Paul McCartney reportedly played ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ for the first time since 1964 at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding.
The couple were married at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday (July 3), with the star-studded ceremony reportedly officiated by Adam Sandler.
While details around the ceremony have so far remained largely under wraps, it had been reported that both McCartney and Stevie Nicks performed at the event. Now, according to People, it has emerged that McCartney performed ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, in what is believed to be his first performance of the song since The Beatles played it in 1964.
People reported that after the wedding ceremony itself, Swift’s mother Andrea invited guests into the reception room, where the stage had already been set up, and McCartney and Nicks gave their performances.
Swift and McCartney have long shared a public admiration for one another. Last month, she praised his latest album ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’ on Instagram, writing: “Never not inspired by this eternally exceptional artist.”
McCartney had previously said that Swift’s level of global fame reminded him of Beatlemania, though he joked that she did not need advice from him.
“You do see the parallel, you know the fame and the amount of fame,” he said. “The worldwide fame that Taylor Swift has and that we had, but I don’t think she needs any advice to tell you the truth.”
Back in 2015, McCartney and Swift performed together at a Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary afterparty, playing The Beatles’ ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ and Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’.
McCartney later revealed that he had planned to bring Swift out during his cancelled Glastonbury 2020 headline set, saying he had hoped to perform ‘Shake It Off’ with her.
The Beatles legend was also seen dancing with fans and swapping friendship bracelets at Swift’s Eras Tour show at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2024, while Swift was seen catching up with him at the Super Bowl earlier that year.
Swift and Kelce’s wedding has dominated headlines in recent days. The pair donated $26million (£19.5million) to 20 charities across the United States earlier this week, while New York mayor Zohran Mamdani also weighed in on the event and revealed his favourite Swift songs.
The White House also trolled the wedding with an edited Madison Square Garden sign after Donald Trump previously criticised Swift for endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election.
McCartney, meanwhile, spoke to NME earlier this year around the release of ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’, saying: “Writing a song is still a magic feeling for me.”