A soundcheck is the rehearsal before the doors open, when the band plays a few songs in the empty venue so the crew can balance instruments, voices and speakers. For most acts it is a technical routine, accompanied by an engineer patiently testing every microphone one by one.
Paul McCartney turned it into a show of its own. On his tours the soundcheck lasts about an hour and doubles as entertainment for holders of VIP tickets, who hear songs that rarely or never make the main set. Before the opening night of his Got Back tour in Spokane, Washington, in April 2022, he played 14 songs, including the old B-side C Moon and a cover of George Formby’s Leaning on a Lamp Post. In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone he described the routine as a ritual shared by band, crew and fans. Arriving early has rarely paid off so handsomely.