On This Day in Beatles History: Paul McCartney Live at Tokyo Dome – 11 March 1990
On Sunday 11 March 1990, Paul McCartney performed at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, as part of his hugely successful 1989–1990 World Tour.
The concert marked the 75th show of the tour, which eventually ran for 102 performances across 14 countries between September 1989 and July 1990. The Tokyo appearance was also the fifth of six consecutive nights at the Tokyo Dome, reflecting the enormous demand for McCartney’s return to the international stage.
The tour represented McCartney’s first major world tour in more than a decade and reintroduced him to stadium audiences around the globe.
Paul McCartney’s touring band
During the 1989–1990 tour McCartney assembled a powerful touring lineup featuring several musicians who would remain collaborators for many years.
The band performing at the Tokyo Dome on 11 March 1990 included:
- Linda McCartney – vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Hamish Stuart – guitar, bass guitar, vocals
- Robbie McIntosh – guitar, vocals
- Paul “Wix” Wickens – keyboards, vocals
- Chris Whitten – drums, percussion
Together they performed a setlist that combined Beatles classics, Wings favourites, and McCartney solo material.
Tokyo Dome concerts
The Tokyo engagement consisted of six consecutive concerts, taking place on:
- 3 March 1990
- 5 March 1990
- 7 March 1990
- 9 March 1990
- 11 March 1990
- 13 March 1990
These performances marked McCartney’s triumphant return to Japan after his controversial 1980 arrest in Tokyo, which had prevented him from touring there for many years.
The concerts were among the most successful shows of the tour.
Concert setlist
The 11 March 1990 Tokyo Dome performance featured a setlist spanning McCartney’s entire career:
- 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
- The Hustle (snippet)
- Hey Jude
- Yesterday
- PS Love Me Do
- Get Back
- Golden Slumbers
- Carry That Weight
- The End
The setlist demonstrated McCartney’s ability to blend classic Beatles songs with newer solo material, keeping his concerts appealing to audiences across multiple generations.
The Paul McCartney World Tour (1989–1990)
The 1989–1990 World Tour was one of the most ambitious tours of McCartney’s career. Beginning in Norway in September 1989, the tour travelled across Europe, North America, Japan, South America and the United Kingdom, eventually concluding in Chicago in July 1990.
The tour included major venues such as Madison Square Garden, Wembley Arena, Maracanã Stadium, and Knebworth Festival, cementing McCartney’s reputation as one of the world’s most enduring live performers.
McCartney’s history with the Tokyo Dome
The Tokyo Dome became one of McCartney’s most frequently visited venues in Japan. After the 1990 shows he returned multiple times over the following decades, performing there in:
- 1993
- 2002
- 2013
- 2015
- 2017
- 2018
Each return demonstrated the lasting popularity of McCartney and his music in Japan.
Why 11 March 1990 matters
The Tokyo Dome performance on 11 March 1990 represents one of the highlights of Paul McCartney’s triumphant return to global touring. Decades after the breakup of The Beatles, McCartney continued to fill some of the world’s largest venues with audiences eager to hear the songs that defined modern popular music.
Concert Details
Date: 11 March 1990
Artist: Paul McCartney
Venue: Tokyo Dome
City: Tokyo, Japan
Tour: Paul McCartney World Tour (1989–1990)
Show number: 75 of 102
Venue Location
Tokyo Dome – Tokyo, Japan
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