Paul McCartney brings Ringo Starr onstage at tour closer in London: ‘Should we rock?’
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr hope you enjoyed the show.
The surviving Beatles reunited onstage Thursday night at McCartney’s Got Back Tour finale in London to perform two of the band’s most iconic songs.
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As McCartney, 82, welcomed his surprise guest — “the mighty, the one and only, Ringo Starr” — thousands of fans filled the O2 arena with prolonged applause. Starr, 84, flashed his signature peace sign, then McCartney asked, “Should we rock?”
“I only rock,” Starr quipped before assuming his position at the drum kit.
The former bandmates joined McCartney’s band for a rendition of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise),” then capped off their mini-set with “Helter Skelter.” (Starr joined McCartney for the same two songs when he appeared at the “Maybe I’m Amazed” singer’s sold-out show at Dodger Stadium in 2019.)
“I’ve had a great night and I love you all,” Starr told the doting crowd as he made his exit Thursday. “Thanks to this man.”
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But that wasn’t the only surprise of the night. Earlier in the show, McCartney had introduced his audience to another old friend: his original bass guitar, which was stolen half a century ago and made its way back to its rightful owner in February.
“Sounds like a bass,” McCartney remarked as he played the recovered instrument for the first time in 50 years. “And what is more, we’ve got a special guest for you — Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood!”
The two embraced before launching into a performance of the Beatles’ 1969 single “Get Back,” which Starr previously performed with Wood and McCartney at the same London venue in 2018.
“There’s a connection between the bass player and the drummer, you know,” Starr told The Times in September as he recalled that moment. “You’re both the deep end of it all.”
“Paul’s the man — and he’s still the most magical bass player I know,” he said.
Times staff writers Alexandra Del Rosario and Mikael Wood contributed to this report.
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