The Rolling Stones taught us how to be young and now they’re teaching us how to be old. One day in the not-so-distant future, jaw-dropping evenings like these could be an experience only kept alive in our memories. The Rolling Stones are and will forever be a force to be reckoned with. Once again, they prove themselves in front of more than 60,000 people at London Stadium on a warm May evening.
Vanishing any doubts about their eternal youth and vigour in the late years, The Rolling Stones take the audience through highs, tender lows, laughter, and jubilation, at a show delivered with a flair that astounds and delights.
Mick Jagger is omnipresent, bursting on to the enormous stage in a silver, black and red jacket to the rumbling strains of “Street Fighting Man”, moving directly into “It’s Only Rock ’N’ Roll” then soothing us with “Tumbling Dice”, prompting roars with those opening notes of “Paint it Black”.
Mick, of course, is the consummate showman, remaining snake of hips and utterly fabulous with every curl of the lip and shake of the mane.
Guitar legend Keith Richards remains the rock pirate, Ronnie Wood dubbed the ‘Ryan Giggs’ of the band by Jagger for his youthful vigour, we presume, and Charlie Watts the driving pounding force on the drums.
For their second London Stadium show on the No Filter tour, The Rolling Stones were joined onstage by Florence Welch, for a special version of Wild Horses. Welch joined Jagger on stage for a staggering and passionate rendition of the Sticky Fingers classic, with the two singers trading verses, sharing choruses, locking eyes and holding hands as if entangled in musical conversation.
Earlier in the night, Florence and the Machine had served as one of the Rolling Stones’ all-star opening acts during this European stretch of No Filter Tour dates. Welch previously tweeted of the gig, “It is a huge honour to be playing with one of our biggest influences.”
Satisfaction closed out the style, with Jagger taking one last opportunity to prance remorsefully around the stage as only he can. Marriages, presidents, wars, and technology come and go, but The Rolling Stones remain, testing the limits of the rock ‘n’ roll dream. No longer the greatest, but still the greatest; a band that will forever stand the test of time.
