Beatlemania On The Bowery! Sir Paul McCartney Pop-Ups At NYC’s Bowery Ballroom For 2 Shows & Counting…

Beatlemania, over the last two days, has taken over lower Manhattan. This as Sir Paul McCartney announced not one, but two day of pop-up shows so far at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom. Fans rushed out of Ubers, Lyfts and scooters, slipping on the ice and snow over the last two days to purchase tickets for the knighted Beatle’s vast underplay—Bowery’s capacity is 575— from the box-office only, as no tickets were sold online and limited to one ticket per person. Within minutes on Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb. 11-12) both shows sold out.

When asked how the Paul McCartney shows came together, LLC Manager of Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge and Teragram Ballroom Michael Swier would only say, “Serendipity.” When asked for further comment he added, “The shows were sublime, they left me speechless; I can now say if I died today, I’d die in peace.”

The first night’s setlist included Fab Four classics like “Hard Days Night,” “From Me to You,” “Now and Then,” “Hey Jude,” “Get Back,” “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “Letting Go” and more. For fans hoping to live the experience online, tough luck: all phones and recording devices were banned inside the venue. Night two featured “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Flaming Pie,” “Lady Madonna,” “Carry That Weight,” “The End” and more.

McCartney’s visit to the city is likely timed with the upcoming “SNL 50” celebration scheduled for Friday, Feb. 14 at Radio City Music Hall is slated to feature performances by Miley Cyrus, Chris Martin, Arcade Fire, Lady Gaga, The B-52s, Backstreet Boys (who just announced a summer residency at Sphere in Las Vegas), Jack White (who performs Brooklyn Paramount on Feb. 11 and 12), Post Malone, Jelly Roll and more.

McCartney popping up in cities for underplays is nothing new – the former Beatle took to a pub in Liverpool for the “Late Late Show With James Corden” in 2018, surprising fans in McCartney’s hometown.

The scene outside Bowery ballroom for this surprise Paul McCartney show: insane. Probably five hundred to a thousand people in line, people running out of Ubers, slipping on ice, people walking out of the venue with what is essentially the golden ticket. Never been so jealous.

— Adam Banks (@akbanx) February 12, 2025

But none of those compare to the mania of McCartney’s recent Bowery Ballroom show. On Feb. 11, it was announced that tickets would be sold at the doors of Bowery Ballroom, first come, first serve, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and showtime scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (McCartney took the stage at 6:44, his set lasting exactly 90 minutes, according to Variety, with an encore). At 7:30 a.m. PT on Feb. 12, fans were informed they’d have another chance – they just needed to make it to the Bowery Ballroom box-office quick enough. Less than 30 minutes after the announcement, the show had was again sold out with the line wrapped around the block and fans of all ages desperate for tickets.

On Feb. 11, the show was initially announced at noon. By 12:30 p.m., all tickets were sold out. The show itself featured no special guests, just simply the band McCartney has spent the past three decades performing with. According to Rolling Stone, he even told the crowd, “We had just one day’s rehearsal, yesterday. We usually rehearse more than that, but we just don’t care.

Celebrities were also in attendance at the underplays, including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro, Woody Harrelson, Jerry Seinfeld, Alana and Danielle Haim of HAIM, Sacha Baron Cohen and Jon Hamm.

The band included guitarist Rusty Anderson, guitarist-bassist Brian Ray, keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., who toured with McCartney on his recently-wrapped “Got Back Tour.” That run included two nights at The O2 arena in London on Dec. 18 and 19, with 33,613 tickets grossing $5.5 million. On Dec. 14 and 15, he played two shows at Co-op Live in Manchester, selling 30,832 tickets grossing $5.5 million.

McCartney is booked by Marshall Arts’ Barrie Marshall and managed by Maverick’s Scott Rodger. Among his 319 reported dates to Pollstar’s Boxoffice, the former Beatle has sold 9.3 million tickets grossing $1.2 billion.

Paul McCartney setlist (per Variety)
Bowery Ballroom, New York, 11 Feb. 2025
A Hard Day’s Night 
Letting Go
Got to Get You Into My Life
Let Me Roll It
My Valentine
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
Maybe I’m Amazed
I’ve Just Seen a Face
From Me to You
Mrs. Vandebilt
Blackbird
Come on to Me
Jet
Ob-la-di Ob-la-da
Get Back
Now and Then
Lady Madonna
Let It Be
Hey Jude
Encore:
Golden Slumbers-The End

Paul McCartney setlist 
Bowery Ballroom, New York, 12 Feb. 2025
Can’t Buy Me Love
Flaming Pie
Got to Get You Into My Life
Let Me Roll It
Getting Better
Let ‘Em In
My Valentine
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
Love Me Do
Come On to Me
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Drive My Car
Get Back
Now and Then
Lady Madonna
Let It Be
Hey Jude
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End