Paul McCartney coming to Lambeau Field next year

GREEN BAY – Expect the Green Bay Packers to announce this week that Paul McCartney will perform at Lambeau Field in June. 

During Sunday's game at Lambeau Field, a tease flashed on the scoreboard early in the first quarter. It showed the back of a performer facing a large audience. It was McCartney. The Packers posted the same message on their Twitter account. They declined to comment on the tease Sunday, but have scheduled a press conference for Tuesday.

U.S. dates on McCartney’s Freshen Up Tour begin May 23 and continue through June 26. There’s a run of shows in the Midwest in early June, including, most notably, June 6 at the Kohl Center in Madison.

That show sold out when tickets, priced from $27.50 to $273, went on sale in September. The Ticketmaster website lists scattered seats available for $319 to $1,126.

It’s the first time McCartney is playing Madison. He’s played Milwaukee six times in his half-century career. His last visit to that city was a sold-out concert at the Marcus Amphitheater for Summerfest in 2016.

His 2019 tour itinerary also includes arena stops June 3 in Fort Wayne, Ind., and June 11 in Moline, Ill. The next date listed isn’t until June 26 in Phoenix, which would allow for a Lambeau stop within the Packers’ preferred calendar window for hosting concerts.

McCartney, 76, is touring in support of his new solo album, “Egypt Station,” which came out in September. In an interview with the BBC in June, the topic of retiring came up. It’s not on his radar.

“I’m like these footballers. People say, ‘When are you gonna retire?’ And they will nearly always say, ‘Well, when I don’t enjoy it, or when the legs give in,’ or something like that. When there’s a factor, that makes them retire. I don’t think any of them want to retire particularly,’ he said.

“And I was talking to ... Willie Nelson, and I was talking about this whole retiring thing, because he’s older than I am, even. And he says, ‘Retire from what?’ And I think that just says it. Retire from what?”

Lambeau Field last hosted a concert in the bowl on June 17, 2017, when Billy Joel played to a sold-out crowd of 45,602. The other major concerts at Lambeau Field were both visits by Kenny Chesney, in June 2015 and June 2011. All three concerts were on Saturday nights and all sold out.

Lambeau Field was not available for a concert this year because of field reconstruction. Packers director of public affairs Aaron Popkey said concourse reconstruction will be ongoing, but a concert could be held during the 2019 summer concert window, which includes May and June.

The Packers will host a University of Wisconsin-Notre Dame football game in fall 2020.