Paul McCartney Brings John Lennon Back to the Stage in Emotional Virtual Duet
Paul McCartney’s return to the stage after more than two years became far more emotional than fans could have expected when John Lennon suddenly appeared alongside him during a performance of “I’ve Got a Feeling.”
The moment came on April 28, 2022, as McCartney launched his Got Back Tour at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington. It was his first concert in three years, and the 79-year-old Beatles legend delivered a mammoth 36-song set spanning his career with The Beatles, Wings and his solo work.
But it was the opening song of the encore that created one of the most unforgettable moments of the night.
A Beatles reunion decades in the making
After the crowd called him back for the encore, McCartney returned to the stage and began playing “I’ve Got a Feeling,” the Beatles classic from Let It Be.
The song carried an especially strong connection to the band’s final live performances. “I’ve Got a Feeling” was among the songs performed during the Beatles’ famous January 1969 rooftop concert at the Apple Corps headquarters in London—the last public performance by the group.
This time, however, McCartney was not performing the song alone.
As he sang, footage of Lennon from that historic rooftop performance appeared on the large screen behind him. Lennon’s original vocal had been isolated from the recording, allowing his voice to be incorporated into McCartney’s live performance and creating the illusion that the two former bandmates were sharing the stage once again.
The effect was striking: McCartney was performing live in 2022 while Lennon, through restored footage and his original vocals, appeared to sing alongside him more than four decades after his death.
Peter Jackson helped make the moment possible
The idea came from filmmaker Peter Jackson, whose Get Back documentary had recently revisited the Beatles’ final studio sessions and their rooftop performance.
McCartney later explained that Jackson had contacted him with the possibility of separating Lennon’s voice from the original recording so that McCartney could perform live with it.
For McCartney, the technology offered something that would otherwise have been impossible: the chance to sing with his former Beatles bandmate again.
The resulting performance was not a hologram or a newly created digital version of Lennon. Instead, it combined restored archival footage with Lennon’s isolated original vocal, allowing McCartney and his band to perform alongside a piece of Beatles history in real time.
A powerful start to the Got Back Tour
The virtual duet was only one of several notable moments from McCartney’s opening-night performance.
His 36-song set included Beatles favorites such as “Get Back,” “Hey Jude” and “Live and Let Die,” along with songs he had not performed live in many years. He also gave the live debut of “Women and Wives,” from his 2020 album McCartney III.
McCartney’s return marked the beginning of a 13-city 2022 Got Back Tour, which ran from April 28 through June 16.
Yet for many fans, the most memorable part of opening night was undoubtedly the moment when the past and present seemed to meet onstage.
As McCartney sang “I’ve Got a Feeling,” Lennon’s voice filled the arena once again. For a few minutes, technology allowed two members of the Beatles to perform together in a way that had once seemed impossible.
And for McCartney, it was a chance to bring one of the most important musical partnerships in history back to life—at least for one unforgettable song.