Paul McCartney Performs Days We Left Behind on SNL
Paul McCartney returned to “Saturday Night Live” with a late-season performance that included “Days We Left Behind” and “Band on the Run,” delivering a high-profile musical moment on the long-running NBC sketch show.
McCartney appeared as the musical guest on “SNL,” where he performed “Days We Left Behind” and later revisited his classic “Band on the Run.” The performances were released as standalone clips by multiple outlets covering the episode, including Rolling Stone and others.
The appearance marked a notable television showcase for McCartney, who remains one of the most visible figures in popular music. “SNL” has long served as a major platform for artists to debut new material, revisit catalog staples, and reach a broad audience in a single live broadcast setting.
For “SNL,” the booking underscored the show’s ability to attract legacy headliners alongside newer acts. A McCartney set is a rare kind of get: a performer with decades of stadium-scale recognition, deep ties to American pop culture, and a songbook that crosses generations.
Coverage of the episode also emphasized the range of what McCartney played on the night. Consequence of Sound reported he performed three songs in total in his first appearance on the show in 14 years, and other reports described him closing out the season with a surprise performance of “Coming Up.” The additional song, along with “Days We Left Behind” and “Band on the Run,” rounded out a set that mixed newer and familiar titles.
McCartney’s “Band on the Run” performance added an especially recognizable anchor. The song, originally released with Wings, remains one of the defining hits of his post-Beatles career and a frequent highlight in retrospectives and live shows. On “SNL,” its inclusion offered a clear callback to a well-known era of his catalog while sitting alongside “Days We Left Behind.”
What happens next is largely straightforward: the “SNL” performances are now circulating as watchable clips, providing a widely accessible record of McCartney’s return to the program. Viewers who missed the broadcast can catch the performances through the outlets that have posted and embedded the videos, and the show’s season-ending coverage is expected to continue as media recaps roll out.
McCartney’s “SNL” set delivered a headline-making reminder that, decades into his career, a single live TV appearance can still command attention across the music world.
