Photo Credit: Marc Millman

On Tuesday, October 1, Paul McCartney commenced the South American leg of his Got Back tour at the Estadio Centenario venue in Montevideo, Uruguay, where he performed “Now and Then” for the first time. 

“Now and Then” initially made headlines in November 2023 as the final Beatles track. It was written by John Lennon and recorded as a home demo in the 1970s. The song received waves of work in order to craft it into its desired form, including Lennon’s 1977 vocals and piano, Harrison’s guitar from the 1995 Anthology sessions, Ringo’s drumming/singing circa 2022, and some 21st-century assistance via AI. 

Before the song’s official unveiling, McCartney prodded at the potential for The Beatles’ final delivery in the 2012 documentary Mr. Blue Sky on Jeff Lynne. “So I’m going to nick in with Jeff and do it, finish it, one of these days.” 

Last fall, a 12-minute documentary titled Now and Then—The Last Beatles Song was shared. In it, McCartney alluded to more about the track’s assemblage: “We listened to the track. There’s John in his apartment in New York City, banging away at his piano, doing a little demo.”

The bassist continued, “Is it something we shouldn’t do? Every time I thought like that, I thought, wait a minute. Let’s say I had a chance to ask John, ‘Hey John, would you like us to finish this last song of yours?’ I’m telling you—I know the answer would have been ‘yeah!’ He would have loved that.” 

As for last night’s first-time live run-through, McCartney preluded the number with his signature charming English banter while seated behind the piano, forging a more intimate relationship with the audience prior to the ensuing emotive push expelled through carefully crafted lyrics: “Now and then I miss you/ I know it’s true/ It’s all because of you/ And if I make it through /It’s all because of you.”

Rumors of the debut made the news before McCartney even hit the stage, as fans reported hearing the famed Brit practicing the song during soundcheck. For devotees of The Beatles and McCartney, last night’s first-time play holds special significance considering the history involved in the release and the specialty of bringing light to the final number from one of rock’s greatest acts. 

Scroll down to watch fan-shot videos of the “Now and Then” live debut.