Paul McCartney properly plays Beatles hit for the first time ever

It appears that Paul McCartney's 2025 Got Back Tour will have a new opener: the Beatles' hit song “Help!,” the title track from their 1965 album.

Before the tour officially got started, McCartney played a smaller show at the Santa Barbara Bowl. At the soundcheck, McCartney played “Help!” with his band. Hours later, he opened his show with the song.

This was the first time since 1990 that he performed the song. Even then, McCartney would usually perform it in a slowed-down arrangement as part of a John Lennon tribute medley.

Now, he is performing it with his band, and it sounds closer to the Beatles' original version. Fans will have to wait until his show on Monday, September 29, 2025, in Palm Desert, California, to see if “Help!” remains in the setlist.

Additionally, he performed “Coming Up” second in the setlist. That is usually a song delegated to McCartney's VIP soundchecks, but perhaps it will make its way into the setlist properly.

Paul McCartney's 2025 Got Back Tour

On September 29, 2025, McCartney will officially kick off the 2025 leg of the Got Back Tour. He will return to North America for the first time since the tour's first leg in 2022.

There are 20 shows planned for this leg of the tour. He will visit some cities that he hadn't visited earlier in the tour, like Denver, Colorado; San Antonio, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and Buffalo, New York.

The Got Back Tour is McCartney's first since the Freshen Up Tour concluded in 2019. Eight legs and 79 shows will be performed by the time the Got Back Tour's current leg is over.

McCartney's shows are always special, as they feature songs from his entire career. That includes songs from his time with the Beatles, Wings, and his solo career.

Once again, he is joined by his backing band on tour. McCartney's band has remained the same since his Driving World Tour in 2002. The lineup includes Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray, Paul “Wix” Wickens, and Abe Laboriel Jr.