Beatles Reunite as Paul McCartney Brings Out Ringo Starr for Final Show on “Got Back” Tour
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were reunited on stage at London’s O2 Arena on Thursday night
The surviving Beatles reunited onstage Thursday night at McCartney’s Got Back Tourfinale in London to perform two of the band’s most iconic songs.
As McCartney, 82, welcomed his surprise guest — “the mighty, the one and only, Ringo Starr” — thousands of fans filled the O2 arena with prolonged applause. Starr, 84, flashed his signature peace sign, then McCartney asked, “Should we rock?”
“I only rock,” Starr quipped before assuming his position at the drum kit.
The former bandmates joined McCartney’s band for a rendition of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise),” then capped off their mini-set with “Helter Skelter.” (Starr joined McCartney for the same two songs when he appeared at the “Maybe I’m Amazed” singer’s sold-out show at Dodger Stadium in 2019.)
It was an emotional moment for the last two surviving members of the Beatles and their audience: “It’s fantastic, playing with me old mate, but there comes a time when we’ve got to go home. All that remains to be said….
“I’ve had a great night and I love you all,” Starr told the doting crowd as he made his exit Thursday. “Thanks to this man.
The duo have performed several times together since the band broke up in 1969.
But that wasn’t the only surprise of the night. Earlier in the show, McCartney had introduced his audience to another old friend: his original bass guitar, which was stolen half a century ago and made its way back to its rightful owner in February.
“Sounds like a bass,” McCartney remarked as he played the recovered instrument for the first time in 50 years. “And what is more, we’ve got a special guest for you — Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood!”
The two embraced before launching into a performance of the Beatles’ 1969 single “Get Back,” which Starr previously performed with Wood and McCartney at the same London venue in 2018.
“There’s a connection between the bass player and the drummer, you know,” Starr told The Times in September as he recalled that moment. “You’re both the deep end of it all.”
“Paul’s the man — and he’s still the most magical bass player I know,” he said.
McCartney played nearly 40 songs Thursday night from a vast catalog of hits, not only with the Beatles but with the band Wings and his solo albums.
The Liverpool-born Beatles are the best-selling music act of all time, selling an estimated 1.6 billion singles in the U.S. and over 600 million albums worldwide. They have 20 No.1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the most of any band in history.
John Lennon was shot dead in New York in 1980 and George Harrison died from cancer in 2001.
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