Sir Paul plans festive spectacular

12 April 2012

Sir Paul McCartney is to play his only UK gig of the year with a festive spectacular at the O2 Arena to end his first European tour for five years, it has been announced.

The concert on December 22 will be the musician's first public appearance at the venue, although he used the stage for rehearsals in 2004.

Sir Paul's gig - which will round off the tour - takes place 46 years to the day since he played the first Beatles Christmas gig at the Liverpool Empire Theatre.

The music legend last played an arena show in London six-and-a-half years ago and it is thought it may be some time before he plays another British gig.

The tour will also take him back to the location where The Beatles first honed their craft, Hamburg in Germany - where the Fab Four spent hours playing gigs each day in clubs before finding mainstream success.

The "Good Evening Europe" dates follow a sell-out stadium tour of the US this summer, and include seven arena shows. Dublin's O2 is also on the tour schedule.

Fans at the shows will get to relive some of the star's best-known songs from his decades of hits.

He said: "This is my chance to bring our current show home to where it all began. Starting in Hamburg, ending in London and rocking everywhere in between. I'm very much looking forward to ending the year on a high."

Sir Paul, 67, has been gigging throughout the year, including a collaboration with Foo Fighter Dave Grohl on I Saw Her Standing There at the Grammys and a star turn at the Coachella Festival, his first US festival show.

He is soon to release a live album, Good Evening New York City, recorded at New York's Citi Field venue. That is formerly the site of Shea Stadium which the Beatles played in 1965.

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