Paul McCartney Played a Beatles Classic for the First Time in 62 Years at Taylor Swift's Wedding
Paul McCartney reportedly performed the Beatles classic "I Want to Hold Your Hand" live for the first time since 1964, using Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Madison Square Garden wedding reception as the stage for the milestone.
McCartney was one of several A-list musicians who performed at the couple's July 3 wedding, alongside Stevie Nicks. Two guests told NBC News the reception featured performances from both McCartney and Nicks, along with a raffle offering the same model car Swift and Kelce took on their first date. People reports that McCartney chose the occasion to revive a song he hadn't played live since the Beatles' earliest days, and one he had never performed as a solo artist. A source told the outlet that after the ceremony, Swift's mother, Andrea, invited guests into the reception room, where the stage had already been set.
A Song Silent Since 1964
Setlist.fm data confirms the last time McCartney performed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" live was Sept. 20, 1964, at the Beatles' concert at New York's Paramount Theatre, the same city where he revived it 62 years later. The track, one of the band's early breakout hits and the song that launched Beatlemania in the U.S. after its February 1964 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, had gone untouched by McCartney in any live setting since.
A Star-Studded Night
McCartney's appearance was one of many boldface moments from a wedding that drew a guest list spanning music, sports, film and television. Guests reportedly signed non-disclosure agreements ahead of the event, and phones were banned inside the arena. Adam Sandler officiated the ceremony, while Swift's brother, Austin, served as her "man of honor" and Kelce's brother, Jason, stood in as best man. The bride and groom wore custom Christian Dior Haute Couture designed by Jonathan Anderson.
Tom Hanks was among those photographed departing Madison Square Garden alongside McCartney, and the guest list also included Ed Sheeran, Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper, according to multiple outlets covering the event.
A Mutual Admiration Society
McCartney and Swift have a well-documented history of professional respect. The two appeared together on the cover of Rolling Stone's Musicians on Musicians issue in 2020. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, McCartney compared Swift's level of fame to that of the Beatles in an interview with the BBC, saying he sees "the parallel" in the scale of it, though he added that Swift doesn't need advice from him.
Swift has returned the praise. She called McCartney an "eternally exceptional artist" on social media following the release of his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane.
For a couple whose romance has largely played out in public over the past two years, the wedding itself was notable for how tightly it was guarded, right up until Madison Square Garden's marquee lit up with the announcement that the two had tied the knot.
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