Beatles legend joins Neil Young on stage

Paul McCartney makes surprise appearance at Hard Rock Calling

The Beatles legend Paul McCartney surprised thousands of gig-goers tonight (June 27) by joining headliner Neil Young for an impromptu duet at London‘s Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park.

Reappearing onstage for an encore rendition of The Beatles‘ 1967 classic ‘A Day In The Life’, Young was quickly joined by its creator, who hugged the Canadian as they sang the song’s middle section together.

McCartney and Young then turned their attention to a nearby vibraphone after the song had finished, before throwing down their sticks and embracing.

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It is the first time the two singers have sung the song together live onstage, despite the fact that Young has often chosen to close his set with his rendition in recent years.

Two hours earlier, Neil Young took the stage to a rapturous reception, treating fans to classic hits such as ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’, ‘Words (Between The Lines Of Age)’, ‘Comes A Time’ and ‘Cinnamon Girl’.

Kicking off with ‘Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)’ and ‘Mansion On The Hill’, Neil Young later turned his attention to his acoustic guitar, giving crafted renditions of ‘Heart Of Gold’ and ‘Old Man’, followed by tour de force performances of ‘Down By The River’ and 1989 anthem ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’.

Earlier on in the day, Fleet Foxes cheered up the sodden crowds on the main stage with tracks from their 2008 self-titled debut including ‘White Winter Hymnal’, ‘Sun It Rises’, ‘Oliver James’ and EP single ‘Mykonos’ taken from 2008’s ‘Sun Giant’ EP.

Joking with the crowd, lead singer Robin Pecknold quipped, “My dad took me there [Hard Rock Café] for an Aerosmith cheeseburger”.

Elsewhere on the bill, the masses were treated to sets from Seasick Steve, The Pretenders, Mumford and Sons and Ben Harper and The Relentless7.

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Bruce Springsteen is set to close the event tomorrow (June 28) at Hyde Park.

Neil Young played:

‘Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)’
‘Mansion On The Hill’
‘Are You Ready For The Country?’
‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’
‘Spirit Road’
‘Words (Between The Lines Of Age)’
‘Cinnamon Girl’
‘Fuckin’ Up’
‘Mother Earth’
‘The Needle And The Damage Done’
‘Comes A Time’
‘Unknown Legend’
‘Heart Of Gold’
‘Old Man’
‘Down By The River’
‘Get Behind The Wheel’
‘Rockin’ In The Free World’
‘A Day In The Life’

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