Apple turned 50 on Wednesday, but the real party happened the night before. On Tuesday evening, Sir Paul McCartney took the rainbow stage at the heart of Apple Park and delivered a career-spanning performance for thousands of Apple employees.
It closed out weeks of global anniversary celebrations with one of the most storied voices in rock history — and a sky full of fireworks.
Paul McCartney headlines Apple 50th at Apple Park
Rumors of McCartney’s appearance in the days prior, as 50th anniversary parties went on worldwide, were confirmed when images from his soundcheck at Apple Park circulated across social media. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported that Apple staffers were “pumped” after being told who to expect — a headliner who was “part of the British Invasion” and “would have also appealed very much to Steve Jobs.”
Tim Cook introduced Paul McCartney at Apple Park:
Sir Paul McCartney by Tim Cook pic.twitter.com/LR7YPIFppG
— Nico (@nicoPinos_) April 1, 2026
The choice of McCartney was no accident. The former Beatle has long been cited as an inspiration by late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. He famously described the band’s collaborative spirit as a model for Apple’s business approach. His love for The Beatles was well documented. When the group’s music finally came to iTunes in 2010, Jobs said the company had been “realizing a dream” they had harbored since iTunes launched a decade earlier.
The stage, the spectacle and the songs
It’s one thing to have Paul McCartney at work, but it’s another thing to have a display like this at the same time pic.twitter.com/MAF21f2kJ2
— Steven Peterson ️ (@squeakytoy) April 1, 2026
Apple transformed its iconic rainbow arch into a proper concert setup with stage lights and large screens on either side. That ensured fans dispersed throughout the grounds had a great view. The result was something observers likened to a Hollywood Bowl under the stars — a natural amphitheater formed by one of the world’s most architecturally remarkable office buildings.
McCartney opened his set with “Help!” before moving through “Coming Up,” “Got to Get You in My Life,” “Let Me Roll It,” “Getting Better,” “Let ‘Em In,” “My Valentine” and the Wings song “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five,” according to Far Out magazine.
And the set list goes on
Later in the set, he performed “Love Me Do,” “Blackbird,” “Now and Then,” “Lady Madonna,” “Something,” “Band on the Run,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Get Back,” “Let It Be,” “Live and Let Die” and “Hey Jude.” For his encore, McCartney treated those at Apple Park to “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight,” and “The End” — the final trio from Abbey Road.
The 83-year-old also performed “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude” among the catalog of hits he delivered for Apple staff. When the fireworks lit up the night sky above Cupertino, employees who had gathered inside Apple Park’s famous ring witnessed a rare moment — really an unheard of moment — at their own workplace.
A new chapter alongside the classics
The evening also carried a forward-looking note. McCartney recently announced a new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, set for release on May 29.
The lead single, “Days We Left Behind,” officially hit streaming services on the day of the concert. It’s an introspective track about his early days in Liverpool. And that seems perfectly thematic for a 50th-anniversary appearance.
Part of a larger celebration
Photo: Apple
The Apple Park concert capped off several weeks of celebrations from Apple. They included performances by Alicia Keys at Apple Grand Central in New York City and Mumford & Sons at Apple Battersea in London.
On March 12, Tim Cook wrote a public letter saying the company would mark its 50th anniversary “celebrating five decades of thinking different and the innovations that have helped shape the way people connect, create, learn and experience the world.”
Employees also received special gift bags for the occasion. It included an Apple-branded t-shirt, a limited-edition poster and a commemorative enamel pin.
Will the rest of us ever see the show?
Paul McCartney The End at 50th Apple's Anniversary, Apple Park,Cupertino CA, March 31 2026
*video wzy.0822/instagram* pic.twitter.com/nVXQOzkrvw— DIÁRIO DOS BEATLES (@Diario_Beatles) April 1, 2026
There is no word on whether Apple plans to record the McCartney show and release it to the general public. It kept earlier shows by Alicia Keys and Mumford & Sons private so far. That seems to suggest this one likely won’t be shared publicly, either.
That prospect will sting for the millions of McCartney fans outside Apple’s employee roster. But for those who were there Tuesday night under the California sky, watching fireworks burst above the ring as the man who wrote “The End” played its final chords, it must have felt like the only place in the world to be.
Apple turns 50 today. It celebrated with the best possible closing act.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
