“I love doing it, and the audience seem to love it too”
Paul McCartney has opened up about performing The Beatles‘ track ‘Now And Then’ live, revealing that it makes him “very emotional”.
The legendary member of the Fab Four is currently on the final stretch of his ‘Got Back’ tour and played at Manchester’s Co-Op Live on December 15. During the show, Macca performed ‘Now And Then’, the final track by The Beatles to feature all four original members.
In fan-captured footage of the moment, the rock legend is seen teary-eyed on stage, taking a moment to take in the crowd before going on to clap and cheer.
Speaking to the Mirror about performing the track – which was created by the late John Lennon back in the ’70s and completed in 2022 by McCartney and Ringo Starr with the help of AI – the musician shared: “It’s really great. When you introduce a new song, even though it’s an old song, like ‘Now and Then’, the first reaction is, people aren’t quite sure what it is or what you’re doing.
“But during the run of the concerts, they get the idea. The word gets out on the internet, you know. So now the reaction is really strong, and for us it’s great to play because it’s a nice song to play, and for me, it’s particularly great because it’s a John song. And so it’s very emotional for me. I love it. I love doing it, and the audience seem to love it too.”
‘Now And Then’ was teased by McCartney last year, when he confirmed that he was working with Starr on what would be The Beatles’ final song of their discography.
‘Now And Then’ was created from one of John Lennon’s demo tapes and was completed with the help of AI, which was used to lift the late musician’s vocals from the initial recording so Macca and Starr could work with them.
While teasing the project for months, Starr revealed that he thought the project was “beautiful” and went on to admit that working on the track was “like having John Lennon back”.
‘Now And Then’ has also been nominated for both Record Of The Year and Best Rock Performance at the 67th Grammy Awards.
In other news, McCartney is set to take over The O2 in London tomorrow (December 18) and on Thursday (December 19), officially wrapping up his 2024 tour. You can visit here for any remaining tickets.
