Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl joined Sir Paul McCartney on stage during his Glastonbury set last night, in what was Grohl’s first public performance since the death of his bandmate, drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Bruce Springsteen also performed with the Beatles legend, delighting fans. But first Grohl, who McCartney revealed had flown in especially, received a great reception from the appreciative crowd. The pair then duetted to I Saw Her Standing There.
Grohl told McCartney “I swear, I would never miss being right here with you, right now.”
Later, McCartney unveiled his next surprise as Springsteen arrived on stage to play Glory Days and I Wanna Be Your Man. Springsteen took the opportunity to wish McCartney a happy 80th birthday – a milestone the star celebrated just last week.
This came after fans had treated the star to a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ as he greeted them at the start of his set, with a touched McCartney pausing to ask “for me?”
His set was billed as one of the most anticipated at Glastonbury in years, as audience members saved themselves a front-row spot more than 12 hours before he was due to play. McCartney took to the Pyramid Stage at 9.30pm, and it’s suggested he may have had the biggest audience since Dolly Parton’s Glastonbury turn back in 2014.
McCartney performed for almost three hours, opening with Beatles’ classic can’t Buy Me Love. He was thrilled to be there, and referenced his cancelled appearance in 2020, which was stopped in its tracks due to COVID-19.
“We’ve got some old songs for you, we’ve got some new song and we’ve got some in-betweeners… and I got a feeling we’re going to have a great time,” he promised.
McCartney played classics like Love Me Do, as well as some of his solo material – a ballad entitled My Valentine was dedicated to wife Nancy Shevell. A ukulele that had been a present from bandmate George Harrison was used to perform Something, which was also written by Harrison.
In another poignant nod to the group which catapulted him to fame in the 1960s, McCartney was able to duet with the late John Lennon, as his vocals from a 1969 live performance of I’ve Got A Feeling were isolated especially. “That is so special for me,” he declared.
Playing a total of 36 songs, including Bond theme Live And Let Die and the beloved Hey Jude, the music icon certainly delivered an unforgettable night – and proved that his music truly could delight every generation.
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Glastonbury Festival 2022 takes place from 22nd to 26th June at Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset.
