The stadium erupted into screams of disbelief as the music icon stepped on to the stage to join Bruce Springsteen
Sir Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen on stage at Anfield
Sir Paul McCartney made a rare appearance back in Liverpool tonight when he joined Bruce Springsteen on stage at Anfield stadium as part of the Land of Hope and Dreams tour. The Boss played two live shows at the home of Liverpool FC – but tonight’s performance was made even more special by the surprise appearance of the Beatles star.
Addressing the crowd during his encore, Bruce said: “We are lucky tonight we have a young man, a local young man from Liverpool who is going to a guest for us tonight. I think he’s got a lot of talent and I believe he’s going to be going places. So let’s bring out Sir Paul McCartney.”
The stadium erupted into cheers of excitement and disbelief as Sir Paul stepped on to the stage to join friend Bruce for a duet of Can’t Buy Me Love. Bruce said: “Being in Liverpool and playing with a Beatle – that’s one of my dreams come true, right there.”
Bruce and Sir Paul shared a hug, and before the Beatles icon left the stage he addressed the Liverpool crowd with a simple, three-word message: “Thank you, Scousers.”
His brief message received whoops and cheers from the audience, who were further delighted by the remainder of the encore which included hits like Born in the U.S.A., Born to Run, Glory Days, Dancing in the Dark and Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.
Sir Paul McCartney on stage at Anfield
Performing in the city has been a dream come true for The Boss because of his deep love for The Beatles, which heavily influenced his own music career. Bruce reunited with one of his musical heroes, and close friend, yesterday when Sir Paul returned home to Liverpool.
The two visited the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA), which was co-founded by Sir Paul, for an incredibly special visit. The meeting fuelled speculation that Sir Paul could join Springsteen on stage tonight at his Anfield show.
Tonight is not the first time the two iconic musicians have performed on stage together. Most notably, Bruce joined Sir Paul on stage as a special guest during the 82-year-old’s headline set at Glastonbury Festival in 2022.
They have also performed together at Hyde Park and at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The gig tonight marks Sir Paul’s first performance in Liverpool since his 2018 Freshen Up show at the M&S Bank Arena.
The Beatle has previously played Anfield before in 2008 for the Liverpool Sound concert in celebration of the city’s year as the European Capital of Culture.
Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band are renowned for their legendary live shows and have inspired a devoted following of fans from all over the world. Springsteen fans from all corners of the globe have descended on Merseyside this week and created a festival atmosphere that will live long in the memory.
Saturday’s Liverpool show is the final UK date on the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour. The show will next be performed at Berlin’s Olympiastadion in Germany on June 11.
Other cities left to play on the tour include Prague, Frankfurt, San Sebastian and Gelsenkirchen, before the tour comes to an end in Milan on July 3.
You can follow our live updates from tonight’s show in our live blog here.