Sunday 3 November 2002 | Live performance | Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City | By Beatles Fabdom
Paul McCartney performed at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City on 3 November 2002. It was the second of three non-consecutive nights at the arena and the 52nd date of his 58-show Driving World Tour.
The evening followed the opening Mexico City concert on 2 November. Performances of “Michelle” and “She’s Leaving Home” from this second show were included on Back In The World, released on 17 March 2003.
| Date | Sunday 3 November 2002 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Palacio de los Deportes |
| City | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Address | Avenida Viaducto Río de la Piedad and Río Churubusco s/n, Granjas México, 08400 Ciudad de México |
| Tour | Driving World Tour; Mexican leg titled Driving Mexico Tour |
| Tour position | 52nd of 58 shows |
| Mexico City dates | 2, 3 and 5 November 2002 |
| Band | Paul McCartney, Paul “Wix” Wickens, Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray and Abe Laboriel Jr |
| Official live-album connection | Michelle and She’s Leaving Home on Back In The World |
The second night of Driving Mexico
McCartney’s 2002 itinerary began in Oakland on 1 April. Spring performances in the United States and Canada were followed by another American leg in September and October. After the Phoenix concert on 29 October, the band travelled to Mexico City for three shows at the Palacio de los Deportes.
The official tour archive calls this engagement the Driving Mexico Tour. The three dates were 2, 3 and 5 November, with a day between the second and third performances. Japan followed, with three Tokyo Dome concerts and two at Osaka Dome completing the year’s itinerary.
The Mexico concerts combined songs from Driving Rain with Beatles material, Wings favourites and other solo recordings. The opening run moved from “Hello, Goodbye” to “Jet” and “All My Loving”; the final encore brought together “Yesterday”, the Sgt. Pepper reprise and “The End”.
The five-piece touring band
| Musician | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul McCartney | Vocals, bass, guitars and keyboards |
| Paul “Wix” Wickens | Keyboards, vocals, guitar, percussion and harmonica |
| Rusty Anderson | Guitar and vocals |
| Brian Ray | Guitar, bass and vocals |
| Abe Laboriel Jr | Drums and vocals |
The 2002 tour established the five-piece line-up that became central to McCartney’s subsequent touring career. Wickens had worked with him on earlier tours; Anderson, Ray and Laboriel joined the new live group around the Driving Rain period.
Ray moved between guitar and bass as McCartney changed instruments. Wickens supplied keyboards and additional instrumental parts, with Anderson on guitar and Laboriel on drums. Backing vocals were shared across the band.
Setlist
The sequence below lists the brief “Carry That Weight” passage separately after “You Never Give Me Your Money”.
- 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
- You Never Give Me Your Money
- Carry That Weight — snippet
- The Fool On The Hill
- Here Today
- Something
- Eleanor Rigby
- Here, There And Everywhere
- Michelle
- Band On The Run
- Back In The USSR
- Maybe I’m Amazed
- Let ’Em In
- My Love
- She’s Leaving Home
- Can’t Buy Me Love
- Live And Let Die
- Let It Be
- Hey Jude
First encore
- The Long And Winding Road
- Lady Madonna
- I Saw Her Standing There
Second encore
- Yesterday
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
- The End
Michelle and She’s Leaving Home on Back In The World
This concert supplied the performances of “Michelle” and “She’s Leaving Home” released on Back In The World. The double live album appeared on 17 March 2003, not in 2002, although its performances came from the 2002 tour.
The official album archive describes it as the international follow-up to Back In The US, which had been released in North America and Japan. Its additions included “Calico Skies”, “Michelle”, “Let ’Em In” and “She’s Leaving Home”. David Kahne produced the album.
“Michelle” brought a Rubber Soul song into the later part of the set, between “Here, There And Everywhere” and “Band On The Run”. “She’s Leaving Home” appeared after “My Love”, before the main set returned to faster Beatles and Wings material.
The two recordings give the 3 November concert a specific place in McCartney’s official live discography. They should not be attributed to the previous night’s performance.
Driving Rain, Wings and the Beatles catalogue
“Lonely Road”, “Driving Rain” and “Your Loving Flame” appeared together early in the programme. They represented McCartney’s latest studio album alongside a broader selection that included “Coming Up”, “Every Night” and “Maybe I’m Amazed”.
The Wings years were represented by “Jet”, “Let Me Roll It”, “Band On The Run”, “Let ’Em In”, “My Love” and “Live And Let Die”. Beatles songs ranged from “All My Loving” and “I Saw Her Standing There” to “Eleanor Rigby”, “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude”.
“Here Today”, written for John Lennon and released on Tug of War, sat beside “Something”, George Harrison’s song from Abbey Road. Harrison had died in November 2001, less than a year before this performance. Both former bandmates were represented within the concert’s middle section.
Complete Driving World Tour itinerary, 2002
The 58 dates covered the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan. Multiple dates at the same venue are grouped below; links lead to matching concert articles in our archive.
| 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 April; 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 April; 24 April | Washington, DC — MCI Center, USA |
| 26 April; 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 May; 13 May | Atlanta — Philips Arena, USA |
| 15 May | Tampa — Ice Palace, USA |
| 17 May; 18 May | Sunrise — National Car Rental Center, USA |
| 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 November; 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 |
Palacio de los Deportes location map
The concert took place at Palacio de los Deportes, Avenida Viaducto Río de la Piedad and Río Churubusco s/n, Granjas México, 08400 Ciudad de México, Mexico. This is the Mexico City arena, not the Madrid venue of the same name.
Open the concert venue in Google Maps.
Frequently asked questions
When did Paul McCartney play Mexico City in 2002?
He played Palacio de los Deportes on 2, 3 and 5 November. The 3 November concert was the second night.
Which tour included the concert?
It was the 52nd show in the 58-date Driving World Tour. The Mexican leg is listed officially as the Driving Mexico Tour.
Which recordings from this show appeared on Back In The World?
Michelle and She’s Leaving Home from 3 November 2002 were included on the live album, released on 17 March 2003.
Who accompanied McCartney?
Paul “Wix” Wickens, Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray and Abe Laboriel Jr were the four other members of the band.
Which Driving Rain songs were performed?
Lonely Road, Driving Rain and Your Loving Flame appeared together early in the programme.
What were the final songs?
The second encore consisted of Yesterday, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) and The End.
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