On Friday, Paul McCartney put out his latest studio effort Egypt Station. As a way of celebrating the bassist threw a surprise release party concert in New York City inside Grand Central Terminal which was webcast for free on YouTube. The 76-year-old delivered a career-spanning 26-song set for about 200 people that featured a mix of celebrities and fans in the historic building’s Vanderbilt Hall.
It’s not the first time that Macca has pulled off something like this off in New York City. Back in October 2013, McCartney rolled into Times Square on a flatbed truck to play for free mini-concert as a way of promoting his album New. The former Beatle surprised fans again on Valentine’s Day 2015 when he played an intimate last-minute club gig at Irving Plaza.
Last night’s show kicked off with “A Hard Day’s Night” a nice nod to the fact that he was playing the busy commuter hub. From there McCartney and his backing band would work there way through a selection of hits from throughout his expansive catalog with a healthy dose of material from The Beatles, along with cuts from Wings and his solo records. The Fab Four was represented with tunes for every type of fan. The band’s early work was on display with “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Love Me Do” and “I Saw Her Standing There” while their mid-period psychedelic-pop phase got tapped with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and a quartet of selections from The White Album. The band’s final records also were featured with “Let It Be” and “I’ve Got A Feeling” along with a show-closing take on a portion of the Abby Road suite.
Macca didn’t ignore his latest release as he showcased three tracks from Egypt Station delivering “Who Cares,” “Fuh You” and “Come On To Me.” Watch the entire show below:
Setlist
A Hard Day’s Night, Hi Hi Hi, Can’t Buy Me Love, Letting Go, I’ve Got A Feeling, Come On To Me, My Valentine, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five, From Me To You, Love Me Do, FourFiveSecond, Blackbird, Dance Tonight, Who Cares, I Saw Her Standing There, Fuh You, Back In The U.S.S.R., Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Birthday, Lady Madona, Let It Be, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Helter Skelter, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End
