Paul McCartney live: Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City – 2 November 2002

Paul McCartney Driving Rain promotional artwork showing McCartney holding a violin bass above a red convertible against a blue sky

Saturday 2 November 2002 | Live performance | Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City | By Beatles Fabdom

Paul McCartney performed at Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes on 2 November 2002. It was the first of three shows at the arena, with further concerts on 3 and 5 November.

The concert was the 51st date in the 58-show Driving World Tour itinerary. McCartney arrived after the autumn American concerts and continued to Japan once the Mexican engagement was complete.

Mexico City concert facts
Date Saturday 2 November 2002
Venue Palacio de los Deportes
City Mexico City, Mexico
Location Avenida Viaducto RĂ­o de la Piedad and RĂ­o Churubusco, Granjas MĂ©xico, 08400 Ciudad de MĂ©xico
Tour Driving World Tour, 2002
Tour position 51st show
Mexico City engagement 2, 3 and 5 November 2002
Opening song Hello, Goodbye
Closing sequence Yesterday; Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise); The End
Driving Rain promotional artwork with Paul McCartney, a violin bass and a red convertible beneath a blue sky
Driving Rain promotional artwork used for the 2002 touring period.

From the American shows to Driving Mexico

McCartney’s official tour archive groups the three Mexican concerts as the Driving Mexico Tour. They followed the Back In The US dates, which ended in Phoenix on 29 October.

The wider 2002 itinerary began in Oakland on 1 April and included concerts in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan. Its final performances were in Osaka on 17 and 18 November.

The Mexico City shows were not three consecutive nights. The band played on Saturday and Sunday, took a day between performances, and returned on Tuesday 5 November.

The five-piece band

The 2002 concerts introduced the touring line-up that became central to McCartney’s later live career: Paul “Wix” Wickens, Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray and Abe Laboriel Jr alongside McCartney.

Paul McCartney’s 2002 touring band
Musician Role
Paul McCartney Vocals, bass, guitars and keyboards
Paul “Wix” Wickens Keyboards, vocals, guitar, percussion and harmonica
Brian Ray Guitar, bass and vocals
Rusty Anderson Guitar and vocals
Abe Laboriel Jr Drums and vocals

Ray’s guitar and bass roles supported McCartney’s changes of instrument, while Wickens provided keyboard parts and additional textures. Anderson and Laboriel completed the guitar-and-drum foundation of the five-piece group.

Setlist

  1. Hello, Goodbye
  2. Jet
  3. All My Loving
  4. Getting Better
  5. Coming Up
  6. Let Me Roll It
  7. Lonely Road
  8. Driving Rain
  9. Your Loving Flame
  10. Blackbird
  11. Every Night
  12. We Can Work It Out
  13. You Never Give Me Your Money
  14. Carry That Weight — snippet
  15. The Fool On The Hill
  16. Here Today
  17. Something
  18. Eleanor Rigby
  19. Here, There And Everywhere
  20. Michelle
  21. Band On The Run
  22. Back In The USSR
  23. Maybe I’m Amazed
  24. Let ’Em In
  25. My Love
  26. She’s Leaving Home
  27. Can’t Buy Me Love
  28. Live And Let Die
  29. Let It Be
  30. Hey Jude

First encore

  1. The Long And Winding Road
  2. Lady Madonna
  3. I Saw Her Standing There

Second encore

  1. Yesterday
  2. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
  3. The End

Driving Rain songs and the earlier catalogue

“Lonely Road”, “Driving Rain” and “Your Loving Flame” represented McCartney’s latest studio album. They followed an opening run that included Beatles songs, “Jet”, “Coming Up” and “Let Me Roll It”.

The middle of the show included “Blackbird”, “Every Night”, “We Can Work It Out” and “You Never Give Me Your Money”, with a brief “Carry That Weight” passage. “Michelle” and “She’s Leaving Home” added further Beatles material beyond the most frequently performed rock songs.

The final part of the main set moved through “Live And Let Die”, “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude”. Two encore sections followed, ending with the Sgt Pepper reprise and “The End”.

Paul McCartney merchandise

The McCartney Photo black T-shirt features a colour portrait beneath white McCartney lettering.

Black Paul McCartney T-shirt with a colour portrait and white McCartney name
McCartney Photo T-shirt.

Here Today and Something

“Here Today” was McCartney’s song for John Lennon, written after Lennon’s death and released on Tug of War. Its position beside “Something” brought the work of both former bandmates into the programme.

George Harrison had died in November 2001, less than a year before the Mexico City concert. “Something” formed part of McCartney’s tribute to him during the 2002 touring period.

Complete Driving World Tour itinerary

The 58-date itinerary below combines the spring North American concerts, the autumn American return, the three Mexican shows and the five Japanese dates. Dates at the same venue are grouped; links lead to existing concert articles.

Spring 2002: United States and Canada
Date City and venue
1 April Oakland — Oakland Arena, USA
3 April San Jose — HP Pavilion, USA
5, 6 April Las Vegas — MGM Grand Garden Arena, USA
10, 11 April Chicago — United Center, USA
13 April Toronto — Air Canada Centre, Canada
16 April Philadelphia — First Union Center, USA
17 April East Rutherford — Continental Airlines Arena, USA
19 April Boston — FleetCenter, USA
21 April Uniondale — Nassau Coliseum, USA
23, 24 April Washington, DC — MCI Center, USA
26, 27 April New York City — Madison Square Garden, USA
29 April Cleveland — Gund Arena, USA
1 May Auburn Hills — The Palace, USA
4 May Los Angeles — Staples Center, USA
5 May Anaheim — Arrowhead Pond, USA
7 May Denver — Pepsi Center, USA
9, 10 May Dallas — Reunion Arena, USA
12, 13 May Atlanta — Philips Arena, USA
15 May Tampa — Ice Palace, USA
17, 18 May Sunrise — National Car Rental Center, USA
Autumn 2002: United States, Mexico and Japan
Date City and venue
21 September Milwaukee — Bradley Center, USA
23 September St Paul — Xcel Energy Center, USA
24 September Chicago — United Center, USA
27 September Hartford — Civic Center, USA
28 September Atlantic City — Boardwalk Hall, USA
30 September, 1 October Boston — FleetCenter, USA
4 October Cleveland — Gund Arena, USA
5 October Indianapolis — Conseco Fieldhouse, USA
7 October Raleigh — RBC Center, USA
9 October St Louis — Savvis Center, USA
10 October Columbus — Value City Arena, USA
12 October New Orleans — New Orleans Arena, USA
13 October Houston — Compaq Center, USA
15 October Oklahoma City — Ford Center, USA
18 October Portland — Rose Garden, USA
19 October Tacoma — Tacoma Dome, USA
21 October Sacramento — ARCO Arena, USA
22 October San Jose — HP Pavilion, USA
25 October Anaheim — Arrowhead Pond, USA
26 October Las Vegas — MGM Grand Garden Arena, USA
28 October Los Angeles — Staples Center, USA
29 October Phoenix — America West Arena, USA
2, 3, 5 November Mexico City — Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico
11, 13, 14 November Tokyo — Tokyo Dome, Japan
17, 18 November Osaka — Osaka Dome, Japan

Wings favourites in the 2002 show

“Jet”, “Let Me Roll It”, “Band On The Run”, “Let ’Em In”, “My Love” and “Live And Let Die” brought the Wings years into the Mexico City programme.

The Wings Collage T-shirt connects with that part of McCartney’s catalogue.

Models showing a black Wings collage T-shirt from the front and back
Wings Collage T-shirt.

The 2002 tour on record

The year’s touring performances were documented on Back In The US, released on 26 November 2002 in North America and Japan. The international Back In The World followed in 2003.

The latter included “Michelle”, “Let ’Em In” and “She’s Leaving Home”, songs also present in the Mexico City set, among its changes from the earlier release. These albums document the broader tour; their track listings are not a substitute for this individual concert’s setlist.

Palacio de los Deportes location map

The concert venue is Palacio de los Deportes, Avenida Viaducto RĂ­o de la Piedad and RĂ­o Churubusco, Granjas MĂ©xico, 08400 Ciudad de MĂ©xico, Mexico.

The map targets the Mexico City arena, not the Madrid venue of the same name.

Open Palacio de los Deportes in Google Maps.

Frequently asked questions

When did Paul McCartney play Mexico City in 2002?

He performed at the Palacio de los Deportes on 2, 3 and 5 November 2002.

Which tour included the concert?

It was the 51st date of the 58-show Driving World Tour itinerary. The official archive calls the Mexican leg the Driving Mexico Tour.

Who was in McCartney’s band?

Paul “Wix” Wickens, Brian Ray, Rusty Anderson and Abe Laboriel Jr accompanied McCartney.

Which Driving Rain songs were played?

Lonely Road, Driving Rain and Your Loving Flame were included in the set.

What were the final songs?

The second encore consisted of Yesterday, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) and The End.

Where did McCartney go after Mexico?

The tour continued to Japan, with three Tokyo Dome concerts and two shows at Osaka Dome.

Official tour and album information: Driving Mexico Tour and Back In The World.

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