Sir Paul McCartney has admitted banning phones at his gigs made the shows feel “really special”.
The Beatles legend returned to the stage in March to play two intimate concerts at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles and he decided to stop audience members filming and taking pictures on their devices – and he’s revealed the phone ban made a huge difference to the experience.
He told NME: “In fact, it’s funny, we did some gigs recently in LA at a small club called The Fonda, and we outlawed phones because normally people are just not watching your show, they’re just holding their phones up and they’ll watch it when they get home.
“It was like an old gig, like how everyone used to play. It was really special.”
The Los Angeles shows marked the first time the musician had returned to the stage after finishing his massive Got Back Tour – which ran from 2022 until 2025 – and he’s admitted he doesn’t know whether he will undertake any more big treks as he approaches his 84th birthday later this month.
He told the publication: “I don’t know. I never know, y’know? I remember when I was 50-years-old, my manager at the time said: ‘Well, are you thinking of retiring?’’
“I went: ‘Uh, I don’t think so.’ But he obviously thought, 50 … which, I get it, because we thought 30 was really old [when] we were 20.
“So 30 was like that’d be unseemly, but it came, and it went, and people were still playing, and audiences like the music.
“If the music is from that period, they don’t get to hear it live any other way, so you’ve got to hear Neil Young live to get the whole feel of Neil – the Neil feel. Same with a lot of bands – the Stones, The Eagles. There’s nothing like it.”
It comes after McCartney secured a place on this year’s Sunday Times Rich List, which ranks the wealthiest figures in British music.
McCartney remains the only musician in UK history to reach billionaire status, with the former Beatle and his wife, Lady Nancy listed with a combined fortune of £1.055 billion.
Their wealth continues to rise through touring, publishing, catalogue reissues and the enduring commercial power of The Beatles’ legacy, which remains one of the most valuable cultural brands in the world.