Paul McCartney returned to Saturday Night Live for the ninth time this weekend, performing new music from forthcoming album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane alongside classic Wings and solo material in the Season 51 finale.

by Paul Cashmere

Paul McCartney capped off the Season 51 finale of Saturday Night Live on Saturday night in New York, delivering a three-song set that bridged almost five decades of appearances on the iconic NBC comedy institution.

McCartney performed his new single ‘Days We Left Behind’, followed by the Wings classic ‘Band On The Run’, before surprising audiences with an unscheduled performance of his 1980 solo hit ‘Coming Up’, the same song that marked his first ever connection with the program 46 years ago.

The appearance marked McCartney’s ninth official involvement with Saturday Night Live and reinforced the long-running relationship between the former Beatle and the late-night series created by Lorne Michaels. McCartney first appeared on the show on 17 May 1980, not as a live performer but to premiere the video for ‘Coming Up’ from McCartney II. Hosted by Steve Martin, the segment featured McCartney and wife Linda McCartney, with the innovative clip showcasing McCartney portraying multiple fictional band members in disguise.

Saturday’s finale performance also served as a launch platform for material from McCartney’s forthcoming album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, due on 29 May. The album is McCartney’s first solo studio release since McCartney III in 2020 and revisits his Liverpool childhood and early years with John Lennon and George Harrison before the rise of Beatlemania.

‘Days We Left Behind’, the lead single, opened the set with an understated arrangement built around acoustic guitar and piano. The song reflects on McCartney’s youth along the Mersey and the friendships that shaped his songwriting. Produced with Andrew Watt, whose recent credits include Hackney Diamonds for The Rolling Stones, the project evolved across sessions held intermittently between Los Angeles and Sussex over five years.

McCartney’s return to SNL also continued a history of landmark moments on the program. Among the most remembered remains his 1993 appearance opposite Chris Farley on “The Chris Farley Show”, where Farley nervously asked McCartney, “Remember when you were in The Beatles? … That was awesome.” The sketch has since become part of American television comedy folklore.

In 2012, McCartney collaborated live on the show with surviving members of Nirvana, including Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and touring guitarist Pat Smear, performing the Grammy-winning track ‘Cut Me Some Slack’. For the latest appearance, Chad Smith joined McCartney’s touring band on drums, temporarily replacing long-time collaborator Abe Laboriel Jr.

The show also arrived amid growing speculation around McCartney’s live plans for Asia later this year. Earlier this month, Noise11.com reported comments made by Neil Finn and Eddie Rayner during an appearance on Australian television that appeared to reveal McCartney as part of the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix entertainment line-up.

During the interview on Channel Nine’s Today Show, Rayner casually remarked, “I think McCartney’s playing too, isn’t he”, with Finn replying, “Yep”. While no official announcement has been made by Formula 1 organisers or McCartney’s management, the exchange has fuelled expectations that McCartney could perform his first ever concert in Singapore during the 9 to 11 October Grand Prix weekend.

Such a performance would carry broader significance beyond a standard tour stop. Singapore has aggressively expanded its position as a live entertainment hub in recent years, particularly following the economic impact of Taylor Swift’s exclusive Singapore stadium dates in 2024. McCartney, who turned 84 this year, has rarely toured Southeast Asia despite decades of global performances with The Beatles, Wings and as a solo artist.

Closing the SNL finale with ‘Coming Up’ also created a symbolic full-circle moment. The song originally introduced McCartney to the show in 1980 through its pioneering video concept, rather than a conventional live performance. Nearly half a century later, McCartney returned to perform it live before a national television audience, connecting multiple eras of his career in a single set.

The full tracklisting for The Boys Of Dungeon Lane is:
As You Lie There
Lost Horizon
Days We Left Behind
Ripples In A Pond
Mountain Top
Down South
We Two
Come Inside
Never Know
Home To Us
Life Can Be Hard
First Star Of The Night
Salesman Saint
Momma Gets By