Sir Paul McCartney, 83, will perform live in the Twin Cities for the ninth time when he headlines U.S. Bank Stadium Friday night.

The big question, will it also be his final time?

The answer is … probably?

If you’re planning to see the Cute Beatle on Friday, or if you’re still on the fence about buying tickets, here’s what you need to know.

McCartney’s touring history

The Beatles famously played Minnesota just once, on Aug. 21, 1965, when they headlined the old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. The following year, they ceased touring for a number of reasons, including the fact their studio recordings had become too difficult to replicate on stage.

During the first decade of his solo career in the ’70s, McCartney hit the road for several tours with his band Wings, and stopped by the late St. Paul Civic Center on June 4, 1976.

But Wings came crashing to a halt in January 1980, when McCartney was arrested for possession of marijuana after entering Japan for a tour. He spent nine days in jail and was then deported. Wings didn’t play another show and broke up the following year.

The drug bust, coupled with fellow Beatle John Lennon’s assassination at the end of 1980, soured McCartney on the notion of touring. He finally hit the road again for outings in 1989, 1990 and 1993.

After another extended break, McCartney resumed touring yet again in 2002 and, save for a few years here and there, he hasn’t stopped, typically playing between 30 and 50 gigs a year.

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McCartney has maintained that retirement is not in his plans. It’s entirely possible he never will. B.B. King played his last show in 2014, but had plans to play more shows before he died in 2015 at the age of 89. Tony Bennett was 95 when he retired from the road. And 92-year-old Willie Nelson performed until nearly 1 a.m. when he headlined Farm Aid last month at Huntington Bank Stadium.

In addition to his Beatles and Wings shows, McCartney has returned for local solo gigs in 1993 (Metrodome), 2002 and 2005 (both at Xcel Energy Center), 2014 (Target Field) and 2016 (two nights at Target Center).

But even if McCartney plays shows for another decade, the world is his playground and it won’t be a surprise if Minnesota doesn’t figure into his future plans.

Tickets

As has become custom in the era of surge pricing for tickets, plenty of fans have already paid hundreds, if not thousands, for decent seats. But with a capacity of up to 50,000, U.S. Bank Stadium has plenty of tickets to sell and there are deals for those just looking to get in the door.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Ticketmaster had seats available for around $100 before taxes. But scalper sites StubHub, SeatGeek, Tick Pick and Vivid Seats all had similar tickets going for just $19 a pop. Bear in mind that these are the worst seats in a house known for its sound issues, but that’s still a bargain to see a living legend.

Getting there

U.S. Bank Stadium does not manage any public parking areas, but there are 20,000 parking spaces between the venue and Hennepin Avenue. Expect to pay at least $50, or more, to park. Keep in mind, traffic is congested in and around USBS on concert nights and the nearby Armory has electronic dance music star Crankdat booked Friday night, further adding to the crush.

The stadium is served by both Uber and Lyft, with surge pricing all but guaranteed.

There are more than 180 free bike racks located near the Legacy, Pentair, Ecolab and Ticketmaster gates for those who cycle in.

Metro Transit provides the easiest, and cheapest, way to get to the show. USBS is serviced directly by the Blue and Green light rail lines as well as numerous buses. A mere $4 is good for a round trip. See metrotransit.org or call 612-373-3333 for further details.

Getting inside

As should be expected for any large venue, USBS has a long list of prohibited items, most obvious (fireworks, outside food and beverage, weapons, laptops), some not so much (selfie sticks, strollers, banners).

Concertgoers can bring a still-photography camera with a non-detachable lens that is 6 inches or less in length and hand-carried jackets or blankets, which will be searched upon entry.

Bags must be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and should not exceed 12” x 6 x 12”.

One thing to know if you plan to get something to eat or drink, USBS is a cashless venue. That means only a credit or debit card or a contactless option like Apple Pay or Google Pay will be accepted.

What to expect from Paul

Hot City Horns from left, Kenji Fenton, Mike Davis and Paul Burton play with Paul McCartney during a concert at Coors Field in Denver on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

Reviews for McCartney’s current tour, which began in 2022, have been mostly warm, with some critics noting his voice isn’t what it once was.

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There is no opening act. McCartney has taken the stage between 8:15 and 8:45 p.m. at recent tour stops.

McCartney’s band is stocked with long-timers, including keyboardist/musical director Paul “Wix” Wickens (he joined in 1989), bassist Brian Ray (2002) and guitarist Rusty Anderson and powerhouse drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. (both 2001). A three-piece horn section will join the band.

McCartney typically plays three dozen songs over two hours and 40 minutes. Expect to hear around 20 songs from the Beatles, including their final single “Now and Then,” which McCartney and Ringo Starr produced using tracks recorded by Lennon in 1977 and George Harrison in 1995.

And if you go, enjoy it. It may very well be your last chance to do so.

Paul McCartney fans have been on a first-name basis with their musical hero for decades, but McCartney himself often seems happy to credit other one-namers. That includes John, George and Ringo, but also Jimi (Hendrix) and Nancy (Shevell, McCartney’s wife of 14 years) — all of whom were praised during a Saturday night concert at Coors Field.

Throughout the triumphant show, the 83-year-old McCartney paid tribute with songs, stories and videos, even performing a virtual duet with footage of John Lennon atop the Apple Corps building in 1969 — a.k.a. the Beatles’ final performance — on “I’ve Got a Feeling.”

McCartney is currently 78 shows into his Got Back Tour, which started in 2022 and winds up next month, and on Saturday, he gave the impression he would happily play 78 more. His weathered voice still carries enormous emotional weight, and his guitar, bass, mandolin, ukulele and piano playing (he rocked them all) shot holes in any argument that he’s not still a passionate, disciplined musician.

His three-hour set delved into a mix of Beatles, Wings and solo songs that will be familiar to anyone who saw him play Ball Arena (then called the Pepsi Center) in 2002, 2005 or 2010. At that last show, McCartney was in typically friendly form, also doling out credit to lost friends and lovers as he tore through tracks such as “Day Tripper” and “Got to Get You Into My Life.”

But set lists change, and while we didn’t get any “Paperback Writer” or “Eleanor Rigby” this time around, we did get “Help!” (the concert’s opening song) and a nearly note-perfect “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” That 1967 song, in particular, felt like a gloriously psychedelic outlier in a show that was mostly safe in its selection, if also deeply sweet and sad at times. McCartney’s coy, gentle butt-slapping (his own, of course), trademark surprised-faces, and other improbably charming, boyish touches blurred the decades and tied it all together.

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Even if you’ve listened to the studio version 1,000 times, hearing McCartney sing “Band on the Run” or “Hey Jude” in concert is a uniquely stirring experience, and the capacity crowd swayed, raised their phone lights and sang along in unison to the 35-song set. A nimble horn trio beefed up hits such as “Getting Better,” which was backed on the screen by an animation of flowers blooming in a post-apocalyptic American landscape.

Clearly, he’s not lost his sense of humor. Nor has he lost his social conscience, as when he recounted playing a Beatles show in Jacksonville, Fla., where a promoter had planned to racially segregate the audience (the Beatles talked him out of it). He spotted — and spoke Japanese to — a man holding a Japanese sign in the crowd. He brought the nasal growl in “Got to Get You Into My Life” and the face-flushing flames of “Live and Let Die.” In other words, he gave it his all from start to finish.

The banter and asides weren’t exactly a therapist-couch view into his brain. But they didn’t need to be. McCartney’s talent and professionalism would be welcome from any musician, of any age. On Saturday, his earnest warmth added poignance to predictable nostalgia, and reminded us that not only was he a musical legend, but a vigorously living one.

Officials with Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota on Tuesday announced a five-year $100-million campaign to expand its social services statewide, the largest such effort in the group’s 160-year history.

Called Empower What’s Possible, the campaign aims to expand the organization’s reach in areas including housing, financial stability, behavioral health, early childhood education and community connections. LLS has already raised nearly $60 million since the campaign’s start in 2023, which includes commitments of more than $1 million from the St. Paul Area Synod, the Otto Bremer Trust and the Sauer Family Foundation.

The organization announced the campaign at the construction kickoff for the Center for Changing Lives — Frogtown-Rondo in St. Paul. Renovations on the building at 709 University Ave. includes expanding the Early Learning Center playground, adding two classrooms, increasing the organization’s transitional housing capacity by 50%, opening a youth resource center and creating a home base for the organization’s street outreach services.

“This project, we started to dream in 2022,” said Alexis Oberdorfer, LSS senior vice president of services, during the announcement event. “In November of 2022 was my first conference call with the team talking about, what services do we see at this location? What do youth need? What can be needs of the community? And how do we pull that together in one centralized location to really think about integrated services and that continuum of care?”

The organization already completed several projects during the campaign’s “quiet phase” during its first two years, Oberdorfer said.

Those include a $3.3 million project razing and rebuilding the emergency shelter LSS Bethany in Duluth and expanding its family services, a $1.5 million project opening a second Early Learning Center in St. Paul’s East Side with extra services, and a $1.4 million project expanding lodging and multipurpose spaces at Camp Knutson at Crosslake.

Frogtown is already home to an Early Learning Center and several other organizational services. The Center for Changing Lives – Frogtown-Rondo will include employment services, financial counseling and education, housing services and behavioral health services, with expanded transitional housing and other resources for youth and young families experiencing homelessness. This will also include accessible housing units.

The center’s second floor will have transitional housing for youth and young families experiencing homelessness and will fully open in late 2026.

“Our goal is to not only sustain critical programming that our neighbors across Minnesota rely on, but to innovate and reimagine how Lutheran Social Service cares for our communities both now and in the future,” said Patrick Thueson, president of LSS of Minnesota, in a statement. “Empower What’s Possible builds on our strengths to tackle challenges and opportunities in new ways to create a brighter future for our neighbors — a future of greater self-sufficiency and achieving bigger dreams.”

LSS has social service efforts in each county in Minnesota. The organization began in 1865 when a Lutheran pastor and his congregation opened an orphanage near Red Wing. According to the LSS one of 63 Minnesotans is assisted by the nonprofit.

To learn more about the campaign, go to empowerwhatspossible.org.

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By MATTHEW LEE

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has revoked the visas of six foreigners deemed by U.S. officials to have made derisive comments or made light of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last month.

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The State Department said Tuesday it had determined they should lose their visas after reviewing their online social media posts and clips about Kirk, who was killed while speaking at a Utah college campus on Sept. 10.

The announcement came as President Donald Trump was posthumously awarding him America’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. At Kirk’s funeral in September, Trump called him a “great American hero” and “martyr” for freedom.

The administration and its supporters have targeted people for their comments about Kirk, leading to firings or other discipline of journalists, teachers and others, and raising free speech concerns.

The six foreigners who had their visas revoked were from Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Paraguay and South Africa. They were not identified.

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio “will defend our borders, our culture, and our citizens by enforcing our immigration laws,” the State Department said. “Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed.”

Vice President JD Vance and other top U.S. officials have encouraged people to call out criticism about Kirk that they see online. In an unusual tweet last month, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau asked social media users to copy him on any relevant posts, saying he was personally “disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.”

In addition to Tuesday’s action, the administration has ramped up efforts to identify and potentially expel thousands of foreigners in the United States, notably students, who it says have either fomented or participated in unrest or publicly supported protests against Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The administration has also denied visas to applicants whose social media histories have been critical of its policies.

Among the higher-profile cases, the administration has expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the United States for comments critical of Trump, revoked a visa for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to attend the U.N. General Assembly and yanked the visas for British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan. It said it is reviewing the status of the more than 55 million current U.S. visa holders for potential violations of its standards.

Those actions have been criticized by civil rights groups as violations of constitutional protections for freedom of speech, which apply to anyone in the United States and not just to American citizens.