Sixty-two years after last performing it with The Beatles in 1964, Paul McCartney brought “I Want to Hold Your Hand” back to the stage in the most unexpected way—at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding reception inside Madison Square Garden. The legendary Beatle had never once performed the song as a solo artist, making the intimate performance a once-in-a-lifetime surprise for guests. As one of the biggest names celebrating the couple’s love story, McCartney turned a timeless Beatles classic into one of the most unforgettable moments of the night, adding another remarkable chapter to a song that had been silent from his live setlist for more than six decades.

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Paul McCartney Played Beatles Classic for First Time Since 1964 at Taylor Swift’s Wedding

Sixty-two years after the Beatles last performed “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” McCartney played the song for the first time as a solo artist at Madison Square Garden reception
Paul McCartney Played Beatles Classic for First Time Since 1964 at Taylor Swift's Wedding
Paul McCartneyJohn Lamparski/Getty Images

Paul McCartney reportedly performed the Beatles classic “I Want to Hold Your Hand” live for the first time since 1964 at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Madison Square Garden wedding reception.

McCartney, like Stevie Nicks, was among the A-list performers at the couple’s wedding, and People reports that McCartney used the special occasion to play a song he hadn’t performed live since the Beatles’ early days, and a hit he never touched live as a solo artist.

Paul McCartney performed this Beatles classic at Taylor Swift's wedding

“After the ceremony, Swift’s mom, Andrea, invited everyone into the reception room, where the stage was set up,” a source told People.

According to setlist.fm, the last time McCartney performed “I Want to Hold Your Hand” live was on Sept. 20, 1964, at the Beatles’ concert at New York’s Paramount Theatre. The track remained unplayed by him for 62 years, until the Swift wedding.

Warum „I Want to Hold Your Hand“ das perfekte Hochzeitslied war

McCartney and Swift, who appeared together on the cover of Rolling Stone’s Musicians on Musicians issue in 2020, have long praised each other’s work, with McCartney saying the weeks leading up to the wedding that Swift’s fame rivals that of the Beatles’.

Paul McCartney Performs Beatles Classic at Taylor Swift Wedding

“You do see the parallel, you know the fame and the amount of fame,” McCartney told the BBC. “The worldwide fame that Taylor Swift has and that we had, but I don’t think she needs any advice to tell you the truth.”

Swift also called McCartney an “eternally exceptional artist” on social media upon the release of his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane.