Paul McCartney’s historic set in Glastonbury was hailed as one of the biggest titles of this generation, as a crowd of more than 100,000 people gathered on the famous stage of the Pyramid Festival to watch him play.
He was joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters – and even sang a duet with his old bandmate John Lennon, using special effects created by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.
Eyebrows were raised when it was announced that McCartney, who turned 80 last week, would top the bill, becoming the oldest headliner in Glastonbury’s 52-year history.
Paul McCartney is headlining on Saturday night at Glastonbury 2022. Photo: Jon Rowley / EPA
But all doubts were dispelled when McCartney completed a nearly three-hour set with a dramatic display of pyrotechnics and mass singing of Let It Be, Hey Jude and Live and Let Die.
“It exceeded all expectations,” shines Richard Martin, 75, part of the largest audience the Pyramid scene has ever seen.
He said: “Even though I’m almost his age, I’ve never seen the Beatles – she’s my wife, she was one of those screaming teenagers – but he just made it.
“He was brilliant. Of course, he is a professional – he has been doing this for half a century. The people behind us were in their 20s and knew the songs upside down – that’s a great testament to the endurance of the songs. “
Paul McCartney was joined by Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen. Photo: Harry Durant / Getty Images
Nearly 4 million people joined in to watch from home and received rave reviews. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian said McCartney’s greatest hits were “about as exciting as pop music”, while the Independent described it as “the best this writer has seen on the Pyramid stage in 30 years at Glastonburies “.
The Sunday Telegraph hailed it as “one of the most exciting, inspiring, noise-filled and star-studded sets this festival has seen in more than 50 years.”
Some festival goers had been camping all day to get closer to the Pyramid stage, and that turned out to be a sensible decision. The audience easily reached 100,000 people, making it one of the biggest visits to the Pyramid stage along with the Rolling Stones in 2013.
By 9 p.m., half an hour before McCartney took the stage, it was impossible to get anywhere near the front, as huge masses of people gathered from all over the 365-acre (900-acre) field.
“It was amazing. Musically, he was up there with one of the most iconic moments of my life, “said James Jack, 35, after shouting along with the Bond hit Live and Let Die – a moment he said made a childhood dream come true:” When you watch movies with your father when you were about six. It was a boyish moment for me, it really moved me. That’s what you tell your grandchildren. “
Grohl, who was due to retire from a leading show in 2015 after breaking his leg, became Maca’s surprise assistant for I Saw Her Standing There, immediately followed by Band on the Run. Even before Bruce Springsteen’s boss arrived, the crowd was levitating with delight.
Grohl and Springsteen, rock icons who flew in from the United States specifically for the set, seemed extremely happy to join McCartney on stage.
“Rules of Legend”: Paul McCartney. Photo: Dylan Martinez / Reuters
“It was phenomenal,” said Sorcha Ingram, 25. “I had the time of my life. I have never experienced anything like this. I was obsessed with the Beatles when I was younger, that’s where my musical taste came from. It was the first time I’d seen it for the first time in Glastonbury. It’s a historic moment, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “
“He’s a real legend,” said Keith Burnett, 59. “He actually did a really good concert that spans his entire career at his own time and pace.”
But he faced some criticism for showing a “very bad” video of Johnny Depp during his Glastonbury title.
Depp’s video appeared on the big screen during My Valentine, a love song written for McCartney’s wife, Nancy Shevel.
A Twitter user wrote: “I’m so sad that a man like Paul McCartney chose to give Johnny Depp a platform. Once again, survivors of domestic violence have been completely ridiculed. “
McCartney and Depp are reportedly close friends, and the American actor starred in videos during the 80-year-old Get Back’s recent US tour.
However, there was no way out of the fact that most of those present would not get a chance to see McCartney’s performance again – and that made the evening special.
The NME said he threw “absolutely everything he has – which says something about a real Beatle – at Glastonbury 2022, sounding like a man who, frankly, knows he might not do it again.”
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