On This Day in Beatles History: Paul McCartney Live at RFK Stadium, Washington DC – 4 July 1990

On 4 July 1990, Paul McCartney performed at the RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, on the 91st date of his 102-date World Tour. It was the first of two nights in the American capital, and McCartney marked the occasion by adding ‘Birthday’ — the Beatles’ White Album party stomper — to the setlist as a surprise Independence Day tribute. The show took place in sweltering heat, with temperatures reaching 98 degrees Fahrenheit in the street and even higher inside the stadium.

What Happened on 4 July 1990?

The Washington DC concert was the 91st date of the Paul McCartney World Tour, which had run from September 1989 to July 1990 across 14 countries. The show was part of an additional leg of the tour that had not originally been planned — the result of a persuasive campaign by tour promoter Barrie Marshall, who convinced McCartney to extend the run after the record-breaking Maracanã Stadium shows in Rio de Janeiro in April 1990.

The tour’s publicist Geoff Baker captured the atmosphere of the Washington show in a piece for the McCartney fan club magazine Club Sandwich, Winter 1990/91:

‘Washington was hot; 98 degrees in the street and an extra 10 inside the R.F.K. Stadium where Linda, during soundcheck, suggested that the band’s now-favourite Ray Charles jam number should be re-titled “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Burning”.

It took a full three minutes for the crowd to stop hollering before Paul could launch into Figure Of Eight at the start of the show. This being July 4th, public holiday, most of the crowd appeared to be getting close to being out of it. The near-crippling heat provided the excuse to see off a six-pack every half-hour of the show and the sick-sweet haze that sort of hung above much of the stadium indicated that the drought hadn’t hurt the local herb crops any.

“It’s too darn hot,” said Macca, shedding the jacket and launching into Birthday.

Given the heavy intake of booze and, ah…things, plus the sheer surprise at the song’s addition to the show, the response was explosive. Pot-bellied geezers leapt on chairs, which promptly collapsed beneath them, blondes whipped off tops to hurl at the stage – by the end of the set the “pit” looked like some huge Janet Reager jumble-sale – and even the security guards gave up looking stern in the aisles and bopped there instead.

By the time he sang “Happy Birthday Dear America” to ‘em at the end, their grins reminded you of the words of another fan – way back in the winter in Chicago – who’d said “I don’t care if I die and go to Hell tomorrow… because I’ve been to Heaven tonight”.’

Geoff Baker, Club Sandwich, Winter 1990/91

The Extra Leg: How the Tour Was Extended

The Paul McCartney World Tour had originally been scheduled to conclude after the Rio de Janeiro dates in April 1990. The extension — which added a further 20 dates across the UK and USA, including the Washington shows — came about through the persistence of tour promoter Barrie Marshall. Baker recounted the story in the same Club Sandwich piece:

‘Part Five of the tour – from Washington D.C. to Chicago during the hottest July in history – was never meant to have happened. When the tour was first planned, the wrap party was scheduled for April (after Rio) and no buts. However, “no” is not a word logged in the vocabulary of Barrie Marshall (tour promoter and born optimist). So, the story goes, Barrie went to Macca with a plea along the lines that as Paul had just set a world record in Brazil wouldn’t it be a groove to keep going for just a little bit…just a weenie couple of weeks….well, a month would be better, just a little month… oh, come on, pleeeeeeeease, the tour’s cooking… oh, won’t you stay just a little bit longer…?

“Sure,” said Mac, “I’m up for it. But you’d better check with Linda.”

Barrie worried. Linda, he knew, loved being at home, with the horses, the kids, the countryside. Would she want to keep schlepping around yet another bout of customs, flights, check-ins, limos, hotel rooms, check-outs…

“Sure,” said Linda, “I can do another month. I’d like to….but if I can do another month on the road, Barrie, then you can go veggie.”

And so it was that an extra 636,500 people got to see the Get Back Tour and Barrie Marshall got to improve his waistline.’

Geoff Baker, Club Sandwich, Winter 1990/91

The Band

McCartney’s touring band for the World Tour comprised:

• Linda McCartney — vocals, keyboards, percussion
• Hamish Stuart — guitar, bass guitar, vocals
• Robbie McIntosh — guitar, vocals
• Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens — keyboards, vocals
• Chris Whitten — drums, percussion

Hamish Stuart had been the lead vocalist and guitarist of the Average White Band, the Scottish funk group best known for their 1974 instrumental hit ‘Pick Up the Pieces’. He remained a close musical collaborator of McCartney’s throughout the 1990s.

Robbie McIntosh had previously played with The Pretenders before joining McCartney’s band. His fluid, versatile guitar style made him one of the most in-demand session and touring musicians of his generation.

Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens has been McCartney’s keyboard player since the World Tour and remains part of his live band to this day, making him one of the longest-serving members of any McCartney touring outfit.

The Soundcheck and Concert Setlists

Soundcheck:

• ‘Mean Woman Blues’
• ‘Matchbox’
• ‘Just Because’
• ‘Figure Of Eight’
• ‘Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying’
• ‘C Moon’

Concert setlist (32 songs):

• ‘Figure Of Eight’
• ‘Jet’
• ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’
• ‘Rough Ride’
• ‘Birthday’ (Independence Day addition)
• ‘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’
• ‘Live And Let Die’
• ‘If I Were Not Upon The Stage’
• ‘Hey Jude’
• ‘Yesterday’
• ‘Happy Birthday To You’
• ‘Get Back’
• ‘Golden Slumbers’
• ‘Carry That Weight’
• ‘The End’

The Paul McCartney World Tour 1989–90

The Paul McCartney World Tour was McCartney’s first major solo tour since Wings disbanded in 1981, and his first live performances in the United States since the Wings Over the World Tour in 1976. The tour ran for 102 dates across 14 countries between 26 September 1989 and 29 July 1990, and was one of the highest-grossing concert tours of its era.

A highlight of the tour was the concert at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on 21 April 1990, which attracted an audience of approximately 184,000 people — at the time the largest paying audience ever recorded for a solo performer, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

The full 102-date tour schedule was:

• 26 September 1989: Drammenshallen, Drammen, Norway
• 28 September 1989: Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
• 29 September 1989: Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
• 30 September 1989: Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
• 3 October 1989: Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany
• 4 October 1989: Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany
• 6 October 1989: Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
• 7 October 1989: Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
• 9 October 1989: Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
• 10 October 1989: Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
• 11 October 1989: Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
• 16 October 1989: Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
• 17 October 1989: Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
• 20 October 1989: Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
• 21 October 1989: Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
• 22 October 1989: Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
• 24 October 1989: PalaEUR, Rome, Italy
• 26 October 1989: PalaTrussardi, Milan, Italy
• 27 October 1989: PalaTrussardi, Milan, Italy
• 29 October 1989: Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland
• 30 October 1989: Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland
• 2 November 1989: Palacio de los Deportes, Madrid, Spain
• 3 November 1989: Palacio de los Deportes, Madrid, Spain
• 5 November 1989: Halle Tony Garnier, Lyon, France
• 7 November 1989: Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands
• 8 November 1989: Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands
• 10 November 1989: Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands
• 11 November 1989: Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands
• 23 November 1989: Forum, Inglewood, USA
• 24 November 1989: Forum, Inglewood, USA
• 27 November 1989: Forum, Inglewood, USA
• 28 November 1989: Forum, Inglewood, USA
• 29 November 1989: Forum, Inglewood, USA
• 3 December 1989: Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, USA
• 4 December 1989: Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, USA
• 5 December 1989: Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, USA
• 7 December 1989: SkyDome, Toronto, Canada
• 9 December 1989: Forum, Montreal, Canada
• 11 December 1989: Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA
• 12 December 1989: Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA
• 14 December 1989: Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA
• 15 December 1989: Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA
• 2 January 1990: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
• 3 January 1990: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
• 5 January 1990: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
• 6 January 1990: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
• 8 January 1990: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
• 9 January 1990: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
• 11 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 13 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 14 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 16 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 17 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 19 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 20 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 21 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 23 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 24 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 26 January 1990: Wembley Arena, London, England
• 1 February 1990: The Palace, Auburn Hills, USA
• 2 February 1990: The Palace, Auburn Hills, USA
• 4 February 1990: Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, USA
• 5 February 1990: Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, USA
• 8 February 1990: Worcester Centrum, Worcester, USA
• 9 February 1990: Worcester Centrum, Worcester, USA
• 12 February 1990: Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, USA
• 14 February 1990: Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, USA
• 15 February 1990: Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, USA
• 18 February 1990: Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, USA
• 19 February 1990: Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, USA
• 3 March 1990: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
• 5 March 1990: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
• 7 March 1990: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
• 9 March 1990: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
• 11 March 1990: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
• 13 March 1990: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
• 29 March 1990: Kingdome, Seattle, USA
• 31 March 1990: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, USA
• 1 April 1990: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, USA
• 4 April 1990: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, USA
• 7 April 1990: Texas Stadium, Irving, USA
• 9 April 1990: Rupp Arena, Lexington, USA
• 12 April 1990: Tampa Stadium, Tampa, USA
• 14 April 1990: Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami Gardens, USA
• 15 April 1990: Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami Gardens, USA
• 20 April 1990: Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 21 April 1990: Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 23 June 1990: SECC Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
• 28 June 1990: King’s Dock, Liverpool, England
• 30 June 1990: Knebworth Festival, England
• 4 July 1990: RFK Stadium, Washington, DC, USA
• 6 July 1990: RFK Stadium, Washington, DC, USA
• 9 July 1990: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, USA
• 11 July 1990: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, USA
• 14 July 1990: Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, USA
• 15 July 1990: Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, USA
• 18 July 1990: Cyclone Stadium, Ames, USA
• 20 July 1990: Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, USA
• 22 July 1990: Carter–Finley Stadium, Raleigh, USA
• 24 July 1990: Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, USA
• 26 July 1990: Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, USA
• 29 July 1990: Soldier Field, Chicago, USA

On This Day in Beatles History

• Date: 4 July 1990
• Event: Paul McCartney performed at RFK Stadium, Washington, DC — 91st date of the Paul McCartney World Tour
• Tour night: First of two nights in Washington, DC
• Setlist: 32 songs, including ‘Birthday’ as an Independence Day surprise addition
• Temperature: 98°F in the street; 108°F inside the stadium
• Tour total: 102 dates, 14 countries, September 1989 – July 1990

Explore More Beatles History

• Paul McCartney: Solo Career
• The Beatles Timeline 1956–1970
• Paul McCartney World Tour 1989–90
• Wings: Band History and Discography

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Paul McCartney play RFK Stadium, Washington DC?

Paul McCartney performed at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, on 4 and 6 July 1990, on the 91st and 92nd dates of his 102-date World Tour.

Why did Paul McCartney play Birthday at the Washington DC concert?

McCartney added ‘Birthday’ from The Beatles’ White Album to the setlist as a spontaneous Independence Day tribute, telling the crowd “it’s too darn hot” before launching into the song. The crowd’s reaction was described as explosive.

How many dates was the Paul McCartney World Tour 1989–90?

The Paul McCartney World Tour ran for 102 dates across 14 countries between 26 September 1989 and 29 July 1990. It was McCartney’s first major solo tour since Wings disbanded in 1981.

What was the largest concert of the Paul McCartney World Tour?

The largest concert of the tour was at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on 21 April 1990, which attracted approximately 184,000 people — at the time a world record for the largest paying audience for a solo performer.

Who was in Paul McCartney’s band for the 1989–90 World Tour?

McCartney’s band comprised Linda McCartney (vocals, keyboards, percussion), Hamish Stuart (guitar, bass, vocals), Robbie McIntosh (guitar, vocals), Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens (keyboards, vocals), and Chris Whitten (drums, percussion).

Why was the final leg of the Paul McCartney World Tour added?

The final US leg — from Washington DC to Chicago in July 1990 — was not originally planned. Tour promoter Barrie Marshall persuaded McCartney to extend the tour after the Rio shows, with Linda McCartney agreeing on the condition that Marshall adopt a vegetarian diet.