Taking the stage in front of an audience that included Neil Young, Bernie Taupin, Mark Hamill, Don Johnson, Rita Wilson and Olivia Harrison, Paul McCartney kicked off his two-hour performance with a lively version of the Beatles' early hit "Help!

Cue the high-pitched screams of fans, and for a moment, it was like being transported back to seeing the 21-year-old Beatle on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Feb. 9, 1964, instead of McCartney solo in Palm Desert on Monday, Sept. 29.

Paul McCartney positively lit up Friday night, leaving about 4,500 enraptured listeners grinning ear to ear. I was one of them. Initially, I couldn’t tell whether it was the music itself that got me or merely the idea of hearing Paul McCartney — a certified ex-Beatle — playing in the flesh.

Alongside Wickens, McCartney was backed by the Hot City Horns brass section and his venerable band, including guitarist Rusty Anderson, guitarist-bassist Brian Ray, and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., the last of whom performed a delightful rendition of the Macarena on “Dance Tonight,” a 2007 single from McCartney’s Memory Almost Full solo album.

The 83-year-old rock legend played for a relatively tiny audience of 4,500 on Friday night at the Santa Barbara Bowl.

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