Ringo Starr and McCartney reunited on stage in London

They met one last time. Beatles drummer Ringo Starr made a surprise appearance at the final concert of his former bandmate Paul McCartney’s tour on Thursday (December 19) in London, where the pair played some of the Fab Four’s biggest hits. « I had a great evening, it was an excellent show »launched the 84-year-old drummer, taking the stage well after the start of the concert at the O2 Arena, one of the largest indoor arenas in Europe.

The two living members of the legendary group (after the death of John Lennon in 1980 then George Harrison in 2001) then went on to produce global hits like Helter Skelter et Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Bandbefore Ringo Starr leaves again. The two men, who remained on good terms after the implosion of the group in 1970, met several times on stage or in the recording studio, notably for the tour Freshen Up by Paul McCartney in 2018 and 2019. The concert was also marked by the presence of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who performed the song Get Back alongside Paul McCartney, 82 years old.

The musician’s fans were treated to another gift: the former Beatle used his Hofner guitar, found after disappearing for 50 years. Paul McCartney played this instrument for the entire decade of the « Beatlemania » and used it to record hits such as Love Me Do, She Loves You et Twist and Shout.

Many believed the instrument had been lost during the band’s recording sessions in 1969. But an investigation last year revealed it had actually been stolen in 1972. Found by police, the guitar was returned to Paul McCartney last February. The London concert was the last of the tour Got Back by McCartney, started in April 2022 in Spokane in the United States.