Paul McCartney Live at the Ice Palace, Tampa – 15 May 2002
Wednesday 15 May 2002 | Live Performance | Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida, USA
On the evening of Wednesday 15th May 2002, Paul McCartney performed at the Ice Palace in Tampa, Florida — the 25th date of the Driving World Tour, a 58-show run across four countries that ran from April to November 2002. The show was seen by 16,128 fans. Three performances from the Tampa show — ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’, ‘Carry That Weight’, and ‘Something’ — were selected for inclusion on the 2002 live albums Back in the US and Back in the World.
The Ice Palace, Tampa
The Ice Palace — now known as Amalie Arena — is the primary indoor arena in Tampa, Florida, located on the downtown waterfront at 401 Channelside Drive. Opened in 1996, it has a capacity of around 19,000 for concerts and serves as the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning ice hockey team. It is one of the major concert venues on the Florida touring circuit and has hosted some of the biggest acts in the world since its opening.
McCartney returned to the venue on 17 September 2005 for the US Tour, and again on 10 July 2017 for the One on One Tour — making Tampa one of the more consistently visited cities of his solo touring career.
The Band
- Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens — vocals, keyboards, guitar, percussion, harmonica
- Brian Ray — vocals, guitar, bass
- Rusty Anderson — vocals, guitar
- Abe Laboriel Jr — vocals, drums
This was the lineup McCartney had assembled for the Driving Rain Tour in 2001 — the first major tour following the death of Linda McCartney in 1998 — and which he has continued to tour with ever since. Wix Wickens had been with McCartney since 1989. Brian Ray and Rusty Anderson had joined for the 2001 tour. Abe Laboriel Jr, the son of the celebrated session bassist Abraham Laboriel, brought exceptional musicality to the drum chair.
The Recordings: Back in the US and Back in the World
Three performances from the Tampa show were selected for the live albums that documented the Driving World Tour. ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ and ‘Carry That Weight’ — both from the Abbey Road medley — and ‘Something’, performed on ukulele as a tribute to George Harrison (who had died on 29 November 2001), all appear on Back in the US (released November 2002) and its international counterpart Back in the World (released February 2003).
The selection of Tampa recordings for the live albums reflects the quality of the performance that night. The Abbey Road medley — ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ into ‘Carry That Weight’ — was one of the most emotionally charged sequences in the set, and the ukulele ‘Something’ was consistently one of the most moving moments of the entire tour.
The Setlist
The 37-song Tampa set was one of the most comprehensive surveys of McCartney’s career assembled for a single concert. It opened with ‘Hello, Goodbye’ and moved through the full arc of his work — from early Beatles (‘All My Loving’, ‘Eleanor Rigby’) to Wings (‘Band on the Run’, ‘C Moon’) to solo material (‘Maybe I’m Amazed’, ‘Driving Rain’, ‘Freedom’). ‘Here Today’ — McCartney’s tribute to John Lennon — and ‘Something’ on ukulele for George Harrison gave the show a particular emotional weight in the context of 2002, with both former bandmates now gone. ‘Live and Let Die’ arrived with pyrotechnics; ‘Hey Jude’ extended into a mass singalong; the show closed with ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)’ and ‘The End’.
- Hello, Goodbye
- Jet
- All My Loving
- Getting Better
- Coming Up
- Let Me Roll It
- Lonely Road
- Driving Rain
- Your Loving Flame
- Blackbird
- Every Night
- We Can Work It Out
- Mother Nature’s Son
- Vanilla Sky
- You Never Give Me Your Money ★
- Carry That Weight ★
- The Fool on the Hill
- Here Today
- Something ★
- Eleanor Rigby
- Here, There and Everywhere
- Band on the Run
- Back in the USSR
- Maybe I’m Amazed
- C Moon
- My Love
- Can’t Buy Me Love
- Freedom
- Live and Let Die
- Let It Be
- Hey Jude
- The Long and Winding Road
- Lady Madonna
- I Saw Her Standing There
- Yesterday
- Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
- The End
★ Recorded for Back in the US / Back in the World
Driving World Tour: Full Date List
North America — April–May 2002
- 1 April 2002 — Oakland Arena, Oakland
- 3 April 2002 — HP Pavilion, San Jose
- 5 April 2002 — MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
- 6 April 2002 — MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
- 10 April 2002 — United Center, Chicago
- 11 April 2002 — United Center, Chicago
- 13 April 2002 — Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
- 16 April 2002 — First Union Center, Philadelphia
- 17 April 2002 — Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford
- 19 April 2002 — FleetCenter, Boston
- 21 April 2002 — Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale
- 23 April 2002 — MCI Center, Washington DC
- 24 April 2002 — MCI Center, Washington DC
- 26 April 2002 — Madison Square Garden, New York City
- 27 April 2002 — Madison Square Garden, New York City
- 29 April 2002 — Gund Arena, Cleveland
- 1 May 2002 — The Palace, Auburn Hills
- 4 May 2002 — Staples Center, Los Angeles
- 5 May 2002 — Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim
- 7 May 2002 — Pepsi Center, Denver
- 9 May 2002 — Reunion Arena, Dallas
- 10 May 2002 — Reunion Arena, Dallas
- 12 May 2002 — Philips Arena, Atlanta
- 13 May 2002 — Philips Arena, Atlanta
- 15 May 2002 — Ice Palace, Tampa ★
- 17 May 2002 — National Car Rental Center, Sunrise
- 18 May 2002 — National Car Rental Center, Sunrise
North America — September–October 2002
- 21 September 2002 — Bradley Center, Milwaukee
- 23 September 2002 — Xcel Energy Center, St Paul
- 24 September 2002 — United Center, Chicago
- 27 September 2002 — Civic Center, Hartford
- 28 September 2002 — Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City
- 30 September 2002 — FleetCenter, Boston
- 1 October 2002 — FleetCenter, Boston
- 4 October 2002 — Gund Arena, Cleveland
- 5 October 2002 — Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
- 7 October 2002 — RBC Center, Raleigh
- 9 October 2002 — Savvis Center, St Louis
- 10 October 2002 — Value City Arena, Columbus
- 12 October 2002 — New Orleans Arena, New Orleans
- 13 October 2002 — Compaq Center, Houston
- 15 October 2002 — Ford Center, Oklahoma City
- 18 October 2002 — Rose Garden, Portland
- 19 October 2002 — Tacoma Dome, Tacoma
- 21 October 2002 — ARCO Arena, Sacramento
- 22 October 2002 — HP Pavilion, San Jose
- 25 October 2002 — Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim
- 26 October 2002 — MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
- 28 October 2002 — Staples Center, Los Angeles
- 29 October 2002 — America West Arena, Phoenix
Mexico — November 2002
- 2 November 2002 — Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City
- 3 November 2002 — Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City
- 5 November 2002 — Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City
Japan — November 2002
- 11 November 2002 — Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
- 13 November 2002 — Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
- 14 November 2002 — Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
- 17 November 2002 — Kyocera Dome, Osaka
- 18 November 2002 — Kyocera Dome, Osaka
Key Facts: 15 May 2002
- Date: Wednesday 15 May 2002
- Venue: Ice Palace (now Amalie Arena), Tampa, Florida
- Tour: Driving World Tour
- Show number: 25 of 58
- Attendance: 16,128
- Songs performed: 37
- Recorded for: Back in the US (Nov 2002) and Back in the World (Feb 2003) — ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’, ‘Carry That Weight’, ‘Something’
- McCartney’s subsequent Tampa shows: 17 Sep 2005 (US Tour), 10 Jul 2017 (One on One Tour)
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Paul McCartney play Tampa, Florida?
Yes — Paul McCartney performed at the Ice Palace (now Amalie Arena) in Tampa on 15 May 2002, 17 September 2005, and 10 July 2017. The 2002 show was the 25th date of the Driving World Tour and was attended by 16,128 fans.
What did Paul McCartney play in Tampa in 2002?
McCartney performed a 37-song set spanning his full career, including Beatles classics, Wings hits, and solo material. Three performances — ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’, ‘Carry That Weight’, and ‘Something’ (on ukulele) — were released on the live albums Back in the US and Back in the World.
What was the Driving World Tour?
The Driving World Tour was a 58-date tour that ran from April to November 2002, covering the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Japan. It was documented on the live albums Back in the US (November 2002) and Back in the World (February 2003).
Which Paul McCartney Tampa recordings appear on Back in the US?
‘You Never Give Me Your Money’, ‘Carry That Weight’, and ‘Something’ — all from the 15 May 2002 Tampa show — appear on both Back in the US and Back in the World.
Who was in Paul McCartney’s band in 2002?
McCartney’s 2002 touring band was Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens (keyboards), Brian Ray (guitar/bass), Rusty Anderson (guitar), and Abe Laboriel Jr (drums) — the same lineup he had assembled for the Driving Rain Tour in 2001 and has continued to tour with ever since.
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