It somehow seemed fitting that Paul McCartney decided to finally wrap up his mammoth Got Back tour in London at Christmas time.

He may not have graced the UK with his presence too much on this outing – this is the penultimate evening of a 59-day run that began back in April 2022, only his fifth appearance on home soil – but like any old one Friend Whether it’s a family member or Santa Claus, he’s always a welcome guest this time of year.

And just like your favorite uncle or the Big Red, McCartney always delivers. With the same raucous crowds of all ages set to gather around a turkey this time next week across the country, he happily played the role of beaming host, cheerfully serving up a feast to truly make everyone happy.

And of course with all the trimmings. Macca doesn’t break his past down into easily digestible eras, but they’re all well organized, from the Quarrymen’s very first recording (a dazedly charming “In Spite of all the Danger”) to 2018’s “Come on to Me.” Egypt Station” – or perhaps “Now and Then,” the “latest” Beatles song, depending on which timeline you follow. Whatever the case, “Now and Then” was played in such a beautifully poignant way that McCartney appeared misty-eyed as he leaned against his piano to watch the audience’s ecstatic reaction.

Of course, it’s the moments between these moments that most people wanted to see here. Unsurprisingly, the Beatles were well represented, from the upbeat opener “Can’t Buy Me Love” to the peppy “Got to Get You into My Life” to the uptempo “Getting Better.” Meanwhile, “Drive My Car” was accompanied by brilliant, literal footage of cars being driven (though unfortunately not by babies).

But elsewhere McCartney used a little more imagination to breathe new life into even the most stale standards. He called for a “Beatles scream” before “Love Me Do” – the crowd obeyed so loudly that he murmured, “I’m trying to be heard over this – impossible!” – and asked the audience to let out a boisterous “Ob-La -Di, Ob-La-Da” (to be fair, it didn’t take much convincing).

But he also knew exactly when to calm things down by bringing in John Lennon (a duet on “I’ve Got a Feeling” with his former bandmate that was even larger-than-life on the big screen) and George Harrison (a version of “I’ve Got a Feeling” Something,” which began sparsely on the ukulele and evolved into a widescreen rock epic. Meanwhile, McCartney stood on a raised stage for a beautiful acoustic “Blackbird.” a big screen moon and recalled the time the Beatles refused to play to a segregated audience in Jacksonville, Florida.

There was also quite a range of Wings throughout the show, with McCartney’s “other” band having an early salvo of “Junior’s Farm” and “Letting Go” through to a stomping “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” in the middle Honor Made section and thunderous renditions of “Jet” and “Band on the Run” as the set neared its end.

There was even time for a relatively rare rattle through “Wonderful Christmastime,” complete with a Christmas tree, snow, a brass section dressed as elves, and a children’s choir singing their song right on cue.

Such moments of relative spontaneity gave the evening a pleasantly relaxed atmosphere. At one point, the brass appeared in the crowd, “Love Actually”-style, while McCartney forgot to play “My Valentine” where it was supposed to, but later inserted it again after frantic advice from drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. As he swished off his jacket before “Let Me Roll It,” McCartney joked, “This is the big wardrobe change of the night.”

The former Beatle really seemed to enjoy every moment and regularly took a moment to soak up the atmosphere. And while his voice may have lost a bit of power, compared to some of rock ‘n’ roll’s other elder statesmen, he still remained lively and still more than capable of a high (at least mid-range) kick or two.

Unlike many other stars of his vintage, there was no indication that this tour would be a farewell, but the final part would be worthy of a farewell. A raucous “Get Back” was followed by a lavish “Let It Be,” a chaotic, pyrolean “Live and Let Die,” and a huge “na-na-na”-athon to “Hey Jude,” with many a part of the Crowd held up homemade signs (“Long live Paul!” “Your songs saved my life!”) as if to prove that you’re never too old for Beatlemania.

He reappeared and waved a Union Jack for an encore (not Brexit-style; there were also Irish and rainbow flags to be seen) before the show ended, as it always does, with McCartney taking center stage, conducting a wonderful finale .

A gnarly “Helter Skelter” was followed by a lush “Abbey Road” triptych that included “Golden Slumbers” (practically a Christmas song in the UK, after Elbow’s version was featured in the ubiquitous John Lewis Christmas advert a few years ago) and “Carry That “. “Weight” and “The End,” which makes for the musical equivalent of a Christmas Day blowout to end all blowouts.

“There’s only one thing left to say…” he grinned, kissed the camera and walked away in a haze of confetti and admiration. “See you next time!”

Not even Sir Paul McCartney can go on like this forever. But in this form, his live shows remain the gift that keeps on giving, no matter the season.