Monday 5 November 2018 · Paul McCartney · Live performance · Tokyo, Japan
Paul McCartney performed at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on 5 November 2018. The concert was the ninth date of his Freshen Up Tour and the third of its four Japanese shows, following two performances at Tokyo Dome.
The historic sumo venue offered a smaller setting than the dome concerts. McCartney’s official tour account described an audience of 7,500 and a 31-song rock show, with the large video screens omitted because they would not fit inside the hall.
Ryōgoku Kokugikan concert: key facts
| Date | Monday 5 November 2018 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Ryōgoku Kokugikan |
| Address | 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0015, Japan |
| Tour | Freshen Up, 2018–2019 |
| Tour position | Ninth of 39 shows |
| Japanese leg | Third of four concerts |
| Audience reported in the official tour account | 7,500 |
| Main set | 31 entries, including the three-part Abbey Road finale |
| Previous show | Tokyo Dome, 1 November 2018 |
| Next show | Nagoya Dome, 8 November 2018 |
A Freshen Up show inside Tokyo’s sumo hall
The Kokugikan date was announced on 28 September as a special addition to the Japanese tour. McCartney’s announcement called it his most intimate Japanese concert to date and noted his longstanding interest in sumo wrestling.
The show followed Tokyo Dome concerts on 31 October and 1 November. After Ryōgoku, the band travelled to Nagoya for the final Japanese date on 8 November.
The official tour diary describes equipment being loaded into the venue from 1am on the day of the concert. The smaller hall required a different stage presentation from the dome shows, without the usual large screens.
“A Hard Day’s Night” opened the concert, followed by “Hi, Hi, Hi” and “All My Loving”. Contemporary Japanese coverage reported McCartney greeting the Kokugikan audience in Japanese and using the sumo expression “dosukoi” between songs.
The band and Hot City Horns
| Musician | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul McCartney | Vocals, bass, guitars and keyboards |
| Paul “Wix” Wickens | Keyboards, vocals and additional instruments |
| Rusty Anderson | Guitar and vocals |
| Brian Ray | Guitar, bass and vocals |
| Abe Laboriel Jr | Drums and vocals |
| Kenji Fenton | Saxophone |
| Mike Davis | Trumpet |
| Paul Burton | Trombone |
Fenton, Davis and Burton formed the Hot City Horns, the brass and woodwind trio accompanying McCartney on Freshen Up. The core five-piece band had already toured together for many years, with Ray moving between guitar and bass as McCartney changed instruments.
Soundcheck setlist
- Matchbox
- Blue Suede Shoes
- Flaming Pie
- One After 909
- Coming Up
- Miss Ann
- I Don’t Know
- Let ’Em In
- San Francisco Bay Blues
- Singing the Blues
- Midnight Special
- Lady Madonna
The soundcheck included “I Don’t Know”, from Egypt Station, alongside earlier solo songs, Beatles material and rock-and-roll standards. “Lady Madonna” also appeared in the main concert.
Concert setlist
- A Hard Day’s Night
- Hi, Hi, Hi
- All My Loving
- Letting Go
- Come On to Me
- Let Me Roll It
- I’ve Got a Feeling
- My Valentine
- Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
- I’ve Just Seen a Face
- In Spite of All the Danger
- From Me to You
- Love Me Do
- Blackbird
- Queenie Eye
- Lady Madonna
- Fuh You
- Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
- Something
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- Band on the Run
- Back in the USSR
- Let It Be
- Live and Let Die
- Hey Jude
Encore
- I Saw Her Standing There
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
- Helter Skelter
- Golden Slumbers
- Carry That Weight
- The End
Egypt Station and songs from across McCartney’s career
The Freshen Up Tour accompanied the Egypt Station period. At Ryōgoku, “Come On to Me” and “Fuh You” represented the new album in the concert, while “I Don’t Know” had appeared during soundcheck.
“In Spite of All the Danger” reached back to the Quarrymen recording made before The Beatles’ professional career. “From Me to You”, “Love Me Do” and “All My Loving” brought the early Beatles years into the programme, with later selections including “Blackbird”, “Something” and “Let It Be”.
The Wings songs included “Hi, Hi, Hi”, “Letting Go”, “Let Me Roll It”, “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five”, “Band on the Run” and “Live and Let Die”. “My Valentine” and “Queenie Eye” added more recent solo material.
“Hey Jude” closed the main set. The encore began with “I Saw Her Standing There” and ended with the connected Abbey Road sequence “Golden Slumbers”, “Carry That Weight” and “The End”.
Complete Freshen Up Tour itinerary, 2018–2019
| Date | Venue and city |
|---|---|
| 17 September 2018 | Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Canada |
| 20 September 2018 | Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada |
| 28 September 2018 | Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Canada |
| 30 September 2018 | Rogers Place, Edmonton, Canada |
| 5 October 2018 | Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, USA |
| 12 October 2018 | Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, USA |
| 31 October 2018 | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan |
| 1 November 2018 | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan |
| 5 November 2018 | Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan |
| 8 November 2018 | Nagoya Dome, Nagoya, Japan |
| 28 November 2018 | Paris La Défense Arena, Paris, France |
| 30 November 2018 | Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 3 December 2018 | Tauron Arena, Kraków, Poland |
| 5 December 2018 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria |
| 6 December 2018 | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria |
| 12 December 2018 | Echo Arena, Liverpool, England |
| 14 December 2018 | SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland |
| 16 December 2018 | O2 Arena, London, England |
| 20 March 2019 | Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago, Chile |
| 23 March 2019 | Campo Argentino de Polo, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| 26 March 2019 | Allianz Parque, São Paulo, Brazil |
| 27 March 2019 | Allianz Parque, São Paulo, Brazil |
| 30 March 2019 | Estádio Couto Pereira, Curitiba, Brazil |
| 23 May 2019 | Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, USA |
| 27 May 2019 | PNC Arena, Raleigh, USA |
| 30 May 2019 | Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, USA |
| 1 June 2019 | Rupp Arena, Lexington, USA |
| 3 June 2019 | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, USA |
| 6 June 2019 | Kohl Center, Madison, USA |
| 8 June 2019 | Lambeau Field, Green Bay, USA |
| 11 June 2019 | TaxSlayer Center, Moline, USA |
| 14 June 2019 | Globe Life Park, Arlington, USA |
| 22 June 2019 | Petco Park, San Diego, USA |
| 26 June 2019 | Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, USA |
| 28 June 2019 | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, USA |
| 29 June 2019 | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, USA |
| 6 July 2019 | BC Place, Vancouver, Canada |
| 10 July 2019 | SAP Center, San Jose, USA |
| 13 July 2019 | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, USA |
Ryōgoku Kokugikan location map
The venue is at 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0015, Japan.
View Ryōgoku Kokugikan 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 Ryōgoku Kokugikan?
He performed at the Tokyo sumo venue on 5 November 2018.
Which tour included the concert?
It was the ninth show of the 39-date Freshen Up Tour, which ran from September 2018 to July 2019.
How many songs were in the concert?
The main concert contained 31 entries, counting Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End separately.
Which Egypt Station songs were performed?
Come On to Me and Fuh You were in the main set. I Don’t Know appeared during soundcheck.
Who were the Hot City Horns?
Kenji Fenton played saxophone, Mike Davis trumpet and Paul Burton trombone.
Where did McCartney perform before and after Ryōgoku?
The previous show was at Tokyo Dome on 1 November 2018. The next was at Nagoya Dome on 8 November.
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