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Mar 28, 2010 › Jun 10, 2011

Up And Coming Tour

By Paul McCartney

Last updated on November 28, 2020

Details

  • First date: Sunday, March 28, 2010
  • Last date: Friday, June 10, 2011
  • Number of concerts: 40
  • Number of countries: 9

Band members

Line-up Discover Backing band 2001-2018

Albums covering this tour

From paulmccartney.com:

The ironically-titled Up and Coming Tour began on March 28th 2010 in Arizona and went on to the legendary Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, the first time Paul had played there since 1993. Paul first appeared at the Bowl with The Beatles 46 years previously in August 1964 and then again a year later in August 1965. The new tour then called at Miami before Paul played his first ever show in Puerto Rico.  He then hurtled to Europe for shows in Dublin, the Isle of Wight, Glasgow, Cardiff and London. Amazingly, the Glasgow show was Paul’s first ever UK standalone stadium show, almost twenty years to the day since he last played in the city when he performed at the SECC during his world tour on 23rd June 1990. “The aim is to create an event, not just another concert,” tour director Barrie Marshall explained at the time. “Paul might ask me for some recommendations so we can mix it up a bit, for instance. It’s good to go to new places we’ve not been to before – that gives Paul and the entire team a challenge to get stuck into. Paul always makes the final decision and I always learn something new, he looks at things in a very different way.” The tour continued with dates in the US, Canada and South America and was a 100 per cent sell-out in every country visited. Paul was also awarded the prestigious Gershwin Prize from President Obama during the American leg of the tour.

From Wikipedia:

The Up and Coming Tour was a concert tour by Paul McCartney. The tour began on 28 March 2010, at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona (Phoenix suburb), included two concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, following with concerts in Miami and San Juan, the latter marking McCartney’s first concert in Puerto Rico as well as the first presence of a Beatles member.

Background

McCartney announced shows for Europe, including his first appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival, his first Scottish date for 20 years at Hampden Park, Glasgow, his last being at Glasgow SECC Arena on 23 June 1990 and his first show in Cardiff, Wales in over three decades, at the Millennium Stadium. Additional dates are to be announced. On 5 April McCartney announced his first concert in Mexico since 2002. On 17 May McCartney announced a return to the United States in July, visiting Salt Lake City and San Francisco. On 28 May 2010, McCartney announced his first-ever show in Nashville. The Salt Lake City show marked McCartney’s first show in Utah, and the San Francisco show marked his first performance in the city since The Beatles performed at Candlestick Park in 1966. On 3 June 2010, McCartney announced he would be opening the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh with a show on 18 August 2010. He also announced other cities, including Denver, Kansas City, Toronto, Montreal and Philadelphia as part of the tour’s upcoming return to North America. On 7 June 2010, McCartney announced his first show in Charlotte, North Carolina since his mammoth New World Tour in 1993. It was McCartney’s first show in North Carolina since his Back in the U.S. Tour in 2002. On 14 June 2010, McCartney announced second dates for Toronto and Pittsburgh, due to popular demand in both cities, and the fact that the shows sold out in minutes. McCartney’s 14 August 2010 show at the Wachovia Center sold out in two minutes, and another show was added for 15 August. In November 2010, McCartney returned to Argentina and Brazil for the first time in 17 years since the New World Tour with two sold out shows in São Paulo that attracted over 140,000 fans. McCartney returned to South America in 2011 for another 4 concerts, Peru, Chile and two in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The tour ended on 10 June with a show in Las Vegas.

The O2 rehearsals

Three months after ending his Good Evening Europe Tour at The O2, McCartney used the arena to stage full rehearsals. He had previously hired the venue to rehearse for his ’04 Summer Tour.

Talking about performing in London, McCartney said, “My last show of 2009 was in London at The O2 and we had a great night, there was a great party atmosphere. I hope that this summer we can have an even bigger party in Hyde Park. I’ve had a little taste of performing in the park when I guested briefly with Neil Young there last summer and it tasted good. So I’m looking forward to getting there with the band and performing our own show.“

Technical specifications

The tour required 31 trucks to transport all its equipment and employed a full-time crew of over 150 people to make it all work. The total weight of all the tour’s equipment was 125,000 pounds (57,000 kg). The indoor concerts on the tour used 90 speakers, and the outdoor stadium shows used 130. Backstage at each show there were 14 touring offices and dressing rooms. The catering department served approximately 480 vegetarian meals a day to the crew.

Web chat

Paul McCartney made his second webchat with fans on 20 May 2010 (his first being in 1997, setting a World Record). He spoke from his Sussex studio during the chat. He announced the winners of a competition run by his website, and said that the tour would most likely visit Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. He also praised his confidence with his band members during the tour. […]

Reception

In the United States

Reception towards the Up and Coming Tour in the United States was generally positive.

In Phoenix: The Arizona Republic stated the following: “With apologies to Ringo Starr, The Beatles legacy couldn’t have hoped to be in better hands at this late date than Paul McCartney’s.“

In Los Angeles, McCartney said, “The first time we came here we were little kids“, told the sold-out Bowl throng, recalling how big it seemed.

In Miami: “There was a little of everything: Good potential for a contact high. Beatles Rock Band images on the big video screen. AARP members storming the barricades just like in the ‘60s – only with digital cameras, not protest signs. A ukulele-powered version of “Something“

In South America

In Buenos Aires, the online presale began on 10 October by CrowdSurge, two days later by Ticketek (only for BBVA Banco Francés customers). The presale began at 10 am, but 4 minutes later the system crashed. The 25,000 tickets enabled for the Ticketek presale sold out within hours, along with the general public sale. On 14 October ticketek announced a new concert for Thursday 11 November, this show was added due to overwhelming demand, the pre-sale (again, only for BBVA Banco Francés customers) began 15 and the regular tickets on 19. Both concerts sold out in a few hours The first concert sold out in 1 hour, and the second one in nine hours.

Rede Globo, Brazil’s television network, broadcast only 1-hour of “best moments” of the first São Paulo concert on 21 November. Both São Paulo tickets were sold out in less than 10 hours, with over 128,000 sold. […]

From Brian Ray, Paul McCartney’s guitarist, June 21, 2011:

I’m so happy to be home on a foggy June day in So Cal and writing to you all on the occasion of the “Up and Coming Tour” wrap-up newsletter.

2010 and 2011 saw us travelling all over the place, from Glasgow to Mexico, the White House to Rio and all points in between, through all 4 seasons. Some people believe language separates us from each other as much as geography but I am fortunate enough to witness how Paul’s music erases continental divides and cultural splits more that any diplomat on any jet plane ever could. All of a sudden, with a few lyrics, 12 notes and a count off, we are ONE.

People in Santiago Chile who don’t speak English knew every word (sometimes better than I) and sang out from a deep and personal place… Then, while looking up to the majestic mountaintop just behind the stadium in Lima, Peru, we spotted camera flashes going off from way up there. We learned that hundreds of people from a little town on the other side had hiked to watch us from their tallest peak and you can find videos of us playing in the stadium below taken from there on YouTube.

I’m blown away by all I have seen from up on the stage. Thank you all for coming and making this such a memorable tour for me and for each other.

Love,
Brian

40 concerts • 9 countries

1st North American leg

European leg

European leg

European leg

2nd North American leg

1st South American leg

2nd South American leg

3rd North American leg

Paul McCartney writing

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