It was a “you had to be there” moment, and for about 4,000 lucky lottery ticket holders at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Friday night, they were. The occasion was a surprise, one-off performance by Sir Paul McCartney and his longtime touring band, a dress rehearsal for the Beatle’s 2025 Got Back tour, officially kicking off in Palm Springs’ Acrisure Arena on Monday night.

As such it was an opportunity to witness McCartney, 83, interpret his hits in about as intimate a venue as imaginable, an outdoor amphitheater carved into a hillside of the coastal town. So quaint was the setting, parking was located at the nearby high school.

It was a “you had to be there” moment, and for about 4,000 lucky lottery ticket holders at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Friday night, they were. The occasion was a sur

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