Tuesday 5 November 2002 · Paul McCartney · Live performance · Mexico City
Paul McCartney performed at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City on 5 November 2002. It was the third and final show of his Mexican engagement and the 53rd date of the 58-concert Driving World Tour. Five concerts in Japan remained before the tour ended later that month.
The show followed the Mexico City performances on 2 November and 3 November. McCartney played with Paul “Wix” Wickens, Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray and Abe Laboriel Jr, combining Driving Rain songs with Beatles favourites, Wings hits and other solo recordings.
Mexico City, 5 November 2002: concert facts
| Date | Tuesday 5 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 | 53rd of 58 concert dates |
| 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 |
| Next concert | Tokyo Dome, 11 November 2002 |
The final night of Driving Mexico
The 2002 tour began in Oakland on 1 April, with spring concerts in the United States and Canada. A further American leg followed in September and October. After Phoenix on 29 October, McCartney and his band travelled to Mexico for the three Palacio de los Deportes shows.
The official McCartney archive groups the Mexican concerts under the title Driving Mexico Tour. The performances were spread across four days: Saturday 2 November, Sunday 3 November and Tuesday 5 November.
Japan followed, with Tokyo Dome concerts on 11, 13 and 14 November, then Osaka Dome on 17 and 18 November. The Mexico City finale therefore closed the tour’s American and Mexican itinerary before its final Asian dates.
The five-piece 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 |
Wickens had accompanied McCartney on the 1989–1990 and 1993 tours. Anderson and Laboriel had played on Driving Rain, while Ray joined the live line-up for the 2002 tour. Ray’s guitar and bass roles allowed McCartney to change instruments through the programme.
Concert setlist
- 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
Driving Rain and the older repertoire
“Lonely Road”, “Driving Rain” and “Your Loving Flame” appeared together early in the set, representing McCartney’s latest studio album. “Coming Up”, “Every Night” and “Maybe I’m Amazed” brought earlier solo recordings into the programme.
The Wings selections included “Jet”, “Let Me Roll It”, “Band on the Run”, “Let ’Em In”, “My Love” and “Live and Let Die”. Beatles material ranged from “All My Loving” and “I Saw Her Standing There” to “Getting Better”, “Eleanor Rigby”, “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude”.
“You Never Give Me Your Money” led into a brief “Carry That Weight” passage. “Michelle” and “She’s Leaving Home” were also in the running order, with the latter appearing after “My Love”.
Here Today and Something
“Here Today” and “Something” appeared beside each other in the middle of the concert. McCartney had written “Here Today” for John Lennon and released it on Tug of War in 1982. “Something” was George Harrison’s song from Abbey Road.
Harrison had died in November 2001, less than a year before the Mexico City concerts. These performances placed songs associated with both former bandmates within the tour’s central sequence.
The Mexico City shows and Back in the World
The 2002 tour produced the live albums Back in the US and Back in the World. The latter was released internationally in 2003 and included additional performances beyond the earlier North American release.
The released versions of “Michelle” and “She’s Leaving Home” came from the second Mexico City concert on 3 November. They were performed again on 5 November, but the live-album recordings belong to that earlier night.
Complete Driving World Tour itinerary, 2002
Spring: United States and Canada
| Dates | 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 |
Autumn: United States, Mexico and Japan
| Dates | 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 November; 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 venue is at Avenida Viaducto Río de la Piedad and Río Churubusco s/n, Granjas México, 08400 Ciudad de México, Mexico.
View Palacio de los Deportes on Google Maps
Paul McCartney in the collection
Explore the Paul McCartney Photo T-shirt or browse the Paul McCartney and Wings collection.
Frequently asked questions
When did Paul McCartney play his final Mexico City show in 2002?
The final show was on 5 November 2002, following concerts on 2 and 3 November at Palacio de los Deportes.
Which tour included this concert?
It was the 53rd date of the 58-concert Driving World Tour. The Mexican leg was officially titled Driving Mexico Tour.
Who played in the band?
Paul “Wix” Wickens, Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray and Abe Laboriel Jr accompanied McCartney.
Which Driving Rain songs were performed?
Lonely Road, Driving Rain and Your Loving Flame appeared together early in the set.
Did this night supply Michelle and She’s Leaving Home for Back in the World?
No. The released performances came from the previous Mexico City concert on 3 November 2002.
Where did the tour go after Mexico City?
The band travelled to Japan for Tokyo Dome concerts on 11, 13 and 14 November, then Osaka Dome on 17 and 18 November.
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