Friday’s Paul McCartney concert at the newly renovated TD Coliseum marked a milestone for Hamilton, drawing national media attention and placing the Steel City firmly in the spotlight. Much like his 2026 performance at the former version of the venue, the legendary McCartney once again proved his timeless appeal, captivating the crowd for nearly three hours. His setlist carried the audience on a journey spanning decades — from the Beatles’ early Liverpool and Hamburg era to his present-day work.
The Toronto Sun highlighted McCartney’s remarkable stamina, noting: “The question is how does Paul McCartney, 83, manage to perform a 36-song, two-hour-and-50-minute show and look none the worse?
Maybe the voice is a bit weaker and more fragile, and the gait a bit slower, but the spirit of his Beatle youth remains strong as the boyish-looking and trim McCartney more than proved on Friday night at the official re-opening of the TD Coliseum, formerly Copps Coliseum, in Hamilton.”
Another reporter from The Canadian Press described the emotional finale: “At Friday’s show, McCartney came out for the encore waving a massive Canadian flag, accompanied by his bandmates who carried the Ontario flag, the Pride flag, and the Union Jack.
After a stage tech handed him his guitar to raucous cheers from the crowd, McCartney said, ‘He says you want some more!’ McCartney was ready to give it to them.”
Staying true to tradition, McCartney once again invited a local pipe band to join him for “Mull of Kintyre.” This time, the Paris–Pt. Dover Pipe Band took the stage. In his 2016 Hamilton appearance, the honour belonged to Hamilton’s Argyll Pipe Band.
One concertgoer shared several phone photos with the Bay Observer, recalling how she took a chance on a single online ticket priced at $56.46. “I figured it would be a cool gamble — or maybe I’d get ripped off,” she joked. She arrived at TD Coliseum at 9:20 p.m., managing to slip in just as McCartney began “Blackbird,” her favourite song.
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