Inside Paul McCartney's Ultra-Intimate Surprise Show at N.Y.C.'s Bowery Ballroom: A Night of Rock, Romance and Screams

Mar. 15, 2025

Paul McCartney performs a surprise show at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on February 11, 2025.Photo:MPL Communications Ltd/ Photographer: MJ Kim

MPL Communications Ltd/ Photographer: MJ Kim

“I can’t believe we’re here doing this!” a delightedPaul McCartneyrepeatedly said from the stage of New York’s Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday night. That went double for the exceedingly lucky few who crammed into the 500-capacity venue. This was more than just a rare chance to see the rock icon get back to where he once belonged in a room roughly the size of the Hamburg clubs where his career began. The ultra-intimate gig was announced with almost no advance warning at noon that same day. Tickets were sold exclusively at the box office for $50 cash. First come, first serve and one per person.

New Yorkers braved the bitter cold and descended on the Bowery, where a mood of giddy hysteria prevailed like a lost scene fromA Hard Day’s Night. Lots of laughing, running, waving, yelling, hugging and amped-up anticipation. Some got teary, but the prevailing facial expression conveyed an unmistakable look of “Is this really happening?” Many had abruptly abandoned their desks and offices after seeing the news flash across Macca’s social media. Fifty-six years after disrupting business in Central London with anunscheduled midday performance on a rooftop, the man still has it.

The show sold out within 30 minutes, but that didn’t stop the crowd from lingering in the deep freeze a while longer. Some hoped for a last-minute release of tickets — or even the announcement of a second show — while others took a more proactive approach. One fan (Not this writer. No, seriously.) even withdrew $1,500 in cash in hopes of persuading someone to part with their ticket.

Paul McCartney arrives at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on Feb. 11, 2025.MPL Communications Ltd/ Photographer: MJ Kim

“We’ve only had one rehearsal,” McCartney admitted soon after opening with “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Letting Go” — the latter a nod to the just-announced 50th anniversary special edition ofWings’Venus and Marsdue out in March. “Usually we rehearsea littlemore than that.” Even so, they were clearly still tour-tight.The last show they played was Dec. 19, when they wrapped their 23-date European trek at London’s 20,000 seat O2 arena. Watching them adjust to a significantly smaller stage at the Bowery Ballroom was uniquely charming, since it didn’t take a body-language expert to tell that they seemed ever-so-slightly cramped.

Paul McCartney performs a surprise show at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom on February 11, 2025.MPL Communications Ltd/ Photographer: MJ Kim

Another 21st century tune — one of only three in the setlist — served as an additional emotional highlight of the evening. McCartney offered a delicate reading of “My Valentine,” the 2012 balladwritten for wife Nancy Shevellduring one of their first vacations together in rainy Morocco. Though the song selection didn’t vary drastically from his recent tour, the proximity to Valentine’s Day seemed to add extra heft to love songs like “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and “Maybe I’m Amazed.”

Oher titles pulled from the sixty-year span ranged from relative deep-cuts like “Got to Get You Into My Life” and theBand on the Runcloser “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five,” to sing-alongs like “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” and “Mrs. Vanderbilt,” epic anthems like “Let it Be” and “Hey Jude,” and flat out rockers like “Get Back” and “Jet.”

Watching him perform from a dozen feet away, it’s tempting to study his face and try to get a read on what’s possibly going through his mind as he sings these Beatles classics. The best guess can only be articulated as “whatever the opposite of ’re-traumatized' is.” These songs appear to have a restorative effect on McCartney, as if he draws from the same well of youthful energy and happy memories that all Beatle fans do when hearing their music. It’s nice to think he does, at least. No wonder he never stops. Neither have his fans, who seem to grow younger every year.

Late in the show, a lone woman’s passionate shriek activates something in McCartney. “Hey, that was a Beatle scream!” he remarks with a grin. “OK, let’s go. Let’s hear your Beatle screams.” What could have descended into corny schtick becomes strangely moving when everyone lets loose with an ear-splitting wail. It’s as if we’re part of a continuum dating back to theearliest days of Beatlemania, participating in a time-honored tradition. The combination ofthat manandthat soundis just as electrifying as it ever was. McCartney nods his approval. “I can’t resist!”

The band close with their equally-traditional climax, the finale of theAbbey Roadsuite — complete with show-stopping three-way guitar duel. “That was a blast,” McCartney says after taking a bow. “And you were the blasters!”

As the dazed crowd wandered out into the snow, a question hung in the cold air: could this be the start of something more to come? A tantalizing tease of a new album? Perhaps a tour? Maybe even a string of surprise club dates? Eagle-eyed fans notice that a concert originally scheduled for the following night at the Bowery Ballroom has been moved to a different venue at the last minute, and the concert merch just says “February” rather than an exact date. Long before anything is official, fans begin lining up outside the venue at 8 AM…just in case. (A second show is eventually announced at 10 AM. It sells out in less than 30 minutes.)

source: people.com