Paul McCartney has added a Santa Barbara date to his 2025 Got Back Tour, marking the first time the former Beatle will perform in the city. The Sept. 26 show at the 4,500-seat Santa Barbara Bowl will kick off the North American leg of the tour that began in 2022. The venue requires fans to place their devices in Yondr pouches, creating a phone-free experience for the night.
The one-off appearance in Santa Barbara comes as McCartney rolls out a broader fall slate that will take him to arenas and stadiums across the United States and Canada. Goldenvoice executive vice president Moss Jacobs described the Santa Barbara show as a special surprise assembled over roughly three and a half years, and it serves as the opening act for a schedule that includes a run through Las Vegas, Denver, Minneapolis, Nashville and Buffalo, among other cities. The full tour calendar places the Santa Barbara show on Sept. 26, followed by Sept. 29 at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, and Oct. 4 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The itinerary then stretches to Oct. 7 at Isleta Amphitheater in Albuquerque, Oct. 11 at Coors Field in Denver, Oct. 14 at Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Oct. 17 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Oct. 22 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oct. 25 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Oct. 29 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Nov. 2 and 3 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, and continuing through early November with shows in Nashville, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Montreal, Hamilton and Chicago, before wrapping up toward mid-November.
McCartney’s touring pace aligns with a recent stretch that saw him deliver a high-energy performance of The Beatles’ Abbey Road Suite during SNL’s 50th-anniversary celebration in February. That appearance followed a brief run of intimate Bowery Ballroom shows in New York City, where he revisited a mix of Beatles classics and Wings tunes. Set lists from those nights leaned heavily on favorites like “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Blackbird,” “Let It Be,” “Hey Jude,” and “Band on the Run,” as well as the long-gestating, recently released Beatles track “Now and Then.”
The Santa Barbara date appears within a broader 2025 arc that keeps McCartney near the touring circuit as he approaches his 83rd birthday. Fans have long awaited a Santa Barbara appearance, and the show will come with the same hallmark of the Got Back era: a career-spanning set list that blends Beatles classics with Wings staples and a few contemporary picks.
Beyond McCartney, the prospect of seeing other members of the Fab Four on the road remains a draw for fans. Ringo Starr, 85, has maintained a busy schedule with his All Starr Band, and September dates include multiple performances in Las Vegas and California. The pairing of these elder statesmen of rock underscores a cultural moment in which long-running tours by classic acts continue to draw large crowds, decades after their transformative work.
McCartney’s release calendar also includes new music, notably the May 16 drop of the duet “My Valentine” with Barbra Streisand. The collaboration revisits a mid-2010s period in which McCartney explored romantic standards and more restrained arrangements, offering a fresh pairing of two megastars with a shared history of bold experimentation.
Several other iconic artists who emerged in the 1960s and ’70s remain active on the road in 2025. Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Stevie Nicks, Robert Plant, Daryl Hall and John Fogerty are among the classic-rock veterans continuing to tour, delivering signature tracks that helped define generations of listeners.
New York Post staff writer Matt Levy frames the piece as a snapshot of the live-entertainment landscape in 2025, noting that tour deals are subject to change and prices can fluctuate. The coverage reflects ongoing emphasis on high-demand, veteran acts whose concerts continue to attract large audiences in major markets.