“We’ve been looking for it for 50 years, and I got it back”: Paul McCartney’s long-lost Höfner returns to the stage for the first time in 50 years, as he enlists Ronnie Wood and Ringo Starr for an epic tour finale

Paul McCartney brought his Got Back tour to a star-studded close in London last night (December 19) by performing Beatles classics with Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood.

The career-spanning setlist included several Beatles, Wings, and solo hits, but it was the surprise appearances of Macca’s fellow rock ’n’ roll heavyweights – and the high-profile return of a legendary bass guitar – that have understandably stolen the show.

A tireless 36-song performance got out of the traps quickly with A Hard Day’s Night, with a feast of some of McCartney’s finest slices of songwriting, including Blackbird, Let Me Roll It – which was bestowed with a little of Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady for its final throes – and, of course, his villain-slaying epic, Live and Let Die, following suit.

McCartney had the backing of a children's choir for a timely run-through of Wonderful Christmastime before bringing out Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, with whom he dished out the shuffling grooves of Get Back – a rendition made extra special thanks to Macca’s instrument of choice.

Over 50 years ago, McCartney’s Höfner violin bass was stolen while the Beatles were recording in 1972. The instrument had previously been used on a slew of Beatles songs, including Love Me Do and She Loves You, and is one of the band’s most recognizable instruments.

Miraculously, a project spearheaded by the Lost Bass Project – which had a little help from a Guitar World scribe – helped locate the bass earlier this year, and reunite the Höfner with its rightful owner.

Paul McCartney, Ronnie Wood, and Paul’s first Hofner; Get Back London 19 Dec 2024 - YouTube

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McCartney was said to have been as “excited as a schoolboy” upon its discovery and return, and his promise that it would be fixed up and return to the stage has come true. On the night in question, Macca told the crowd: “We've been looking for it for 50 years, and I got it back. Here to make its first stage appearance in 50 years is my original bass.”

This year has been a wild one for Beatles guitars. John Lennon’s long-lost Framus 12-string acoustic was found in an attic, and George Harrison’s oddball Futurama guitar – used extensively during the band's Hamburg days – sold for $1.27m at auction.

Elsewhere, John Lennon’s first-ever Vox amp was found under strange circumstances, with Guitar World breaking the story in October.

Perhaps then, with all that nostalgia in the air, it prompted the multi-instrumentalist to invite his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr onto the stage during the tour’s mega finale.

“I've had a great night tonight!” Ringo quipped to the crowd, before retreating behind his drum kit.

Of course, they chose two unstoppable Beatles jams for the occasion, strutting through a roof-raising Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – aided by some smooth licks from Rusty Anderson – and the proto-metal pomp of Helter Skelter.

It was the perfect conclusion to a mammoth 59-date run of shows that officially began back in 2022.

“It’s fantastic, playing with my old mate, but there comes a time when we’ve got to go home,” Starr says as he departs the stage. As for McCartney, fears that this could be his final tour seem to have been extinguished as he bids the crowd adieu with a simple but telling line: “All that remains to be said is – see you next time!”

Last month, McCartney joined Jack White and St. Vincent for an electric rendition of The Beatles’ The End during a record-breaking set at Mexico’s Corona Capital Festival.