Macca's back...with a little help from Beatles friends John and George

"IT'S been a hard day's night," said Sir Paul McCartney as he kicked off his first UK tour in six years.

- LUCY NEEDHAM

However, the ex-Beatle, 82, made light work of a storming three-hour set when his two-year Got Back show finally arrived on home soil.

Saturday's gig at Manchester's Co-op Live was the first time Sir Paul had played on any British stage since Glastonbury in 2022.

The legend quipped on Saturday: "Here we are, up North again. And it's good to be back."

And getting back to - almost - where he once belonged, the Liverpudlian delighted the crowd with a 35-song set.

From Beatles anthems, Wings classics and solo favourites, it was a celebration of not just his greatest hits, but some of the best tunes of the last 60 years.

Singalong

Macca breezed between hits like the brooding Let Me Roll It and thumping Helter Skelter. Then he slowed it down with ballads including Blackbird, which he sang alone with just his acoustic guitar for company.