Image Source: Rockceller Magazine
This year’s headline performance at Glastonbury Festival by Sir Paul McCartney was historic. After Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, an 80-year-old legend of the Beatles took the stage in front of a packed audience. But, Paul was grooving out on the Pyramid Stage for his historic performance at the adored festival in Somerset.
The musician made history by being the oldest solo performer to open the Worthy Farm event and giving a memorable performance of some of his most recognizable songs from his long career. Sir Paul’s virtual duet with his late Beatles bandmate John Lennon was another tremendously moving moment, and the audience went wild.
We’re back together, he added, adding, “I’m singing with John again.”
On Saturday night, the musician looked sharp in a navy button-up shirt as he entered the stage for his headline performance. He momentarily interrupted his performance to check on a festivalgoer. Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters also appeared on stage with him as special guests.
While addressing the audience and starting his act, Sir Paul was completely at home. Can’t Buy Me Love was the song he performed to open the event, which featured a sign language interpreter. And as the massive Glastonbury crowd broke into a chorus of “Happy Birthday” for their Saturday night headlining act, the music superstar appeared speechless.
With their attention fixed on the screens and the stage, the enormous sea of spectators appeared to be utterly absorbed by his performance.
Fans saw Oasis singer Noel’s performance end only to welcome a Beatles icon as Glastonbury transported them back in time by a few decades. To check on a spectator, he did, however, briefly interrupt his ode to Jimi Hendrix.
Even the music video for his wife Nancy’s love ballad, My Valentine, which he dedicated to her, was performed by the singer. In the sad song’s music video, Johnny Depp even made an appearance.
He remarked, “Okay, it was the only clothing change of the entire evening,” as he removed his gorgeous blazer at one point early on. And one very special visitor that joined Sir Paul on stage was Dave Grohl, the lead vocalist of the Foo Fighters, who had flown in, particularly for the colossal headline show.
With the frontman’s delays in reaching the UK, it would appear that even celebrities aren’t immune to mayhem at airports. The early Beatles classic “I Wanna Be Your Man” was followed by “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Glory Days,” and “I Saw Her Standing There.”
Sir Paul, a founding member of The Beatles, also recalled the band’s early years and playing the song’s solo in front of George Martin for the first time. With a video of John Lennon playing in the background, moving renditions of “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude” electrified the delighted audience.
Sir Paul raised the Ukrainian flag to the delight of the hundreds of thousands watching live. The 80th birthday of the Beatles legend was on June 18, and festival visitors made sure he felt honored by singing Happy Birthday to him.
When Sir Paul dedicated his song Here Today—which was published two years after John’s passing in 1980—to his late friend John, the enormous crowd fell silent.
“If you love someone, make sure you tell them,” he urged the crowd after finishing his song.
At the Pyramid Stage before, in 2004, Sir Paul performed. The festival’s youngest headliner, Billie Eilish, had just performed at Worthy Farm before his much-anticipated set.
