娱乐英语新闻:Beatles pop icon returns to his spiritual home for "secret gig"

LONDON, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of fans will flock to giant stadiums later this year to watch pop icon Paul McCartney in his latest tour.

For a small group of devotees of the former member of the Beatles pop band Thursday turned out to be a magical and unforgettable experience, watching the 76-year-old singer perform live at a "secret gig".

Just 175 fans were given free tickets for a performance when McCartney returned to the world famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, hailed as the birth place of Beatlemania that swept the world in the 1960s.

It was McCartney's first return to the cellar club for 20 years, and as word spread around Liverpool that "Macca" was in town to sing at a "secret gig", thousands headed for Mathew Street in scenes not witnessed since those early days.

On his social media site later McCartney said of his quickly-arranged gig: "It was fabulous and brought back loads of beautiful memories and reminded me of where we started."

The lucky fans heard the legend perform a 28-song set, ranging from Beatles classics to a number of songs from his new solo album.

"Coming back here is pretty amazing for me," McCartney told his audience.

"Imagine this for me -- all these years ago when we played the Cavern we didn't know if we'd have any future. But we did OK."

Beatles fan Tom Gilchrist, 28, from Liverpool, told local media he started waiting outside the Cavern after hearing rumours of the gig.

When it was announced the tickets were being handed out at the Echo Arena, almost a kilometer away he jumped in a taxi. Many other fans ran on foot to the arena box office.

One woman was seen to faint in the process, said Gilchrist adding: "It was like Beatlemania all over again."

Fan James Jardine from Liverpool said: "He's still got it. To get so close to someone who's so famous and iconic is unbelievable."

Included in his set were numbers from the early 1960s, including "Love Me Do" and "All My Loving".

Later this year McCartney will play to a packed Echo Arena in Liverpool, in a tour named "Freshen Up", showcasing his new album Egypt Station, his first new album in four years. Tickets for the Liverpool concert sold out within hours, with some already being offered on websites at high prices.

The Beatles became one of the biggest and most important bands in world history, and although they disbanded in the 1970s, they still have millions of fans across the world.

McCartney and the band's drummer Ringo Starr survive, the other two band members have since died. John Lennon was assassinated in New York in 1980, aged 40 and George Harrison died in 2001 aged 58, after suffering an illness.