Sir Paul McCartney resumes tour after illness

Sir Paul resumed his Out There tour in Albany, New York

Sir Paul McCartney has resumed his concert tour after being forced to take nearly two months off due to a virus that left him in hospital.

The 72-year-old played an arena in Albany, New York, on Saturday night as part of his Out There tour.

The former Beatle called off the Japan leg of the tour and a South Korea show after falling ill on 16 May and later postponed a number of US dates.

He spent six days in a Tokyo hospital being treated for the viral infection.

Before his illness, Sir Paul had last performed on 1 May in Costa Rica.

He opened the show at the Times Union Centre with the Beatles' hit Eight Days a Week and dedicated a song, My Valentine, to wife Nancy.

"It's great to be back," he told the crowd during a three-hour set which took in nearly 40 tracks - a mix of solo hits, Wings songs and Beatles classics.

The show even included a surprise proposal when Sir Paul brought a couple onstage after the woman held up a sign saying her boyfriend wouldn't marry her until he had met the performer.

"And he booked us for the wedding," he joked.

Sir Paul has 19 performances scheduled for the US, including at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, where the Beatles played their final full concert in 1966.