Paul McCartney plans to perform a private concert Friday night from an undisclosed “iconic” New York City venue to celebrate the release of his new album, “Egypt Station.”
“Paul has been teasing fans and hinting at something coming this week in New York City. Today, he confirms he will be joining forces with YouTube Originals to live steam a secret concert via his channel,” a statement announcing the concert reads.
A limited number of tickets to see the show in person were made available to fans in the metropolitan area earlier this week by way of the Lyft app. Riders who ordered a car (and entered a promotion code) between Wednesday morning and Thursday evening were entered to win entry to the “hush-hush performance.” Fans began receiving text message notifications of their win Thursday afternoon, with tickets continuing to be released Friday, according to Lyft.
Those who missed the Lyft giveaway can still catch the show online starting at 8 p.m. on McCartney’s YouTube page (and the video above). According to a statement, McCartney will perform a medley of hits, including tracks from the new album “along with Beatles, Wings and solo classics.”
The surprise stint comes on the day Macca’s “Egypt Station” drops on iTunes and streaming platforms. Newsday reviewer Glenn Gamboa calls the record his “most pop-friendly” in two decades.
McCartney hits New York City one week after announcing the first five stops of his “Freshen Up” U.S. tour, kicking off in May in Raleigh, North Carolina.
A local show for the tour has not yet been announced, but The Beatles’ alum has been making the rounds in the city to drum up buzz. Howard Stern chatted up the artist on his SiriusXM radio show on Wednesday and he spent Thursday evening pranking tourists at Rockefeller Center with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show.”
“Egypt Station”-themed MetroCards also started to pop out of vending machine and station booths at Grand Central Terminal this week, according to the MTA.
Though not yet confirmed, fans speculate McCartney’s concert will take place live from the station (where Fallon has previously pulled off a number of surprise artist performances).
Page Six reports a stage was set up in Grand Central’s Vanderbilt Hall Friday afternoon and that fans were already forming a line outside a blocked-off 42nd Street entrance.
A message posted to the Metro-North Twitter account Friday afternoon says Vanderbilt Hall will be closed “to accomodate a private event rending out” the area. The closure prohibits all public access to the area between 4 p.m. and midnight.
