Paul McCartney describes what it’s like to duet with John Lennon at his shows

Paul McCartney opened up about a particularly emotional part of his latest show, in the lead up to the Australian leg of his Got Back tour.

Clareese Packer

2 min read

October 24, 2023 - 9:56AM

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Sir Paul McCartney has opened up about a particularly emotional moment during his current tour.

As fans who’ve seen the first two Australian shows in his current Got Back tour know, McCartney’s show includes a virtual duet with his late bandmate John Lennon.

During the encore of his set for both his Adelaide and Melbourne shows, McCartney, 81, performed a duet of Beatles hit I’ve Got A Feeling with Lennon.

He spoke about the touching moment, which he called one of his favourite parts of the show.

“It’s kind of magic for me, because at one point I’m just backing John up,” he said in an interview ahead of his tour Down Under.

“I’m playing guitar and he’s singing in his middle bit [sings]: ‘Everybody had a good year’. And then I join him with ‘I got a feeling’. And so now there’s two of us together. And now I’ve got to actually really keep in with him.”

“And that’s beautiful because that’s like it was when you played live, you know, to be conscious of the other person, and do your part right alongside him. So yeah, it’s very emotional for me. I love it.”

McCartney recalled the first time he and his band played the duet in front of an audience, saying it felt real despite being made possible through technology.

Paul McCartney also performed the duet in Glastonbury last year. Picture: Harry Durrant/Getty Images.

The former Fab Four member plays just under 40 songs per set for his Got Back tour. Picture: David Crosling

“It was hard to hold your emotions back actually, because it was one of those … you could just get overcome.

“Because it was the magic – it was my buddy, who’s been dead a long time, and here he was, back, and I’m working with him again.

“And even though it’s sort of mechanical trickery it feels very real,” he sighed.

“So it was great.”

The moving moment is made possible through Machine Assisted Learning (MAL).

McCartney described how Lennon’s voice has been isolated from the soundtrack of The Beatles iconic rooftop performance, and that with the video playing on the big screen, he’s able to play along with his friend.

The Got Back tour arrives in Newcastle tomorrow night. Picture: David Crosling

He also spoke to The Beatles’ beginning, telling the tale of how two boys from Liverpool who liked to write music found each other.

“I look back on it and you marvel … You know, it’s just me and John, how did we get together? How did that happen?

“Well, I don’t know. I just knew a friend and he knew a friend and I met him, and we just decided we both were the only people we knew who wrote songs. So we suddenly were sitting down and writing them.

“And then now I’m here talking on a computer screen, on the Zoom. It’s just staggering, but I’m very proud of it and it is lovely to be the custodian of those songs, yeah.”

McCartney has since kicked off his Australian tour, already stopping in Adelaide and Melbourne.