Sunday 29 July 1990 | Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, USA
On 29 July 1990, Paul McCartney performed at Soldier Field in Chicago — the final concert of the Paul McCartney World Tour. The tour ran for 102 dates across 14 countries between September 1989 and July 1990, McCartney’s first major solo tour since Wings disbanded in 1981. The crowd of 50,000 was the largest of the final leg.
McCartney’s publicist Geoff Baker wrote about the evening:
“Soldier Field, Chicago; Sunday, July 29th. 8.30 pm and Clive Dunn shouted ‘Showtime’ for the last time. Reluctantly this time, the band shuffled from their dressing room; almost unwilling to play, not wanting to start the show because this was The Last Time and you wanted to delay it forever. The normal backstage banter of the crew was hushed. Friends avoided each other. No-one looked you in the eye. What could you say? Outside, the crowd was going berserk; 50,000 of ‘em waving lighters, matches, torches to welcome Macca’s last stand on stage with the greatest show of light we’d seen all year. Fireworks blew up the skyline during ‘Pepper’ and ‘Live And Let Die’ and between songs you could hear one or another of us pine ‘Oh God, I don’t want this to end…’ As the crowd’s roars loudened, tour staff who at other gigs would be busy backstage drifted to the front; almost disbelieving it was really over. And when Paul launched into ‘The Long And Winding Road’, a tour anthem for many who’d been there since Oslo a lifetime ago, guys’ heads bent as they didn’t want Paul to see the tears. But… mark the last words of Soldier Field: ‘Thank you… we’ll see you all again next time.’”
— Geoff Baker, publicist
The Band
| Paul McCartney | Vocals, bass, guitar, piano |
| Linda McCartney | Vocals, keyboards, percussion |
| Hamish Stuart | Guitar, bass guitar, vocals |
| Robbie McIntosh | Guitar, vocals |
| Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens | Keyboards, vocals |
| Chris Whitten | Drums, percussion |
Concert Setlist
- Figure Of Eight
- Jet
- Got To Get You Into My Life
- Rough Ride
- Band On The Run
- Birthday
- We Got Married
- Let ‘Em In
- 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
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Help!
- Give Peace A Chance
- Live And Let Die
- The Hustle (snippet)
- Hey Jude
- Yesterday
- Get Back
- Golden Slumbers
- Carry That Weight
- The End
The Paul McCartney World Tour 1989–90
McCartney’s first major solo tour opened in Drammen, Norway on 26 September 1989 and closed at Soldier Field 102 dates later. Highlights included six nights at Tokyo Dome, two nights at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro (each drawing over 180,000 people), and the Knebworth Festival on 30 June 1990. The tour grossed over $100 million. The setlist drew heavily on the Beatles catalogue — many songs not performed live since the 1960s — alongside Wings hits and material from Flowers in the Dirt (1989).
All Tour Dates
| 26 Sep 1989 | Drammenshallen, Drammen, Norway |
| 28 Sep 1989 | Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden |
| 29–30 Sep 1989 | Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm |
| 3–4 Oct 1989 | Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Hamburg |
| 6–7 Oct 1989 | Festhalle, Frankfurt |
| 9–11 Oct 1989 | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy |
| 16–17 Oct 1989 | Westfalenhalle, Dortmund |
| 20–22 Oct 1989 | Olympiahalle, Munich |
| 24 Oct 1989 | PalaEUR, Rome |
| 26–27 Oct 1989 | PalaTrussardi, Milan |
| 29–30 Oct 1989 | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 2–3 Nov 1989 | Palacio de los Deportes, Madrid |
| 5 Nov 1989 | Halle Tony Garnier, Lyon |
| 7–8, 10–11 Nov 1989 | Rotterdam Ahoy |
| 23–24, 27–29 Nov 1989 | Forum, Inglewood |
| 3–5 Dec 1989 | Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont |
| 7 Dec 1989 | SkyDome, Toronto |
| 9 Dec 1989 | Forum, Montreal |
| 11–12, 14–15 Dec 1989 | Madison Square Garden, New York City |
| 2–3, 5–6, 8–9 Jan 1990 | NEC, Birmingham |
| 11–26 Jan 1990 (10 nights) | Wembley Arena, London |
| 1–2 Feb 1990 | The Palace, Auburn Hills |
| 4–5 Feb 1990 | Civic Arena, Pittsburgh |
| 8–9 Feb 1990 | Worcester Centrum |
| 12 Feb 1990 | Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati |
| 14–15 Feb 1990 | Market Square Arena, Indianapolis |
| 18–19 Feb 1990 | Omni Coliseum, Atlanta |
| 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 Mar 1990 | Tokyo Dome |
| 29 Mar 1990 | Kingdome, Seattle |
| 31 Mar, 1 Apr 1990 | California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley |
| 4 Apr 1990 | Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe |
| 7 Apr 1990 | Texas Stadium, Irving |
| 9 Apr 1990 | Rupp Arena, Lexington |
| 12 Apr 1990 | Tampa Stadium |
| 14–15 Apr 1990 | Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami Gardens |
| 20–21 Apr 1990 | Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro |
| 23 Jun 1990 | SECC Arena, Glasgow |
| 28 Jun 1990 | King’s Dock, Liverpool |
| 30 Jun 1990 | Knebworth Festival |
| 4, 6 Jul 1990 | RFK Stadium, Washington DC |
| 9, 11 Jul 1990 | Giants Stadium, East Rutherford |
| 14–15 Jul 1990 | Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia |
| 18 Jul 1990 | Cyclone Stadium, Ames |
| 20 Jul 1990 | Cleveland Stadium |
| 22 Jul 1990 | Carter–Finley Stadium, Raleigh |
| 24, 26 Jul 1990 | Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough |
| 29 Jul 1990 | Soldier Field, Chicago ★ Final show |
When was Paul McCartney’s World Tour?
26 September 1989 to 29 July 1990; 102 dates across 14 countries. McCartney’s first major solo tour since Wings disbanded in 1981. Final show at Soldier Field, Chicago.
Who was in Paul McCartney’s band on the 1989–90 World Tour?
Linda McCartney, Hamish Stuart, Robbie McIntosh, Paul Wix Wickens, and Chris Whitten.
Did Paul McCartney play the Maracanã?
Yes — 20 and 21 April 1990, each show drawing over 180,000 people.
→ 29 July in Beatles History
→ July in Beatles History
→ Paul McCartney: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ The Beatles Knowledge Hub
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