Paul McCartney Shines at Rare Underplay at Fonda Theatre

“Cool little place, this, isn’t it?” Paul McCartney exclaimed as he looked off into the rafters, then to the sold-out crowd of 1,200 ecstatic fans at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood Friday night, minutes after he and his band had launched the night with Beatles classic “Help.” As McCartney suggests, this is a different locale than he’d usually play, far more intimate than the usual arena or stadium gig one of the world’s most legendary artists would normally take on when they hit the road. And coming just a day after the singer dropped a new single and announced his first album in five years this week, it was impossible for it not to feel celebratory. Related Stories Friday was the first of two Fonda underplays McCartney plays this weekend, with show two coming Saturday night. It’s a rare opportunity for a select few fans — plenty of others were outside trying in earnest to score a last-second ticket — but shows like these haven’t been unheard of over the past year; he played three shows at Brooklyn’s Bowery Ballroom in February of 2025, and he performed at the Pinnacle in Nashville back in November. Friday’s show had all the makings of what fans would expect from a McCartney show and was structured like his Got Back Tour that wrapped up late last year. He played a high-energy set that had the former Beatle weaving through decades of tunes, switching throughout the night from bass to guitar and piano, all the while delivering pristine vocals and adding that signature grit when he wanted. The night started Wings-heavy, with the band playing tracks including “Let Me Roll It,” “Jet,” “Let ‘Em In” and “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five.” The latter half was much more Beatles-focused, with McCartney running through “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Get Back,” and “I’ve Just Seen a Face.” In the most intimate moment of the night, with just McCartney’s guitar and a spotlight on him, he went into “Blackbird.” The crowd sang with him quietly, only erupting into cheers and applause after he finished. McCartney’s banter was warm and familial as ever, with Macca interacting directly with fans who shouted from the crowd and sharing memories from his uniquely traveled life, from his early days in Liverpool to his post-Beatles fame. At one point, McCartney told a story about seeing Tony Bennett in concert, with Bennett doing a bit where he lauded the venue he was playing, saying, “You’ve got a beautiful acoustic in here,” and instructing the crew to turn off the mic so he could sing directly to the crowd. “I saw him later at a charity thing at the Beverly Hilton,” McCartney recalled, feigning disappointment when he saw Bennett give the hotel the exact same compliment again, as he once again sang off mic. “I believed him,” McCartney said as the crowd burst into laughter. He recalled the early Beatles days as well, noting how in some of their first shows in America, they’d see the men staring intently at the guitars as they tried to learn chords. “The girls weren’t,” McCartney quipped as the women in the crowd let out screams. “Give us a Beatles scream,” McCartney responded, with the whole crowd now yelling. Fitting to the early Beatlemania vibe, he and the band jumped into “Love Me Do,” the band’s very first hit. McCartney also shouted out Morgan Neville, who directed McCartney’s recent Man on the Run documentary and was in the crowd Friday night. “Well done Morgan,” McCartney said, joking that Neville would have to sing a song for the crowd. McCartney’s set served as a reminder of just how deep a catalog he’s amassed both with the Beatles and in his subsequent solo career, an unmatched collection of hits that have become the world’s songbook. With so many iconic tracks to choose from, he was bound to miss a favorite that fans may have hoped for. Among those holdouts Friday were “Yesterday,” “Band on the Run,” “Live and Let Die” and “Maybe I’m Amazed.” Perhaps those will find their way into Saturday’s set instead. Still, it’s impossible not to feel the weight of McCartney’s songs as he began “Let It Be,” telling the crowd afterward about the song’s famous lore, where his late mother visited him in a dream. “Hey Jude” came next, with the crowd of 1,200 all belting out the song’s outro in unison. McCartney finished with his usual Abbey Road medley conclusion, starting with “Golden Slumbers,” then finishing with “Carry That Weight” and “The End.” He and the band took their final bow and sent the crowd on home before one more show the next night. Setlist: “Help” “Coming Up” “Going To Get You Into My Life” “Let Me Roll It” “Getting Better” “Let ‘Em In” “Valentine” “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” “I’ve Just Seen a Face” “Every Night” “Love Me Do” “Blackbird” “Now and Then” “Lady Madonna” “Flaming Pie” “Jet” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” “Get Back” “Let It Be” “Hey Jude” “Golden Slumbers” “Carry That Weight” “The End” THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day