Overview
Money can't buy you love, as four mop-topped Brits first sang 59 years ago, but it can buy you tickets to see the music legend who wrote one of the catchiest pop tracks ever released — and co-performed it — play it live in Australia. When Paul McCartney heads Down Under this spring, he'll have a wealth of material to choose from. One of his favourite openers: 'Can't Buy Me Love'.
Hitting our shores for the first time since 2017 on his Got Back tour, McCartney will work through a massive catalogue of hits from his time in The Beatles, Wings and also across his solo career on a six-city stint around the country. Arenas and stadiums will welcome Sir Paul, starting at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Wednesday, October 18, then heading to Melbourne's Marvel Stadium, Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium and Allianz Stadium in Sydney before the month is out. Then, to kick off November, McCartney will take over Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium and finally Heritage Bank Stadium on the Gold Coast.
This tour will mark the Beatles icon's first-ever Newcastle and Gold Coast shows, and also commemorate almost six decades since the band that helped McCartney make history famously toured Australia in 1964 amid a wave of Beatlemania. In Adelaide all of those years back, it's estimated that 350,000 people lined the streets to get a glimpse of the group, packing the stretch between the airport and Town Hall.
McCartney's Got Back setlist has featured everything from 'Hey Jude', 'Let It Be' and 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' to 'Love Me Do', 'Blackbird' and 'Got to Get You Into My Life' from The Beatles across its stops so far. Yes, 'Get Back' gets a whirl. Wings tunes 'Live and Let Die', 'Band on the Run', 'Letting Go' and 'Junior's Farm' usually pop up, too, as does McCartney's own 'Maybe I'm Amazed'.
The Got Back tour kicked off in the US in February 2022, wrapping up last year's run with a massive Glastonbury set.
McCartney now brings his usual band — keyboardist Paul 'Wix' Wickens, bassist and guitarist Brian Ray, fellow guitarist Rusty Anderson and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr — our way after picking up a Helpmann Award for Best International Contemporary Concert for his last visit.
PAUL McCARTNEY 'GOT BACK' TOUR 2023 DATES:
Wednesday, October 18 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Saturday, October 21 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Tuesday, October 24 — McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Friday, October 27–Saturday, October 28 — Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wednesday, November 1 — Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Saturday, November 4 — Heritage Bank Stadium, Gold Coast
Paul McCartney tours Australia in October and November 2023, with Telstra Plus members pre-sale tickets from Thursday, August 3, Frontier members pre-sale ticketing available from Wednesday, August 9 and general tickets from Friday, August 11 — all at staggered times. Head to the tour website for further details.
Images: MPL Communications.