Sir Paul McCartney has treated fans to a once in a lifetime event during a performance in Washington. McCartney sang along with a video of his late bandmate John Lennon. Within the singer’s “Got Back” tour, the audience could see the duo perform the classic hit “I’ve Got A Feeling” together.
The atmospheric performance was made possible by a video of Lennon’s isolated vocals, footage used in Peter Jackson’s hit docu-series The Beatles: Get Back was also played in the background. McCartney has revealed that the notion of having Lennon sing with his band was first actioned by Jackson, the idea led the filmmaker to create a track of Lennon’s isolated vocals. The famed artist recalls a text message from Jackson concerning the proposal, “We can extract John’s voice, and he can sing with you. (I replied) ‘Oh, yeah!”
¡Lennon y McCartney otra vez juntos sobre un escenario!#JohnLennon #PaulMcCartney pic.twitter.com/jN7Svjtdrd
— Strawberry Fields Radio Beatles Podcast (@SfRadiobeatles) April 29, 2022
This was not the only tribute made to Lennon, McCartney also dedicated the track “Here Today” to the musical icon. The song was originally written in 1982 by McCartney, and although not released as a single, the track is an important item within the singer’s lengthy solo discography. The song was written shortly after the tragic passing of Lennon and was penned as a tribute to the singer and the pair’s relationship. McCartney shared with the audience his feelings concerning Lennon’s passing, stating that he regretted that he had not “properly told (Lennon) he loved him while he had the chance“.
The death of Lennon is widely known as a pivotal and tragic moment within cultural history; his murder sent shockwaves of grief and disbelief around the world. The singer was shot on 8th December 1980 by an apparent fan whom he had autographed a book for earlier in the day, The 40-year-old singer’s ashes were scattered within a section of New York’s Central Park, the iconic Strawberry Fields memorial was later created to honour Lennon’s legacy.
The concert also saw McCartney pay tribute to fellow Beatle George Harrison; the singer used a ukulele which Harrison had gifted him for the song “Something”. The track was originally written by Harrison and is included within the group’s 1969 album Abbey Road. Conspiracies concerning the song’s meaning have often surfaced, a leading notion states that the track was written as a love song to Harrison’s first wife Pattie Boyd.
McCartney’s Got Back Tour sees the singer’s make a triumphant return to the live stage; the Washington performance kickstarted the tour and marked McCartney’s first live show in over two years. The extraordinary setlist included 36 songs comprising of classic hits as well as newer material, and the concert saw the live debut of “Women And Wives”, a track taken from the singer’s 2020 album McCartney 111.
The tour sees the singer perform across North America and concludes on 16th June 2022 with an appearance at MetLife Stadium. Speaking on his live return, McCartney stated, “They said ‘get back’, and we got back. And it feels cool. You’ll have to give me a moment to myself, just to let me take this in.”
