On This Day in Beatles History: Paul McCartney Live at the Tokyo Dome – 9 March 1990
On Friday 9 March 1990, Paul McCartney performed at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, as part of his 1989–90 Paul McCartney World Tour. The concert was the 74th date of the tour and the fourth of six consecutive nights at the massive indoor stadium.
The world tour ran for 102 shows across 14 countries between September 1989 and July 1990, marking McCartney’s first major global tour since the Wings tours of the 1970s.
Paul McCartney’s return to large-scale touring
The 1989–90 world tour represented a major milestone in McCartney’s career. After years focused primarily on studio work, the tour saw him return to large-scale international touring with an ambitious production that featured an extensive setlist covering his entire career.
The concerts combined:
- Beatles classics
- Wings hits
- songs from McCartney’s solo catalogue
The Tokyo shows were among the most significant stops on the tour, taking place at the Tokyo Dome, one of the largest concert venues in Japan.
The Tokyo Dome concerts
McCartney performed six consecutive shows at the Tokyo Dome during the Japanese leg of the tour:
- 3 March 1990
- 5 March 1990
- 7 March 1990
- 9 March 1990
- 11 March 1990
- 13 March 1990
These concerts drew enormous audiences and demonstrated McCartney’s enduring popularity in Japan.
The touring band
For the 1989–90 world tour, McCartney assembled a new touring band featuring several experienced musicians:
- Linda McCartney – vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Hamish Stuart – guitar, bass guitar, vocals
- Robbie McIntosh – guitar, vocals
- Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens – keyboards, vocals
- Chris Whitten – drums, percussion
This lineup would remain McCartney’s touring band throughout the entire world tour.
Songs from the concert
The concerts on the tour featured a large and varied setlist. The 9 March 1990 Tokyo Dome show included performances of:
- Figure Of Eight
- Jet
- Got To Get You Into My Life
- Rough Ride
- Band On The Run
- We Got Married
- Let ’Em In
- The Long And Winding Road
- The Fool On The Hill
- Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- Good Day Sunshine
- Can’t Buy Me Love
- Put It There
- Hello, Goodbye
- Things We Said Today
- Eleanor Rigby
- This One
- My Brave Face
- Back In The USSR
- I Saw Her Standing There
- Coming Up
- Let It Be
- Ain’t That A Shame
- Live And Let Die
- If I Were Not Upon The Stage
- Hey Jude
- Yesterday
- PS Love Me Do
- Get Back
- Golden Slumbers
- Carry That Weight
- The End
The performance of ‘Ain’t That A Shame’ from one of the Tokyo shows later appeared on McCartney’s 1990 live album Tripping The Live Fantastic.
The Paul McCartney World Tour (1989–1990)
The tour began in Drammen, Norway, on 26 September 1989, and travelled through Europe, North America, South America and the United Kingdom before concluding in Chicago on 29 July 1990.
With 102 performances across 14 countries, it became one of the most ambitious tours of McCartney’s solo career.
Concert – Quick Facts
Date: 9 March 1990
Artist: Paul McCartney
Venue: Tokyo Dome
City: Tokyo, Japan
Tour: Paul McCartney World Tour 1989–1990
Tour date number: 74 of 102
Notable detail: Fourth of six consecutive concerts at the Tokyo Dome.
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