Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney sparked a huge online response after he surprised announcing he’d be surprising fans in New York with an unscheduled gig as he relived the golden days of his iconic 1960s band.
The 82-year-old Liverpudlian announced the impromptu gig on Wednesday, February 12 – and tickets were sold out in just 30 minutes.
In the end, 575 lucky fans were treated to an intimate performance by the music legend, with the singer addressing the spontaneous nature of the show.
“So, here we are. Some little gig. New York. Why not?” he told the crowds after sharing the plan on Instagram hours earlier.
Posting a colourful poster, he captioned the promotional image: N”EW DATE ADDED. PAUL McCARTNEY ROCKS THE BOWERY.
“Wednesday, February 12th. Bowery Ballroom, New York. 5:00pm Doors 6:30pm Showtime.
“First come, first served. One ticket per person. Avoid purchasing tickets from third-party vendors. Fake tickets will not be honoured and entry will be denied.”
Not long after, he updated the post to confirm: “Tickets are now sold out.”
The unexpected move comes after the singer distracted fans at The Super Bowl last Sunday when he was spotted watching the game from a VIP suite at the at the Caesars Superdome.
The Hey Jude hit-maker was filmed making a toast with his beverage and waving to those around him during the match between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
Paul McCartney left fans stunned with the surprise announcement
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Taking to social media immediately after Wednesday’s teasy Instagram post, many fans jokingly branded the musician “crazy” and “sick” for not providing them with more notice, while others labelled him “amazing”.
“Say what!!? This is awesome!” one wrote in the comments, with another sharing: “Never have I ever felt so lucky to live in manhattan.”
“Oh b****y hell… Yet again, this man is a lantern in dark times. God, I love him!” a third added.
“Why now?!? And not when I lived in New York?! why do you secretly hate me?” someone else quipped.
A fifth penned: “Crazy cool surprise,” while others shared their disappointment at missing out on the once-in-a-lifetime gig.
“This makes me sad. Surely there are more fans out there and therefore more money to do it. So More Profitable. That hurts,” one remarked.
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Most McCartney fans are delighted by the unexpected news
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“This is kinda sick and twisted of you Paul,” one more posted. (sic)
The Beatles star provided some of the band’s classics, such as Lady Madonna, Let it Be, Hey Jude, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da and more.
At one point, he noted he had heard a “Beatles scream” and prompted the audience to make more noise.
“That was a Beatles scream,” he commented before adding: “OK, let’s get it out of the way. Girls, give me a Beatles scream,” MailOnline reports.
The singer-songwriter also paid tribute to the late Beatles frontman, John Lennon, who was tragically killed in December 1980 in New York.
“Let’s hear it for John,” McCartney called to the crowds, who cheered in response.