Thursday 2 November 1989 | Live performance | Palacio de los Deportes, Madrid, Spain | By Beatles Fabdom
Paul McCartney performed at Madrid’s Palacio de los Deportes on 2 November 1989, opening a two-night engagement at the Spanish arena. It was the 22nd concert of the Paul McCartney World Tour, which ran from September 1989 to July 1990.
The Madrid performance of “Things We Said Today” was selected for the 1990 live album Tripping the Live Fantastic. The set combined songs from Flowers in the Dirt with Beatles favourites, Wings material and earlier solo recordings.
| Date | Thursday 2 November 1989 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Palacio de los Deportes |
| City | Madrid, Spain |
| Historic site | Avenida de Felipe II, s/n, 28009 Madrid |
| Tour | The Paul McCartney World Tour, 1989–1990 |
| Tour position | 22nd concert; first of two consecutive Madrid nights |
| Next Madrid concert | 3 November 1989 |
| Live-album connection | Things We Said Today on Tripping the Live Fantastic |
The Flowers in the Dirt tour reaches Spain
The tour began at Drammenshallen in Norway on 26 September 1989. By the time it reached Madrid, McCartney and his band had played Scandinavia, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.
The preceding concerts were at Zürich’s Hallenstadion on 29 and 30 October. Madrid followed on 2 and 3 November, before the tour moved to Lyon and Rotterdam.
This was McCartney’s first tour since 1979. Its repertoire brought together the new Flowers in the Dirt songs and a much broader selection from his recording career.
Paul McCartney’s 1989 touring band
| Musician | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul McCartney | Lead vocals, bass, guitars and keyboards |
| Linda McCartney | Vocals, keyboards and percussion |
| Hamish Stuart | Guitar, bass and vocals |
| Robbie McIntosh | Guitar and vocals |
| Paul “Wix” Wickens | Keyboards and vocals |
| Chris Whitten | Drums and percussion |
Stuart’s ability to move between guitar and bass supported McCartney’s own instrument changes. Linda and Wickens supplied the keyboard parts, while McIntosh and Whitten completed the guitar and rhythm sections.
Setlist
- Figure Of Eight
- Jet
- Rough Ride
- Got To Get You Into My Life
- Band On The Run
- Ebony And Ivory
- We Got Married
- Maybe I’m Amazed
- 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
- Twenty Flight Rock
- Coming Up
- Let It Be
- Ain’t That A Shame
- Tres Conejos — snippet
- Live And Let Die
- Hey Jude
- Yesterday
- Get Back
- Golden Slumbers
- Carry That Weight
- The End
New songs alongside the Beatles catalogue
“Figure Of Eight” opened the show, with “Rough Ride”, “We Got Married”, “Put It There”, “This One” and “My Brave Face” also representing Flowers in the Dirt.
The Beatles selections ranged from “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Things We Said Today” to “The Fool On The Hill”, “Eleanor Rigby” and the Abbey Road closing sequence. “Jet”, “Band On The Run” and “Live And Let Die” represented the Wings years.
The programme also included rock-and-roll material such as “Twenty Flight Rock” and “Ain’t That A Shame”. “Tres Conejos” appeared as a brief snippet rather than a full-length addition to the repertoire.
Paul McCartney merchandise
The McCartney Photo black T-shirt features a colour portrait beneath the McCartney name.
Things We Said Today on Tripping the Live Fantastic
The performance of “Things We Said Today” from 2 November was included on Tripping the Live Fantastic, the live album documenting the 1989–1990 tour.
McCartney’s official discography dates the album to 5 November 1990. It assembled performances from different tour stops rather than presenting one Madrid concert from beginning to end.
The Madrid recording therefore has a specific place within the album’s wider concert selection. “Things We Said Today” also appears in the track listing of the abridged Tripping the Live Fantastic – Highlights!.
The full World Tour itinerary
The itinerary below follows the 102-date concert chronology from Drammen to Chicago. Dates at the same venue are grouped for readability. Linked dates lead to existing articles in our archive.
1989: Europe and North America
| Dates | City and venue |
|---|---|
| 26 September | Drammen, Norway — Drammenshallen |
| 28 September | Gothenburg, Sweden — Scandinavium |
| 29, 30 September | Stockholm, Sweden — Johanneshovs Isstadion |
| 3, 4 October | Hamburg, Germany — Alsterdorfer Sporthalle |
| 6, 7 October | Frankfurt, Germany — Festhalle |
| 9, 10, 11 October | Paris, France — Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy |
| 16, 17 October | Dortmund, Germany — Westfalenhalle |
| 20, 21, 22 October | Munich, Germany — Olympiahalle |
| 24 October | Rome, Italy — PalaEUR |
| 26, 27 October | Milan, Italy — PalaTrussardi |
| 29, 30 October | Zürich, Switzerland — Hallenstadion |
| 2, 3 November | Madrid, Spain — Palacio de los Deportes |
| 5 November | Lyon, France — Halle Tony Garnier |
| 7, 8, 10, 11 November | Rotterdam, Netherlands — Rotterdam Ahoy |
| 23, 24, 27, 28, 29 November | Inglewood, USA — Forum |
| 3, 4, 5 December | Rosemont, USA — Rosemont Horizon |
| 7 December | Toronto, Canada — SkyDome |
| 9 December | Montreal, Canada — Forum |
| 11, 12, 14, 15 December | New York City, USA — Madison Square Garden |
1990: Britain, North America, Japan and Brazil
| Dates | City and venue |
|---|---|
| 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 January | Birmingham, England — National Exhibition Centre |
| 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26 January | London, England — Wembley Arena |
| 1, 2 February | Auburn Hills, USA — The Palace |
| 4, 5 February | Pittsburgh, USA — Civic Arena |
| 8, 9 February | Worcester, USA — Worcester Centrum |
| 12 February | Cincinnati, USA — Riverfront Coliseum |
| 14, 15 February | Indianapolis, USA — Market Square Arena |
| 18, 19 February | Atlanta, USA — Omni Coliseum |
| 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 March | Tokyo, Japan — Tokyo Dome |
| 29 March | Seattle, USA — Kingdome |
| 31 March, 1 April | Berkeley, USA — California Memorial Stadium |
| 4 April | Tempe, USA — Sun Devil Stadium |
| 7 April | Irving, USA — Texas Stadium |
| 9 April | Lexington, USA — Rupp Arena |
| 12 April | Tampa, USA — Tampa Stadium |
| 14, 15 April | Miami Gardens, USA — Joe Robbie Stadium |
| 20, 21 April | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Maracanã Stadium |
| 23 June | Glasgow, Scotland — SECC Arena |
| 28 June | Liverpool, England — King’s Dock |
| 30 June | Knebworth, England — Knebworth Festival |
| 4 July, 6 July | Washington, DC, USA — RFK Stadium |
| 9, 11 July | East Rutherford, USA — Giants Stadium |
| 14, 15 July | Philadelphia, USA — Veterans Stadium |
| 18 July | Ames, USA — Cyclone Stadium |
| 20 July | Cleveland, USA — Cleveland Stadium |
| 22 July | Raleigh, USA — Carter–Finley Stadium |
| 24, 26 July | Foxborough, USA — Foxboro Stadium |
| 29 July | Chicago, USA — Soldier Field |
The Wings songs in McCartney’s solo show
“Jet”, “Band On The Run” and “Live And Let Die” remained part of McCartney’s concert repertoire beyond Wings. The Wings Collage T-shirt connects with that earlier chapter of his catalogue.
Madrid venue location: the original Palacio de los Deportes site
The 1989 concert took place at the original Palacio de los Deportes, Avenida de Felipe II, s/n, 28009 Madrid, Spain.
The original building was severely damaged by fire on 28 June 2001. A rebuilt arena on the same site opened on 16 February 2005 and is now known as Movistar Arena. The map marks that shared site, not an unchanged 1989 concert hall.
Open the historic arena site in Google Maps.
Frequently asked questions
When did Paul McCartney play Madrid in 1989?
He played the Palacio de los Deportes on 2 and 3 November 1989.
Which tour included this concert?
It was part of the Paul McCartney World Tour of 1989–1990, and 2 November was its 22nd concert.
Who was in McCartney’s band?
Linda McCartney, Hamish Stuart, Robbie McIntosh, Paul “Wix” Wickens and Chris Whitten accompanied him.
Which Madrid performance appeared on Tripping the Live Fantastic?
Things We Said Today from 2 November 1989 was included on the live album.
What was the closing sequence?
The concert ended with Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End.
Is the original venue still there?
The original arena was severely damaged by fire in 2001. A rebuilt venue opened on the same site in 2005 and is now Movistar Arena.
Official information: The Paul McCartney World Tour and Tripping the Live Fantastic.
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