Jojo got back. Sweet Loretta Martin, too. So did everyone fortunate enough to witness Paul McCartney amaze a standing-room-only audience at United Center on Monday during the first of a two-night stand in.
Bringing the latest leg of his Got Back Tour to a close at his first local appearance in eight years, the 83-years-young legend presided over a joyful celebration that inspired, uplifted and unified. The blueprint-worthy presentation featured no wardrobe changes, no backing tracks, no pompous boasts, little downtime and a minimum of frills.
More remarkable was how McCartney, a crack four-piece backing band and a three-piece horn section caused the doom and gloom in the world to disappear for almost three hours. In their place? Warmth and hope.
The happiness and passion on display went beyond sentiments expressed in the lyrics. It extended to scenes in the crowd and bonding experiences shared across generations. Within arm’s reach of my seat, a father beamed as his teenage daughter mouthed words to nearly every tune and never sat down. A son doted on his octogenarian mother and recorded him dancing with her. Another father grinned while his child watched a cultural icon.
Lacking any apparent ego or agenda, the ex-Beatle operated with a mix of effortlessness, modesty and courteousness that belied his achievements. If not for infrequent occasions of seeing him wipe his brow, one might wonder if he broke a sweat. He switched between bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, ukulele, piano and grand piano as if he was changing his socks.
In addition to reigning as one of the finest songwriters in the universe, McCartney might very well be uneclipsed when it comes to his enthusiasm for music and the goodwill it can generate. A mention of crafting “Blackbird” in support of civil rights activists and a story of the Beatles refusing to perform at a segregated concert in Jacksonville, Florida — and how the group became the first entertainers to integrate an audience there — were the closest he came to sociopolitical statements.
Instead, the medium served as the message. And what a medium: indelible melodies, adhesive hooks, lilting choruses, bursting colors. His bottomless bag of eternal songs included more than 20 Beatles classics and a healthy stock of solo and Wings favorites. Plus, a couple of deep cuts for extra variety. The majority were sent up with carefree innocence and magnetic flair.
As far as nostalgic trappings go, McCartney’s set seemed immune to nostalgia given how deeply he invested himself in the material. Nothing forced. Nothing slack. Nothing staged out of obligation. Not to mention that he drew from a catalog that supplied the foundation for most pop and rock created since the mid-1960s.
You know it well: “Love Me Do.” “Help!” “Getting Better.” “Got to Get You into My Life.” “Drive My Car.” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” “Hey Jude.” And the mental jukeboxes and sing-a-longs they automatically trigger.
Paul McCartney performs at the United Center, Nov. 24, 2025 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
McCartney surveyed his entire career, bypassing songs from only one decade (the ’90s). He touched on the current time frame with a fully realized “Now and Then” that improved upon the stitched-together, posthumous Beatles studio rendition that debuted in 2023. The singer also whisked fans on a trip back to Liverpool, England, to revisit a period before the Fab Four solidified.
Clustered close together using acoustic instruments and a stand-up drum kit, the band sailed through the hybrid doo-wop skiffle “In Spite of All the Danger,” the first song McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison recorded together. The tour then shifted to London when the quintet lit into the familiar chiming verse of “Love Me Do,” the first tune the Beatles captured at Abbey Road Studios with their irreplaceable producer George Martin. Some 63 years later, its pleasing harmonies and shuffling beats still make a lasting impression.
Few, if any, pop stars transcend eras in as natural a manner as McCartney. Let alone stay in as much demand. In 2025 alone, he headlined 20 large concerts and three club gigs. He contributed a track to the brand-new AI protest compilation “Is This What We Want?” He co-authored “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run.”
That book chronicles the account of his second ensemble. His first, the Beatles, are again in the news. Last week, the group released the “Anthology 4” collection and a 12LP doorstop with all four volumes. The remastered “The Beatles Anthology” documentary series begins streaming on Wednesday. McCartney provided a clever variation on a sneak peek.
Vintage Beatles footage and animations were projected on backdrop screens during several songs. They evoked delightful moods and doubled as reminders of important shifts — and of those who died. Raised up on an elevated platform and perched amid a starry galaxy visual, McCartney paid tribute to Lennon with an unaccompanied “Here Today” that expressed feelings he never said to his old partner. Harrison received a heartfelt homage via a reimagined “Something.” It initially proceeded in stripped-down fashion with a lone ukulele until the band entered at the midpoint.
Dressed in a double-breasted suit coat, vest and button-down shirt, McCartney looked as smart as nearly all the songs sounded. Understandably, he no longer reaches the highs of his earlier days or projects with a power that easily carries above louder swells. On a few occasions, nearly all solo ventures or mellow ballads, his voice subtly quivered or faded. These proved minor issues. Intermittent raggedness also underscored the fact that memorable rock ‘n’ roll thrives on emotion, not perfection.
McCartney’s tunefulness and pitch remained practically unassailable. Ditto his ears, which detected a problem — quickly fixed — with his piano soon after the onset of the marching “Let ‘Em In.” He belted falsetto exclamations, interjected affirmations and delivered extended “oohs” and “yeahs” with fervency. His notes spanned a wide range, his composure and exuberance reflective of the fluency of his band.
Paul McCartney performs at the United Center, Nov. 24, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Per usual, drummer extraordinaire Abe Laboriel Jr. led the charge. He waved sticks like magic wands and demonstrated an uncanny sense of groove, command, swing and force. His percussion and McCartney’s guided-missile Hofner bass lines comprised the equivalent of a rhythmic wrecking crew. Calling on the brassiness of the Hot City horns when needed, the collective explored everything from jazzy R&B (“Coming Up”) and anthemic power pop (“Jet”) to boogie-woogie (“Lady Madonna”), kaleidoscopic soul (““Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”), swirling incantations (“Hey Jude”) and slashing rock (“Helter Skelter”) with abandon.
The vocalist’s parting shot, the medley of three songs that formally conclude the Beatles’ trailblazing “Abbey Road” album, shouldn’t have surprised anyone. It’s been his go-to finale for multiple consecutive tours. But hearing that famous repeating two-word chorus — “Love you, love you, love you, love you” — in both the tenor of this show and context of global events took on added significance and invited deeper reflection.
Now, more than ever, love is all we need, implied Sir Paul McCartney, its most decorated ambassador and esteemed practitioner.
Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.
Setlist from the United Center on Nov. 24:
“Help!” (The Beatles)
“Coming Up”
“Got to Get You into My Life” (The Beatles)
“Drive My Car” (The Beatles)
“Letting Go” (Wings)
“Come on to Me”
“Let Me Roll It” into “Foxey Lady” (Jimi Hendrix cover)
“Getting Better” (The Beatles)
“Let ‘Em In” (Wings)
“My Valentine”
“Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” (Wings)
“Maybe I’m Amazed”
“I’ve Just Seen a Face” (The Beatles)
“In Spite of All the Danger” (The Quarrymen)
“Love Me Do” (The Beatles)
“Dance Tonight”
“Blackbird” (The Beatles)
“Here Today”
“Now and Then” (The Beatles)
“Lady Madonna” (The Beatles)
“Jet” (Wings)
“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” (The Beatles)
“Something” (The Beatles)
“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” (The Beatles)
“Band on the Run” (Wings)
“Get Back” (The Beatles)
“Let It Be” (The Beatles)
“Live and Let Die” (Wings)
“Hey Jude” (The Beatles)
Encore
“I’ve Got a Feeling” (The Beatles)
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” (The Beatles)
“Helter Skelter” (The Beatles)
“Golden Slumbers” (The Beatles)
“Carry That Weight” (The Beatles)
“The End” (The Beatles)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/paul-mccartney-got-back-chicago/
