Paul McCartney Plots Surprise Show at Bowery Ballroom in New York City

Seven years after Paul McCartney played a surprise show at Grand Central Station, the Beatle is back with more impromptu New York City concerts.

McCartney played an intimate show at the legendary Bowery Ballroom on Feb. 11, with physical tickets only available at the box office. (McCartney’s Instagram post warned fans: “Avoid purchasing tickets from third-party vendors. Fake tickets will not be honored and entry will be denied.”). The show sold out within 30 minutes.

Following that celebratory evening, McCartney announced a second show, taking place on Feb. 12; tickets once again instantly sold out. A third show has since been announced for Feb. 14. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with a 6:30 p.m. start time. Tickets once again are only available at the Bowery Ballroom box office.

The surprise gigs are McCartney’s first shows of 2025, after spending much of last year on the final leg of his Got Back Tour. The run originally launched in 2022 and finally wrapped in December 2024 with a special London show featuring Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood.

One resolution the musician did have for this year was finishing his next solo album. In a short Q&A with fans on his website, McCartney said that he’s “been working on a lot of songs,” but had to put the album “to the side” to focus on the Got Back Tour. “I’m hoping to get back into that and finish up a lot of these songs,” McCartney wrote. “So, how’s about that? My New Year’s resolution is to finish a new album!”

McCartney’s most recent solo album, McCartney III, arrived in 2020. It was a follow-up of sorts to its two predecessors, 1970’s McCartney, and 1980’s McCartney II, though it directly followed his 2018 solo effort, Egypt Station.

This article was updated on Feb. 12 to include that a second show was announced for Wednesday and sold out.

This article was updated on Feb. 13 to include that a third show was announced for Friday, Feb. 14.