3 November 1989 · Live performance · Madrid, Spain
On Friday 3 November 1989, Paul McCartney performed at the Palacio de los Deportes in Madrid. It was the second of two consecutive nights at the arena and the 23rd concert of the Paul McCartney World Tour, which continued into July 1990.
The show followed the first Madrid concert on 2 November. Its repertoire brought together the new Flowers in the Dirt material, Beatles songs, Wings hits and earlier solo recordings. Two brief Spanish interludes, Tres Conejos and Y Viva España, appeared before Hey Jude.
| Date | Friday 3 November 1989 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Palacio de los Deportes, Madrid, Spain |
| Historic address | Avenida de Felipe II, s/n, 28009 Madrid |
| Tour | The Paul McCartney World Tour, 1989–1990 |
| Tour position | 23rd concert; second consecutive Madrid night |
| Previous show | Madrid, 2 November 1989 |
| Next show | Halle Tony Garnier, Lyon, 5 November 1989 |
| Opening song | Figure Of Eight |
| Closing sequence | Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End |
The World Tour’s second night in Madrid
The tour had opened at Drammenshallen in Norway on 26 September. After concerts in Scandinavia, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland, McCartney reached Spain for the two Palacio de los Deportes dates.
Madrid followed Zürich’s Hallenstadion shows of 29 and 30 October. The Spanish concerts were followed by Lyon on 5 November and four Rotterdam dates before the tour crossed the Atlantic for its first North American leg.
Demand for the Madrid engagement was strong before the concerts began. El País reported on 1 November that the first night had sold out and fewer than twenty tickets remained for the second. The report also anticipated fans arriving by bus from other Spanish cities.
Paul McCartney’s 1989 touring band
McCartney’s five accompanying musicians were Linda McCartney, Hamish Stuart, Robbie McIntosh, Paul “Wix” Wickens and Chris Whitten. The line-up supported his changes between bass, guitar and keyboards through a set spanning several decades.
| 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 guitar and bass roles complemented McCartney’s own instrument changes. Linda and Wickens provided the keyboard parts, McIntosh supplied additional guitar and vocals, and Whitten played drums and percussion.
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
- Live And Let Die
- Tres Conejos — snippet
- Y Viva España — snippet
- Hey Jude
- Yesterday
- Get Back
- Golden Slumbers
- Carry That Weight
- The End
Flowers in the Dirt, Wings and the Beatles
Figure Of Eight opened the concert. Along with Rough Ride, We Got Married, Put It There, This One and My Brave Face, it represented the new Flowers in the Dirt album within a broader career-spanning programme.
Wings material included Jet, Band On The Run and Live And Let Die. The solo catalogue supplied songs such as Maybe I’m Amazed and Coming Up, while the Beatles selections ranged from I Saw Her Standing There to the closing Abbey Road medley.
The programme also made room for Twenty Flight Rock and Ain’t That A Shame. The two Spanish snippets were brief additions to the running order, rather than full-length replacements for the main repertoire.
Madrid television coverage and the live album
The Spanish programme Rockopop interviewed McCartney before the second Madrid concert, with journalist Beatriz Pecker. The material was broadcast on 4 November. Its concert coverage included Figure Of Eight from the first Madrid night, so the interview date and performance date were not identical.
The Madrid engagement also connects with Tripping the Live Fantastic, the live album drawn from the tour. Its performance of Things We Said Today came from 2 November, rather than this second night.
The two concerts therefore have separate places in the record: 3 November was the second performance and the day of the television interview, while the previous night supplied the released live-album version of Things We Said Today.
The complete World Tour concert itinerary
The concert chronology runs from Drammen in September 1989 to Chicago in July 1990. Dates sharing a venue are grouped below; linked dates lead to matching 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 — 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 |
Venue map: the original Palacio de los Deportes site
The concert took place at the original Palacio de los Deportes, Avenida de Felipe II, s/n, 28009 Madrid, Spain. That building was severely damaged by fire in 2001. A rebuilt arena opened on the same site in 2005 and is now known as Movistar Arena.
The map marks the shared historic site. The present arena is not the unchanged building in which McCartney played in 1989.
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. This article covers the second night.
Which tour included the 3 November concert?
It was the 23rd concert of the Paul McCartney World Tour of 1989–1990.
Who played in McCartney’s band?
Linda McCartney, Hamish Stuart, Robbie McIntosh, Paul “Wix” Wickens and Chris Whitten accompanied him.
Which Spanish snippets were included?
Tres Conejos and Y Viva España appeared before Hey Jude in the supplied concert running order.
Did this night supply Things We Said Today for Tripping the Live Fantastic?
The released live-album performance came from the previous Madrid concert on 2 November 1989.
Is the present Madrid arena the original 1989 building?
No. The original Palacio de los Deportes was severely damaged by fire in 2001. The present arena was rebuilt on the same site and opened in 2005.
Continue through the World Tour
Read Madrid’s first night on 2 November 1989, Rome on 24 October and Milan on 27 October. Return to the On This Day hub or explore the main Beatles Knowledge Hub.
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