Sir Paul McCartney, who just a week on from his 80th birthday becomes the oldest ever solo Glastonbury headliner, brought out both Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen to accompany him onstage.
And if that wasn’t enough, there was a virtual John Lennon, too.
McCartney and Grohl sang the classic Beatles song ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ followed by ‘Band On The Run’ – a track from the Paul McCartney and Wings project.
This was Grohl’s first public performance since the death of Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins, as he came out to rapturous cheers. Grohl “flew in specially to do this,” McCartney explained.
Fans were elated, too, when McCartney subsequently brought out American icon Bruce Springsteen, before they both played the hit track ‘Glory Days’. This made a worthy, star-studded spectacle of McCartney’s headline slot, some 18 years since his previous appearance at the five-day festival on Worthy Farm.
Paul McCartney has just brought out Dave Grohl 🤯
— The Rock Revival (@TheRockRevival_) June 25, 2022
Here’s how Dave Grohl was introduced onstage by @PaulMcCartney at Glastonbury this evening. pic.twitter.com/1cKrYODuBE
— Foo Fighters Archive (@FooArchive) June 25, 2022
Whilst the previous night’s event had been all about the youngest-ever Glastonbury headliner in Billie Eilish, all attention this evening was on the legendary Beatle (even with Grohl and Springsteen present).
There had been some whispers that McCartney would play alongside a hologram of his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon – perhaps in a similar technological fashion as the recent ABBA Voyage shows had demonstrated (eagle-eyed observers would have noted the ABBA reference on Grohl’s jumper).
That dream was somewhat carried out as a McCartney did a duet with an isolated version of Lennon’s voice for the song ‘I’ve Got a Feeling’. This initiative, McCartney explained, derived from Peter Jackson’s Get Back series; the director had told McCartney it was possible as a result of making the documentary.
For McCartney, it certainly felt real, as he told the crowd: “I know it’s virtual, but there I am singing with John again – we’re back together.”
Sir. Paul McCartney brought out special guest and New Jersey native, Bruce Springsteen, for electrifying performances of “Glory Days” and “I Wanna Be Your Man” in Paul’s final concert of his 2022 tour. pic.twitter.com/NZRfnZwOqv
— The Beatles Earth (@BeatlesEarth) June 17, 2022
Later, after a set replete with classics like ‘Hey Jude’ and ‘Helter Skelter’ – as well as lesser known but impressively performed songs from McCartney’s sixty-plus-year catalogue – Grohl and Springsteen returned to the stage to conclude the show. The three of them then rounded off the set with a guitar-heavy rendition of The Beatles song ‘Carry That Weight’, before poetically concluding with ‘The End’.
This will no doubt go down as one of the truly memorable headline Glastonbury performances, in a show that both harked back to days gone by, referencing Beatlemania (of course) and paying tribute to the late Jimi Hendrix, whilst also firmly gazing toward the future. Sir Paul had also used his platform to wave the Ukrainian flag, showing the world his support for Ukraine in their ongoing war with Russia.
Crowds had certainly taken the opportunity to express their admiration for McCartney, having spontaneously sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to him early in the set, a week exactly since his 80th birthday.
Indeed, this was a moment to cherish and you can expect our full review soon (once our writer catches their breath)…
