On his previous international tour, Paul McCartney sold out the Paris La Défense Arena for one evening on November 28, 2018. Back on tour since the end of April 2022, this time the former Beatle sold out two evenings, Wednesday, December 4, and Thursday, December 5, in Europe's largest indoor venue (capacity 40,000). A sign of the continuing popularity of the British bassist, singer, pianist, guitarist and songwriter with an audience, on this first evening, predominantly made up of people in their fifties and sixties, if not older, with still some teenagers and young adults sprinkled among them.

A standing ovation for McCartney, who opened with an energetic "Can't Buy Me Love" by The Beatles. On the set list, nearly 40 tracks in over two and a half hours. Not bad for the 82-year-old whose career began in the summer of 1957 with The Quarrymen, a band led by future Beatle John Lennon (1940-1980). During an acoustic section, McCartney looks back on his early career, playing "In Spite of All the Danger," co-written with the other future Beatle, George Harrison (1943-2001), in 1958, who had just joined The Quarrymen.

After "Junior's Farm," "Letting Go" (both written for his post-Beatles band Wings, active from 1971 to 1981) and Drive My Car (The Beatles), McCartney announced in French that there would be "old songs, new songs and songs in between." Unsurprisingly, The Beatles' songs dominated a good half of the show, while Wings was also given pride of place, in particular with five tracks from the Band on the Run album (1973). McCartney's solo career was celebrated with five songs, of which "Maybe I'm Amazed," from his first album under his own name in 1970, was the most memorable. It's been that way for years, and McCartney knows that his fans expect nothing less.

McCartney brought with him his band that hasn't changed for over 20 years. On keyboards, Paul "Wix" Wickens, on electric and acoustic guitars Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray – Ray also picked up bass when McCartney took up guitar or piano – and on drums Abe Laboriel Jr., whose heavy playing was a far cry from the inventiveness of The Beatles' Ringo Starr or the subtleties of Denny Seiwell, Wings' first drummer. Everyone contributed to backing vocals. A wind trio (trumpet, trombone and saxophone), the Hot City Horns, joined in on various occasions.

Vocally, McCartney kept it as close as possible to the songs' original tonalities, with occasional difficulties on the high notes ("Here Today," a 1982 tribute to John Lennon, suffered from this). The arrangements, while not far removed from what everyone remembered, pushed toward a rock style, sometimes to the detriment of more pop finesse. For example, on the Harrison tribute, the cover of his "Something" was diminished by overly present electric guitars.

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