Paul McCartney Plays Surprise NYC Club Date at Bowery Ballroom: Recap

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The great key art for the Paul McCartney surprise concert(s) at the Bowery Ballroom in February 2025.

At precisely 12 Noon today (February 11, 2025), Paul McCartney announced a surprise club date at New York’s Bowery Ballroom to begin just hours later. Tickets, for just 50 bucks, were limited to one per person at the box-office only. Not surprisingly, word spread quickly and the concert was sold-out within minutes. The standing-only venue has a capacity of just 575 and it’s not known how many of those were made available to the public. But those who did were treated to 22 songs from his vast Beatles, Wings and solo catalog. If the setlist below is accurate, the show finished with the powerful tracks from Side Two of The Beatles’ Abbey Road. No phones, audio or video were allowed in the venue. A reporter from the AP posted afterwards, “He rocked the s*** out of ‘Jet’.”

The performance came just two days after McCartney was seen in New Orleans, where he attended the Philadelphia Eagles’ blowout of the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX. And it was just days before he is set to appear as one of the guests for Saturday Night Live‘s “SNL50 Anniversary Special” which airs on Sunday, February 16 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

When Paul McCartney announced a Bowery Ballroom show tonight, @devonsaysrelax RAN from her apartment to get in line at 12:15pm. (15 minutes after the show was announced!) By 12:30pm, all tickets were sold out, because…well, it’s a Beatle. Not a bad way to spend $50, huh? pic.twitter.com/TjjENBKdK9

— Vulture (@vulture) February 11, 2025

McCartney has played many surprise club dates over the past decade, including a 2016 show at Pappy & Harriet’s in between his performances during consecutive weekends at Desert Trip, as well as one at a Liverpool pub in 2018.

Paul McCartney has just arrived for his surprise concert tonight at the Bowery Ballroom. He answered one question on the way in.. what he told us is coming up on the 6p newscast on @fox5ny pic.twitter.com/C9M7zL5jCS

— Arthur Chi’en (@Arthur_Chien) February 11, 2025

McCartney was joined by his longtime band: keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens, guitarist Rusty Anderson, guitarist-bassist Brian Ray and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. They completed an extensive tour of South America as well as the U.K. and Europe from October through December 2024. McCartney will turn 83 on June 18.

Paul McCartney arriving at The Bowery Ballroom NYC February 11 2025 pic.twitter.com/HqVvYcxpbY

— DIÁRIO DOS BEATLES (@Diario_Beatles) February 12, 2025

Paul McCartney at The Bowery Ballroom NYC February 11 2025 *Photos MJ Kim* pic.twitter.com/rJxNz09wD4

— DIÁRIO DOS BEATLES (@Diario_Beatles) February 12, 2025

Paul McCartney, Bowery Ballroom, New York, February 11, 2025, Setlist
A Hard Day’s Night
Letting Go
Got to Get You Into My Life
Let Me Roll It
My Valentine
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
Maybe I’m Amazed
I’ve Just Seen a Face
From Me to You
Mrs. Vanderbilt
Blackbird
Come On To Me
Jet
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Get Back
Now and Then
Lady Madonna
Let It Be
Hey Jude
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End

Paul McCartney leaving The Bowery Ballroom after the show NYC February 11 2025 *video ericnakassa/instagram* pic.twitter.com/EGLiGLa7H0

— DIÁRIO DOS BEATLES (@Diario_Beatles) February 12, 2025