Ringed by the crumbled walls of the Colosseum, Paul McCartney strummed his acoustic guitar and belted out Beatles tunes Saturday night

Ringed by the crumbled walls of the Colosseum, Paul McCartney strummed his acoustic guitar and belted out Beatles tunes Saturday night during a rare concert of old hits such as "Yesterday" and "Hey Jude" at one veritably old venue. The exclusive charity show took place before a few hundred people who paid up to $1,490 each to listen up-close to McCartney inside Rome's ancient gladiatorial stage - bathed in multicolored lights and covered in wafting smoke for the occasion. "As you can imagine, this is a magnificent occasion for us," McCartney said, apparently awed by the setting. "I keep wanting to look around." Tickets for Saturday's show were auctioned online, with profits going to Rome's archaeological offices and to Adopt-a-Minefield, the anti-landmines charity backed by the singer and his wife. The event brought in more than $287,000. The largely acoustic 100-minute show included many of the Beatles best-known hits, including a solo guitar performance of "Blackbird," a raucous "All My Loving" - and even a blunder that briefly halted "Eleanor Rigby." "I've done it again!" McCartney exclaimed. "I wrote this song and I always forget the words."