Rolling Stones kick off 60th anniversary European tour in Madrid

MADRID, June 1 (Reuters) – The Rolling Stones rocked Madrid on Wednesday with gusto, and a little bit of nostalgia for his or her late drummer Charlie Watts, as they kicked off a European tour marking their sixtieth anniversary as a band.

Some 53,000 followers on the Wanda Metropolitano stadium roared with pleasure as they welcomed to the stage the unique band members Mick Jagger, 78, and guitarists Keith Richards, 78, and Ronnie Wooden, who turned 75 on Wednesday.

They’ve been joined by drummer Steve Jordan for the tour, titled SIXTY. Watts, who joined the band in 1963, died final yr aged 80.

“Hola Madrid!” shouted the band’s wiry frontman Jagger to even louder cheering after the band opened the present with “Avenue preventing man” and Jagger launched into his signature strut dance strikes.

Proper earlier than the primary tune, movies of Watts the place displayed in huge screens on the stage and the band gave an emotional tribute to their late buddy.

“That is our first European tour with out Charlie, we miss him loads,” stated Jagger in Spanish proper earlier than taking part in “Unhappy, unhappy, unhappy” to a moved crowd.

“The band devoted the present to him,” present designer Patrick Woodroffe, who has labored with the Stones for 4 many years, informed Reuters. “A while has gone previous and we miss him on a regular basis, we chuckle about him, we speak about him loads and this can be a method to have a good time his life somewhat than to mourn it.”

After 17 songs, The Rolling Stones left the stage simply to return in response to an enormous spherical of applause by the Madrid crowd.

The band performed “Gimme shelter” because the Ukrainian flag and pictures of destroyed Ukrainian cities the place displayed on the displays as an announcement in opposition to warfare.

After the two-hour present beaming followers clad in Rolling Stones t-shirts and draped in flags with the trademark lips and tongue brand left the venue chanting “Satisfaction”.

“It was like they’re 30 years youthful once more,” stated Javier Romero.

In the course of the 14-show tour the British band will play stadiums and arenas in 10 international locations, together with their homeland.

“On their fiftieth (tour) in 2012 we stated this may be the final we’ve seen them and we have now seen them round Europe many occasions since then, and in England,” stated 60-year-old Paul, a fan who got here from Britain for the gig.

The Stones will subsequent play in Munich on Sunday and later carry out in Liverpool, Amsterdam, Bern, Milan, London, Brussels, Vienna, Paris and Stockholm.

In accordance with Woodroffe, the Stones haven’t any plans to cease rolling and refuse to name any tour their final one.

“I can inform you categorically that The Rolling Stones won’t ever do a farewell tour… I feel all people on this planet is asking ‘is that this the tip of The Rolling Stones?’

“Each time they go on tour once more and the one individuals who do not query it’s The Rolling Stones themselves.”

Enhancing by Andrei Khalip, Rosalba O’Brien and Lincoln Feast.

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