Paul McCartney launched his 2025 tour in Santa Barbara, California on Friday night (26 September 2025), treating fans to a historic moment with the return of The Beatles’ classic Help! to his setlist for the first time since 1990.
The inclusion of Help! was a genuine surprise. McCartney had last performed the song during his 1990 world tour, but prior to that, it had been absent from his live repertoire since The Beatles’ own touring days in 1965. For context, The Beatles themselves played the song live just 35 times, first on 1 August 1965 in Blackpool, UK, and finally on 12 December 1965 in Cardiff, Wales.
Help! stands as one of the defining moments of The Beatles’ mid-1960s output. Released in July 1965 as both a single and the title track to their second feature film, it immediately topped charts on both sides of the Atlantic, holding the number one spot for three weeks in the UK and US. It was also the fourth in a run of six consecutive number-one singles in America, cementing the band’s absolute dominance of pop music at the time.
Written primarily by John Lennon, with Paul McCartney providing melodic support, the song carried an honesty that set it apart. Lennon would later admit that the lyrics were a subconscious plea for support during the height of Beatlemania, saying, “I was fat and depressed and I was crying out for help.” In hindsight, Lennon identified Help! and Strawberry Fields Forever as his most sincere Beatles songs, a striking contrast to tracks he felt were crafted more to order.
Biographer Ian MacDonald has called the song the first real crack in Lennon’s emotional shield, an early indication of the more confessional songwriting that would characterise his solo career.
The Beatles recorded Help! in just 12 takes at EMI Studios on 13 April 1965. McCartney added his distinctive countermelody, while George Harrison’s descending guitar riff required careful overdubbing. Notably, the recording marked the group’s first use of two four-track machines for “bouncing,” a technical advancement that would serve them well on later records.
A separate vocal track was later recorded at CTS Studios for the film version, which also removed the tambourine present in the single. While Lennon later expressed regret that the song had been recorded too quickly-he believed a slower tempo would have better conveyed his message-many critics disagreed. Dave Marsh, for example, praised the vitality of the finished product, noting how the band’s performance offered reassurance to balance Lennon’s vulnerability.
Help! was an instant success on release. Industry publications such as Cash Box and Record World correctly predicted its chart-topping fate, and it went on to become the second best-selling UK single of 1965, behind We Can Work It Out. The track was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 1966, though it did not win, and in later years it earned lasting recognition. The single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008 and ranked at number 29 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list in 2004 and 2010.
The Beatles promoted the track extensively through both film and television, including promotional clips for Top of the Pops and performances on The Ed Sullivan Show. It became a staple of their 1965 tours, with notable appearances at Shea Stadium and the Hollywood Bowl.
The Santa Barbara concert on 26 September was the usual career-spanning journey through McCartney’s work with The Beatles, Wings, and his solo output. The setlist included Beatles staples such as Got to Get You Into My Life, Blackbird, Lady Madonna, Hey Jude, and Let It Be, Wings anthems like Jet and Live and Let Die, as well as solo highlights including Coming Up and Dance Tonight.
Perhaps the most poignant moment, alongside Help!, was the performance of I’ve Got a Feeling, which McCartney delivered as a “virtual duet” with John Lennon using restored rooftop concert footage. The encore section closed with the emotional suite of Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, and The End from Abbey Road.
Sixty years after its release, Help! continues to resonate as one of The Beatles’ most enduring songs. Beneath its upbeat arrangement lies Lennon’s candid expression of anxiety and the universal need for support. Its return to McCartney’s setlist in 2025 offered fans not just a nostalgic throwback but also a reminder of the timeless humanity that runs through The Beatles’ catalogue.
Paul McCartney Setlist – 26 September 2025, Santa Barbara
Main Set
Help! – Help! (1965)
Coming Up – McCartney II (1980)
Got to Get You Into My Life – Revolver (1966)
Let Me Roll It – Band on the Run (1973)
Getting Better – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Let ‘Em In – Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976)
My Valentine – Kisses on the Bottom (2012)
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five – Band on the Run (1973)
I’ve Just Seen a Face – Help! (1965)
Love Me Do – Please Please Me (1963)
Dance Tonight – Memory Almost Full (2007)
Blackbird – The Beatles (White Album) (1968)
Now and Then – 1967-1970 (2023 Expanded Edition) (2023, recorded 1970s / completed 2023)
Lady Madonna – Non-album single (1968)
Jet – Band on the Run (1973)
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – The Beatles (White Album) (1968)
Get Back – Let It Be (1970)
Let It Be – Let It Be (1970)
Live and Let Die – James Bond film theme / single (1973)
Hey Jude – Non-album single (1968)
Encore
I’ve Got a Feeling – Let It Be (1970)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Helter Skelter – The Beatles (White Album) (1968)
Golden Slumbers – Abbey Road (1969)
Carry That Weight – Abbey Road (1969)
The End – Abbey Road (1969)
Paul McCartney tour dates for 2025
29 September 2025 – Palm Desert, CA – Acrisure Arena
4 October 2025 – Las Vegas, NV – Allegiant Stadium
7 October 2025 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
11 October 2025 – Denver, CO – Coors Field
14 October 2025 – Des Moines, IA – Casey’s Center
17 October 2025 – Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium
22 October 2025 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
25 October 2025 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome
29 October 2025 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
2 November 2025 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
3 November 2025 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
6 November 2025 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
8 November 2025 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
11 November 2025 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
14 November 2025 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
17 November 2025 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
18 November 2025 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
21 November 2025 – Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum
24 November 2025 – Chicago, IL – United Center
25 November 2025 – Chicago, IL – United Center
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