Paul McCartney Plays Surprise Concert In NYC, Fans Scramble For Tickets

Sir Paul McCartney stunned and delighted fans when he announced he would take the stage at a pop-up concert at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on Tuesday night.

The 82-year-old former Beatles band member debuted a show called “Paul McCartney Rocks the Bowery,” which was announced on his official website and social media platforms at noon on Tuesday, per CBS News. Fans scrambled to get tickets for the intimate performance at the 575-seat venue as they were only available in person at the Bowery Ballroom’s box office and cost just $50. Purchasers were limited to one ticket each.

Lines quickly wrapped around the block, and the show sold out within an hour.

“There was people running from all directions — subway, bikes, getting out of cars and taxis. Everybody was running,” a fan named Adrienne Dee-Olsen told CBS.

Another fan told the news outlet that he considered McCartney’s concert an “emergency” worth running out of work for. “I literally left work, told my boss it’s a big emergency. He’s like, ‘What’s the emergency?’ I go, ‘It’s Paul McCartney.’ I mean, like, what’s more important than that?” Stephen Esposito said.

Video recording and photography were not permitted in the venue, but a Variety reporter noted that McCartney began his set with “Hard Day’s Night” and followed up with other Beatles classics, along with hits from his other band, Wings. The British rocker was joined onstage by his tour partners, including guitarist Rusty Anderson, guitarist-bassist Brian Ray, keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens, and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr.

He did a solo to “Blackbird” on an acoustic guitar, per The New York Post, and recalled how he wrote the song for the Beatles during the civil rights movement. “We were just kids. I’ve got grandchildren older than that now,” McCartney told the crowd.

Other songs played included “Letting Go,” “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “Let Me Roll It,” “My Valentine,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Come on to Me,” “Now and Then,” “Let It Be,” “Hey Jude,” “Jet,” and many others.

The crowd sang along to all the hits and shrieked with delight at times, which McCartney addressed from the stage.

“Hey, that was a Beatles scream,” he said at one point before inviting the audience members to get it out of their system. “Okay girls, let’s get it over with,” he said with a sigh, as Variety noted. “Let’s hear your Beatles screams.”

The crowd erupted for a few minutes until the rock performer stopped them, saying, “Okay, that’s enough.”

McCartney played for 90 minutes before thanking the crowd and departing.