Money can’t buy happiness unless that money is spent going to see Paul McCartney on the 2025 version of the Got Back tour. On the official kick- off Sept. 29 in Palm Desert, California (McCartney did a shorter underplay at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Sept. 26), McCartney showed it can also buy love, nostalgia, community and just all-around good vibes.
For 2 hours and 40 minutes, McCartney did nothing but bring joy to 11,000 lucky souls in a world where it is in increasingly short supply. He and his ace band played hit after hit with no sign at all from McCartney of fatigue for songs some of which he’s sung for more than 60 years. He still exudes a school-boy charm.
Not to be too hyperbolic—well, ok, to be hyperbolic—watching the greatest musician of the 20th century sing the Beatles’ first hit, 1963’s “Love Me Do,” 62 years later with the same innocent abandon as the original was nothing short of exhilarating and it felt like a miracle that he is still here delivering at such a high quality. There may be the temptation to put some qualifier on it, like “for an 83-year old man,” but he needs none. It’s remarkable to see anyone at any age playing songs with that energy surrounded by one of the best bands in the world, not to mention performing songs that spanned from 1958 to 2018.
Below are all the songs that McCartney performed on the first official night of the 2025 Got Back tour, which, for now, runs through Nov. 25 at Chicago’s United Center. Isolated tickets remain for all shows.
The post “Paul McCartney’s Palm Desert Setlist: Every Song From the Official First Show” by Melinda Newman was published on 09/30/2025 by www.billboard.com