Paul McCartney Live at the Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna – 14 May 2003

Wednesday 14 May 2003 | Live Performance | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria

On the evening of Wednesday 14th May 2003, Paul McCartney performed at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria — the 25th date of the Back in the World Tour, a 33-show European run that had begun in Paris in March and would conclude in Liverpool in June. It was a show that placed Vienna at the heart of one of the most ambitious concert tours of McCartney’s solo career, and continued a long relationship between McCartney and this particular venue.

The Wiener Stadthalle

The Wiener Stadthalle is Vienna’s principal indoor arena, located in the 15th district of the city at Vogelweidplatz 14. Opened in 1958, it is one of the largest and most historic concert venues in Austria, with a capacity of up to 16,000 for concerts. Its distinctive mid-century architecture and central location have made it the natural home for major international touring acts visiting the Austrian capital for decades.

For McCartney, the Wiener Stadthalle carried particular history. Wings had performed there on 19 September 1976, during the final European leg of the Wings Over the World Tour. McCartney had returned for solo shows on 5 and 6 September 1993 as part of the New World Tour. The 2003 date was his third visit to the venue, and he would return again for the Freshen Up Tour on 5 and 6 December 2018 — making the Wiener Stadthalle one of the most consistently visited venues of his entire touring career.

The Back in the World Tour

The Back in the World Tour was a 33-date European tour that ran from 25 March to 1 June 2003. It was a continuation of the Back in the US Tour, which had taken McCartney across North America in 2002 and had been documented in the live album and DVD Back in the US. The European leg — renamed Back in the World — covered France, Spain, Belgium, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Russia, Ireland, and concluded with a homecoming show at King’s Dock in Liverpool.

The tour included some of the most spectacular individual dates of McCartney’s career. On 10 and 11 May 2003, just days before the Vienna show, he had performed at the Colosseum in Rome — the first rock concert ever held at the ancient amphitheatre. On 24 May, he would play Red Square in Moscow — a concert that drew an audience of 100,000 and was widely regarded as one of the most significant live events of the decade.

Vienna, sandwiched between Rome and Moscow, was part of an extraordinary sequence of shows.

The Band

The band that backed McCartney throughout the Back in the World Tour was the same tight-knit ensemble he had assembled for the Driving Rain Tour in 2001 and had continued to work with ever since:

• Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens — vocals, keyboards, guitar, percussion, harmonica
• Brian Ray — vocals, guitar, bass
• Rusty Anderson — vocals, guitar
• Abe Laboriel Jr — vocals, drums

This lineup — which remains McCartney’s touring band to this day — is one of the most accomplished and long-serving ensembles in rock. Wix Wickens had been with McCartney since 1989. Brian Ray and Rusty Anderson had joined for the Driving Rain Tour in 2001. Abe Laboriel Jr, the son of the celebrated session bassist Abraham Laboriel, brought a musicality and energy to the drum chair that McCartney has consistently praised.

The Setlist

The 39-song Vienna setlist was one of the most comprehensive surveys of McCartney’s career ever assembled for a single concert — spanning the full arc from early Beatles to Wings to his solo work, and including some of the most beloved songs in the history of popular music.

The show opened with ‘Hello, Goodbye’ and moved through ‘Jet’, ‘All My Loving’, and ‘Getting Better’ before settling into a sequence that balanced deep cuts (‘Every Night’, ‘Calico Skies’, ‘Two of Us’) with the inevitable anthems. ‘Something’ — performed on ukulele as a tribute to George Harrison, who had died in November 2001 — was one of the most moving moments of the set. ‘Here Today’, McCartney’s tribute to John Lennon, was another.

‘Live and Let Die’ arrived with its customary pyrotechnics. ‘Hey Jude’ extended into a mass singalong. The show closed with ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)’ and ‘The End’ — the final track from Abbey Road, and one of the most perfect closing statements in rock history.

1. Hello, Goodbye
2. Jet
3. All My Loving
4. Getting Better
5. Let Me Roll It
6. Lonely Road
7. Your Loving Flame
8. Blackbird
9. Every Night
10. We Can Work It Out
11. You Never Give Me Your Money
12. Carry That Weight
13. The Fool on the Hill
14. Here Today
15. Something
16. Yellow Submarine
17. Eleanor Rigby
18. Here, There and Everywhere
19. I’ve Just Seen a Face
20. Calico Skies
21. Two of Us
22. Michelle
23. Band on the Run
24. Back in the USSR
25. Maybe I’m Amazed
26. Let ‘Em In
27. My Love
28. She’s Leaving Home
29. Can’t Buy Me Love
30. Birthday
31. Live and Let Die
32. Let It Be
33. Hey Jude
34. The Long and Winding Road
35. Lady Madonna
36. I Saw Her Standing There
37. Yesterday
38. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
39. The End

McCartney and Vienna: A History

The 14 May 2003 show was part of a long and consistent relationship between McCartney and the Wiener Stadthalle:

• 19 September 1976 — Wings, Wings Over the World Tour
• 5 September 1993 — Paul McCartney, New World Tour
• 6 September 1993 — Paul McCartney, New World Tour
• 14 May 2003 — Paul McCartney, Back in the World Tour ★
• 5 December 2018 — Paul McCartney, Freshen Up Tour
• 6 December 2018 — Paul McCartney, Freshen Up Tour

Back in the World Tour: Full Date List

• 25 March 2003 — Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
• 28 March 2003 — Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
• 29 March 2003 — Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
• 1 April 2003 — Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium
• 2 April 2003 — Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium
• 5 April 2003 — Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield, England
• 9 April 2003 — MEN Arena, Manchester, England
• 10 April 2003 — MEN Arena, Manchester, England
• 13 April 2003 — National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England
• 14 April 2003 — National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England
• 18 April 2003 — Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England
• 19 April 2003 — Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England
• 21 April 2003 — Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England
• 22 April 2003 — Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England
• 25 April 2003 — GelreDome, Arnhem, Netherlands
• 27 April 2003 — Kölnarena, Cologne, Germany
• 28 April 2003 — Kölnarena, Cologne, Germany
• 30 April 2003 — Preussag Arena, Hanover, Germany
• 2 May 2003 — Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 4 May 2003 — Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
• 5 May 2003 — Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
• 8 May 2003 — König-Pilsener-Arena, Oberhausen, Germany
• 10 May 2003 — Colosseum, Rome, Italy
• 11 May 2003 — Piazza del Colosseo, Rome, Italy
• 14 May 2003 — Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria ★
• 15 May 2003 — Sportaréna, Budapest, Hungary
• 17 May 2003 — Königsplatz, Munich, Germany
• 18 May 2003 — Königsplatz, Munich, Germany
• 21 May 2003 — AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany
• 24 May 2003 — Red Square, Moscow, Russia
• 27 May 2003 — RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
• 29 May 2003 — Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield, England
• 1 June 2003 — King’s Dock, Liverpool, England

Key Facts: 14 May 2003

• Date: Wednesday 14 May 2003
• Venue: Wiener Stadthalle, Vogelweidplatz 14, Vienna, Austria
• Tour: Back in the World Tour
• Show number: 25 of 33
• Songs performed: 39
• Previous McCartney/Wings shows at this venue: 19 Sep 1976, 5–6 Sep 1993
• Subsequent McCartney shows at this venue: 5–6 Dec 2018

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Paul McCartney play Vienna?

Yes — Paul McCartney has performed at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna on multiple occasions: with Wings on 19 September 1976, solo on 5 and 6 September 1993, on 14 May 2003 during the Back in the World Tour, and again on 5 and 6 December 2018 during the Freshen Up Tour.

What was the Back in the World Tour?

The Back in the World Tour was a 33-date European tour that ran from 25 March to 1 June 2003. It was the European continuation of the Back in the US Tour (2002) and included landmark shows at the Colosseum in Rome, Red Square in Moscow, and a homecoming concert at King’s Dock in Liverpool.

What did Paul McCartney play in Vienna in 2003?

McCartney performed a 39-song set spanning his full career, including Beatles classics (‘All My Loving’, ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Yesterday’), Wings hits (‘Band on the Run’, ‘Live and Let Die’), solo material (‘Maybe I’m Amazed’, ‘My Love’), and tributes to John Lennon (‘Here Today’) and George Harrison (‘Something’, performed on ukulele).

Who was in Paul McCartney’s band in 2003?

McCartney’s 2003 touring band was Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens (keyboards), Brian Ray (guitar/bass), Rusty Anderson (guitar), and Abe Laboriel Jr (drums) — the same lineup he had assembled for the Driving Rain Tour in 2001 and has continued to tour with ever since.

Did Paul McCartney play the Colosseum in Rome?

Yes — on 10 and 11 May 2003, just days before the Vienna show, McCartney performed at the Colosseum in Rome — the first rock concert ever held at the ancient amphitheatre. The Rome shows were among the most celebrated individual dates of the entire Back in the World Tour.

→ May in Beatles History

→ The Beatles Knowledge Hub

→ John Lennon | Paul McCartney | George Harrison | Ringo Starr

Shop Paul McCartney Merch: Shop by Era