Paul McCartney plays first Adelaide concert in 30 years
It will be the Beatles legend’s first Adelaide concert in 30 years. Here’s everything you need to know about Paul McCartney’s Aussie tour and how to get tickets.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
McCartneymania will ignite Adelaide when the Beatles legend plays an “intimate” arena show to open his much-anticipated Got Back tour to Australia in October and November.
It will be Paul McCartney’s first Adelaide concert in 30 years, returning to the city where an estimated 350,000 people lined the streets between the airport and Town Hall to catch a glimpse of the Fab Four in 1964.
While he is playing stadiums throughout the rest of Australia, McCartney wanted to kick off what is expected to be his final tour of Australia with a show for around 8000 people, seated at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on October 18.
“Yeah, I like to do that. Yeah, we’ll do anything from a real small little club kind of thing, to 3000, 7000 [capacity venues] … so I think it’s nice,” McCartney said.
“It feels like a good way to start in Australia. I always tell my promoter that if he can, he could stick in a couple of those gigs because we really enjoy them. So yeah, it’s going to be fun!”
His first Australian tour in six years includes shows at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on October 21, Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on October 27 and Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on November 1.
Taking a leaf out of Elton John’s book, McCartney has also booked two concerts in cities he has never played before – the McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on October 24 and the final show at Heritage Bank Stadium on the Gold Coast on November 4.
“You know, I really like playing places I haven’t played recently because it kind of adds to the excitement for me. And I think for the audience too – makes it a little bit more special. So I’m really looking forward to getting back there,” he said.
The 81-year-old pop powerhouse joked about how he will get matchfit again for his Australian tour after being off the road for the past year.
“It’s sex and drugs! Aw come on, behave yourself Paul,” he said, laughing.
“Yeah. It takes practice … And that’s what we do. We’ll be in LA, before we come, and we’ll spend two weeks in a place we normally go to, where we just meet every day and do band rehearsals.
“And so we mess around a bit and we jam a bit, and then we sort of say, ‘Okay, better try and learn that one’. Or relearn (a song).”
McCartney said the four-hour concerts by his mate-in-rock Bruce Springsteen had thrown down the gauntlet – and created an arduous benchmark – to pop superstars to at least hit the three-hour mark so fans feel they have had all the songs they love.
The marathon concerts he plays now are in stark contrast to the 30 minute sets The Beatles performed in the 1960s.
“I saw (Bruce) the other day and I said to him, ‘Listen, I blame you!’” he said.
“Because people used to do sensible length concerts, and then he starts doing four hours, and it’s like, ‘Oh, wait a minute.’ So we start thinking, ‘Oh we could do a bit more.’ So we’re working up towards the three hours.”
While the love for The Beatles and McCartney’s epic solo catalogues has never waned, the world fell in love with him and the band all over again via the Peter Jackson documentary series Get Back in 2021.
McCartney “performs” with John Lennon during his Got Back show, employing the same technology Jackson used to isolate and enhance the Beatles’ individual voices for the series.
The revered pop icon said his memories of that first Beatles tour in 1964 are a “bit of a blur” these days.
“We wanted this kind of success and this fame. So when you got it, it was really thrilling. But it was a little bit of a whirlwind, because you know, big crowds and you’re rushing from the hotel to the car and then from the car to the gig,” he said.
The first tickets will be available via a Telstra Plus Members pre-sale on August 3, telstra.com/music with staggered times for each city and those details via the website.
Then the Frontier Members pre-sale opens on August 9, with all ticketing details and box office opening times via frontiertouring.com/paulmccartney
General tickets will go on sale on August 11 via Ticketek and Ticketmaster, depending on your venue.
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, October 18, Ticketek.com.au
Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, October 21, Ticketmaster.com.au
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, October 24, Ticketmaster.com.au
Allianz Stadium, Sydney, October 27, Ticketek.com.au
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, November 1, Ticketek.com.au
Heritage Bank Stadium, Gold Coast, November 4, Ticketek.com.au
Click here for ticket prices.
Originally published as Paul McCartney plays first Adelaide concert in 30 years
Misleading manager caught claiming to be receptionist
An SA security business manager has been caught out by the courts claiming to be the company’s receptionist as he faced penalties for underpaying workers close to $100,000.
‘Nothing is forever’: Beloved city bistro to bid farewell
After almost four decades in its celebrated city location, an Adelaide dining institution will close its doors for the final time in April.