

12. Maybe I’m Amazed

13. I’ve Just Seen a Face (The Beatles)

14. In Spite of All the Danger (The Quarrymen song)

15. Love Me Do (The Beatles)

16. Dance Tonight

17. Blackbird (The Beatles)

18. Here Today

19. New

20. Lady Madonna (The Beatles)

21. Fuh You

22. Jet (Wings)

23. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (The Beatles)

24. Something (The Beatles)

25. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles)

26. You Never Give Me Your Money (The Beatles)

27. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (The Beatles)

28. Band on the Run (Wings)

29. Get Back (The Beatles)

30. Let It Be (The Beatles)

31. Live and Let Die (Wings)

32. Hey Jude (The Beatles)

Encore:

33. I’ve Got a Feeling (The Beatles) – virtual duet with John Lennon

34. Birthday (The Beatles)

35. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (The Beatles)

36. Helter Skelter (The Beatles)

More Coverage

37. Golden Slumbers (The Beatles)

38. Carry That Weight (The Beatles)

39. The End (The Beatles)

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