Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney Shutterstock (2)
Dynamic duo Paul McCartney closed out his latest tour with help from a very special guest — Bruce Springsteen.
The Grammy winner, 79, surprised fans at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Thursday, June 16, when he brought out the “Badlands” singer, 72, for a grand finale. “He’s a local boy,” McCartney quipped before introducing the New Jersey native. “He’s gonna come and sing with us. Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen!”
TheBorn to Run author hugged the former Beatle before wishing him a happy birthday, then launched into his hit “Glory Days.” McCartney, who turns 80 on Saturday, June 18, called the musician’s appearance “a birthday present to himself.”
Springsteen also joined the U.K. native for a rendition of the Beatles song “I Wanna Be Your Man,” and later returned to play guitar for the final song of the evening, “The End,” which also featured fellow New Jersey native Jon Bon Jovi. The 60-year old rocker led the crowd earlier in the encore in a birthday singalong.
Springsteen and the Wings founder were previously partners. Steven Van Zandt in 2017 during McCartney’s show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, where they played the Beatles song “I Saw Her Standing There” — twice.
In 2012, the tables were turned when McCartney made a surprise appearance at Springsteen’s show in London’s Hyde Park. The “Dancing in the Dark” crooner said he’d been waiting for the moment for over 50 years. The two performed two songs together before authorities shut down the power supply to the stage. They claimed the concert had continued beyond the curfew.
“If they’d have called me, my answer would have been for them to jam in the name of the lord,” Boris JohnsonThe mayor of London at the time, he said it.
McCartney’s Got Back tour wrapped up in New Jersey on Thursday after 16 shows across the United States. The tour, which kicked off in Washington in April, marked the guitarist’s first concerts since 2019.
The 18th solo album by the songwriter was released. McCartney IIIIn December 2020, amid the coronavirus epidemic. The prolific artist joked about how working on the project was like cleaning out his closet.
“That’s a bit what that was,” he told CBS News at the time. “I just started, like, cleaning out my cupboards. Like, ‘Wait a minute, what was that song last year that I started but never got to finish? Let’s have a look at that. This is it.’”
Some critics called the album McCartney’s best work in years. It was later nominated twice for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
