London — At 81 years old, PAUL McCARTNEY has lived through six decades of cultural revolutions, stadium-shaking concerts, and some of the most iconic musical moments of all time. But even now, long after the peak years of Beatlemania, the legendary musician continues to surprise fans with stories that reveal the humanity behind the myth.

His latest revelation came on a new episode of his podcast A Life in Lyrics, where he recounted a moment both absurd and strangely touching — a moment during a raucous performance of “Live and Let Die” that left him wondering if the pyrotechnics might literally kill someone in the front row.

And the “someone,” as McCartney remembers, was an elderly woman who looked like she might be approaching a century of life.

What followed was a confession so unexpected, so vivid, that fans across the world are still talking about it.

A front-row fan who looked “about 90” — and a performer fearing the worst

During the late 1970s, Wings concerts were known for big sound, big crowds, and even bigger theatrics. “Live and Let Die” — the explosive James Bond theme McCartney composed in 1973 — was the centerpiece of every show.

Massive flame jets. Ear-splitting blasts. Fireballs that lit up entire arenas.

But one night, as McCartney took the stage, something in the front row jolted him into a moment of panic.

“I noticed there’s like a 90-year-old woman, very old, in the front row,” McCartney said. “And I suddenly go, ‘Oh, s—. We’re gonna kill her.’”

He was half-joking, half-serious — but the fear was real enough.

He knew the cue was coming.

He knew the explosions couldn’t be stopped.

He knew the song couldn’t be paused.

And he also knew that what was meant to be a dramatic moment of spectacle might turn into a headline no musician ever wants to read.

“I can’t stop the song and go, ‘Cover your ears, love,’” McCartney added. “So I look away and — boom.”

The pyrotechnics went off. The stage shook. The arena erupted.

And then, cautiously, he looked back.

“She is loving it,” he recalled, laughing.

What could have been a disaster became one of the most unexpected feel-good moments of his touring career.

The strange joy of shocking people — in the safest possible way

McCartney admitted that part of the thrill of performing “Live and Let Die” was watching the audience jolt in surprise every night when the explosions hit.

“It was a big song in our setlist,” he said. “We loved the moment when the crowd would be shocked.”

Still — the moment with the elderly fan stayed with him.

It was funny. It was touching. It was human.

And in some ways, it symbolized something fans have always loved about McCartney: the ability to laugh at himself, reflect with warmth, and turn small details into stories that feel universal.

A new chapter: the release of “Now and Then,” the final Beatles song

But the episode of his podcast did more than offer a quirky anecdote.

McCartney also reflected on the legacy of The Beatles, especially in the wake of the release of the band’s newest — and final — song, “Now and Then.”

For fans, the release has been nothing short of historic.

For McCartney, it has been emotional.

“Now and Then” is not just another track.

It is a reunion through time.

A conversation across decades.

A song that links four men who changed music forever — even though two are no longer here.

Recorded originally by JOHN LENNON in the late 1970s as a simple piano-and-vocal demo, the track was handed to McCartney, GEORGE HARRISON, and RINGO STARR in 1994 by YOKO ONO. They tried to finish it then — but technology simply didn’t allow it.

Lennon’s voice and piano were fused together in the demo.

Separating them without distorting the sound was impossible.

So the project was shelved.

Harrison passed in 2001.

The unfinished song faded into the archives.

And then, more than 20 years later, filmmaker Peter Jackson changed everything.

The technology that revived a lost Beatles song

While producing the 2021 documentary Get Back, Jackson and his team developed groundbreaking audio “de-mixing” technology — capable of isolating instruments and voices from mono soundtracks with unprecedented clarity.

When McCartney heard what the technology could do, he immediately realized:

They could finally finish “Now and Then.”

Working with Starr, and using Harrison’s earlier guitar contributions, they completed the song Lennon had started decades earlier. The result was a track that feels both nostalgic and new — a final message from a band that shaped generations.

McCartney described the process as “deeply moving” and “extraordinary.”

“It was like John was right there with us,” he said.

A short film, a legacy revived, and a world listening again

To accompany the song’s release, a short film titled The Last Beatles Song brought fans deeper into the creation process. It also featured comments from SEAN LENNON — John’s son — who described hearing his father’s voice revived in such clarity as “overwhelming.”

McCartney and Starr both spoke candidly about what it meant to finish a Beatles track in 2023 — not as a marketing move, but as a way of honoring their history and their friendship.

It was the closing of a circle that had been open for nearly half a century.

A legend who still tells stories — and still cares about every fan

The contrast between the explosive comedy of McCartney’s concert memory and the emotional weight of The Beatles’ final song is striking — but it also perfectly reflects who Paul McCartney is.

A performer with warmth.

A storyteller with humor.

A musician with history.

A legend with humility.

Even in his 80s, he still remembers the fans.

All of them.

Including a woman who looked 90 years old, standing in the front row, ready to embrace the blast of “Live and Let Die.”

It is moments like these — the funny ones, the tender ones, the historic ones — that remind the world why Paul McCartney’s voice, both musical and personal, still matters.