Sir Paul McCartney, 82, warms up his iconic voice by singing Beatles hit Hey Jude ahead of his show at London’s O2 – after reuniting on stage with former bandmate Ringo Starr

Sir Paul McCartney warmed up his iconic voice by singing hits from his band The Beatles and fellow ’60s group The Monkees ahead of his London O2 show on Thursday.

The music icon, 82, appeared in great excitement backstage as he and his band belted out Hey Jude, 56 years after he first released the song alongside bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

In the clip shared to Instagram, Paul looked dapper in a navy blazer as he led the rendition, accompanied by guitarists and backing singers.

The group had a great time as they performed the famous song before taking to the stage for the final night of his Got Back Tour.

As Sir Paul walked down the hallway, he began a performance of The Monkees’ 1966 self-titled song.

Paul’s daughter Mary, 55, captured the moment as her famous dad sipped his tea and sang for everyone.

It comes after Sir Paul delighted fans when he brought his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr on stage at Thursday’s O2 show.

Paul invited Ringo, 84, from the audience to join him on drums for hits Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Helter Skelter.

The pair looked thrilled to be playing together as Paul put his arm around Ringo in a touching moment for fans.

Paul and Ringo’s performance marked the first time the old friends had played together in five years, and the last time they took the stage during Macca’s Freshen Up tour in 2019.

The music legend also called on Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood to perform Get Back with him.

Before his performance the night before, Paul was full of personal anecdotes as he took to the stage at London’s O2 Arena

Reflecting on his years with The Beatles, Paul revealed the moving impact of the band’s famous show in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Liverpool foursome were scheduled to play the city’s Gator Bowl in 1964, but they were told the crowd would be segregated by color.

Recalling the story, Paul told the crowd, “We didn’t really understand it until we went down there and played a place called Jacksonville down south.

‘And the promoters said, “Okay, tonight you’re playing to a segregated audience.” And we said, “What are you talking about?”

“They said there would be black people on one side and white people on the other side, and we said, ‘No, I mean, why would you do that, what’s the point?’

He continued, “So we refused to play it [segregated] and we played it and it was integrated.”

Revealing the moving impact of the show, he continued: “The other day I got a text from a girl who was there at the time, she was a black girl and she was sitting with some white kids.

And she said, “I’d never sat with white people before.” Imagine that, but she said, “I loved it because we were all just screaming Beatle fans and it didn’t matter.”

Paul also paid tribute to John Lennon during the set as he spoke about his late bandmate and friend.

Discussing how attitudes towards male emotions have changed, he explained how it used to be considered strange to tell your friends you loved them.

He told the crowd: “Even in a group you couldn’t turn to your friends and say ‘I love you man’, it just wasn’t done, you know.”

In an emotional tribute, the star then performed a rendition of the band’s 1969 hit Something on a ukulele gifted to him by the late George Harrison.

It comes after O2 said its Priority Tickets platform has already had a record year with 1.54 million tickets sold from January to November – a 12% increase on the same period in 2023.

those of Dua Lipa, Peter Kay and Lana Del Rey top the list of this year’s biggest sellers – spanning pop, comedy, R&B, heavy metal and more.

Priority Tickets is the rewards platform for O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers, offering exclusive early access to some of the UK’s biggest events and best venues. Britain’s Dua Lipa is the chart’s best-selling artist on her 2025 Radical Optimism tour, after teaming up with O2 for an exclusive pre-sale and brand new ‘Walk’ advert to celebrate – the first of its kind in six year .

Dua Lipa is closely followed by Peter Kay, one of Britain’s best-loved comedians whose first tour in more than a decade – including a residency at London’s O2 Arena – added a string of new dates last month due to the phenomenal ask.

The rest of Priority Tickets’ best-selling tickets list features some of the biggest music acts in the world. These include American singer Lana Del Rey, who announced her first-ever UK stadium shows for summer 2025, and R&B superstar Usher, who – after a breathtaking Super Bowl Halftime performance – announced a ten-show residency at London’s O2 Arena .

The rest of the top ten tours on Priority Tickets showcase just as much musical diversity, from rock icon Bruce Springsteen to Justin Timberlake and heavy metal legends Iron Maiden.

Gareth Griffiths, Director, Partnerships and Sponsorship at Virgin Media O2 commented: “Huge tours have been announced this year, which will define an entire generation of music and entertainment. Our Priority campaign starring Dua Lipa was a huge success, selling out Wembley Stadium.

‘With continued demand from O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers for access to live shows, we now see Priority Tickets breaking its own sales records again this year. Our bestseller list showcases the variety of live entertainment Britain has to offer – here’s to an even bigger 2025.”

As well as early ticket access to thousands of popular venues across the UK, Priority members can also benefit from queuing, cloakroom services, phone charging, VIP hospitality and discounts on merchandise at the O2 Arena and the 20 O2 Academy venues nationwide.