Sir Paul McCartney, 83, pays tribute to late bandmate John Lennon as he performs Beatles
Sir Paul McCartney paid tribute to the late John Lennon by performing Beatles hit Help for the first time in almost four decades amid his US tour in California on Friday.
The music icon, 83, who wrote the track alongside Lennon in 1965, included a whole host of the band's songs in his setlist, with Help featuring for the first time since way back in 1990. McCartney took to the stage for a one-off show at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Palm Desert ahead of the North American leg of his Got Back tour kicking off on Monday.
The Beatles legend also performed a string of the other band's hits including Hey Jude, Let It Be and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Lennon was tragically shot dead at the age of 40 by fan Mark Chapman outside his home in New York City in 1980.
He had left the Beatles in 1969 and in 1970 the split hit headlines when McCartney announced publicly that he was no longer working with the group. Sir Paul McCartney paid tribute to the late John Lennon by performing Beatles hit Help for the first time in almost four decades amid his US tour in California on Friday.
The icon, who wrote the track alongside Lennon in 1965, sang Help for the first time since way back in 1990 (L-R Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison 1963) The late musician would go on to become embroiled in legal battles over the band's back catalogue which caused tension between him, his wife and former song-writing partner.
Back in 2022 McCartney projected documentary footage of his late bandmate as he took to stage at Spokane Arena, Washington. He projected footage of the late Lennon behind him and 'duetted' with his bandmate for a touching rendition of I've Got A Feeling.
A touching photograph of the incredible moment showed he performed on stage as Lennon sang and played the guitar on a huge screen behind him. The footage was taken from Peter Jackson's Disney+ documentary The Beatles: Get Back, which aired in November 2021 and followed the making of the band's 1970 album Let It Be.
McCartney told the crowds: 'Peter Jackson said, "I can pull John's voice out if you'd like me to".' Earlier this year the cast for Sam Mendes' upcoming Beatles biopics have been announced, with four huge names set to take on the roles of the Fab Four.
At CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas, Sony confirmed the cast for the four Beatles projects following a sea of speculation, with all four films set to be released in April 2028.
McCartney took to the stage for a one-off show at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Palm Desert ahead of the North American leg of his Got Back tour kicking off on Monday.
Source: dailymail.co.uk/Geraint Llewellyn
