Paul McCartney at the O2 Arena, London – in pictures

Beatles icon was praised for a 'vibrant' set that delivered songs with 'as much apparent fervour as when he was a fresh-faced youth fronting The Beatles'

Paul McCartney at the O2 Arena in London (Aaron Parsons Photography)

Paul McCartney performed a triumphant, sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena on Sunday 16 December, with guest appearances from Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood.

The Beatles icon played a 40-song setlist that included classics such as “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Blackbird” and “Hey Jude”.

In a review for The Independent, critic Jacob Stolworthy praised McCartney for putting “no step wrong” and delivering songs with “as much apparent fervour as when he was a fresh-faced youth fronting The Beatles”.

See below for photos by Aaron Parsons Photography, and more details on the show:

“Even tracks from his most recent chart-topper, Egypt Station, receive a deservedly warm response. Released this autumn, his first record in five years features numerous crowd-pleasers (see: “Fuh You” and “Come On to Me”) that tonight serve as a necessary reprieve from the welcome, if overwhelming, onslaught of classics.”

“He performs with a vibrancy that belies the fact he’s played the majority of these songs hundreds of times before. Unlike, say, Bob Dylan – whose recent live shows are something of a chore due to his refusal to address the audience – McCartney has one intention: to thrill. He careens about the stage, cheekily winking at select members of the crowd, and still reaches the falsettos he was hitting decades ago. Even after all these years, his voice shows surprisingly little sign of wear.”

(Aaron Parsons Photography)

Starr was spotted in the crowd at the beginning of the show, and later joined his former bandmate and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood on stage for an encore rendition of “Get Back”, commenting to the audience: “I don’t know about you, but it was incredible for me.”

Also in attendance were Emma Thompson, Spice Girl Geri Horner and Harry Styles, who watched on as McCartney regaled fans with anecdotes about John Lennon and George Harrison.