The Rolling Stones closed a remarkable 40-year chapter, and what many once deemed mysterious or even sinister about them has shifted. Now, at the 50-year mark, they’re extending the journey by a bold decade, confirming the 2022 tour would continue with yet another year on the road, a decision that feels less about bravado and more about enduring relevance.
Music from this group remains as vital as ever. More than 53,000 fans packed the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid for the launch of the European leg of the Sixty Tour. The stadium was at full capacity, and Mick Jagger moved with the same ferocity that defined their early days, flanked by Keith Richards and Ron Wood. They revisited the band’s provocative material, from the raw energy of Black Paint to the menacing cadence of Sympathy for the Devil, the punch of Jumpin’ Jack Flash, and the enduring roar of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. The night delivered two hours of high-energy performance and unexpected moments that kept the audience enthralled.
Several factors made the evening special. It happened to coincide with the youngest member of the group celebrating his 75th birthday, as if each concert carried its own festive milestone. Yet the most notable twist was this tour’s European leg being the first without Charlie Watts. “We miss him so much,” Jagger reminded the crowd earlier, shortly after a montage honoring the late drummer who would have turned 81 on June 2. One of the biggest unknowns was how Steve Jordan would fill Watts’s role. Jordan, a long-time associate, assembled a compact ensemble with a brass section and skilled players, while Chuck Leavell—formerly with the Allman Brothers—added keyboard textures that helped shape the live sound.
Questions also loomed about the acoustics of the venue. The Stones had conquered Madrid before, notably at the Bernabéu and Vicente Calderón stadiums, and there were concerns about sound rebounds in the sprawling arena. Yet the mix sharpened as the night progressed, allowing finer details to emerge even from the upper stands. The crowd’s energy gradually silenced fears that the space might mute the performance, creating a rare, intimate connection in a grand setting.
start the show
From early afternoon, a sense of normalcy settled over a crowd that refused to conform to simple age distinctions or budget brackets. The Stones have long drawn a broad cross-section of fans, and this evening underscored that appeal. Vargas Blues Band, joined by John Byron Jagger, opened the stage with a straightforward setup on a modest 400-square-meter façade painted in bold Spanish hues. Mark Norton contributed a refreshed visual language to the beloved logo. About 9:00 p.m., the main act took the stage. Sea Water, another contemporary act influenced by the Stones, reminded the audience how far the band’s legacy extends—six decades after their founding. They warmed the room with a nod to classic material and a few tracks in new light, inviting fans to reconnect with old favorites and discover fresh interpretations.
“Hello, Madrid!” Jagger called after bounding onto the set. The evening opened with a surprising 15-minute delay, a playful wink at the band’s famously punctual nature. Dressed in a red jacket, he led the crowd through Street Fighting Man, calling back to a time when the band saw music as a vehicle for social expression, especially during the late 1960s.
Musically, the set list echoed the Stones’ recent U.S. tours, but with room for deep cuts and a few rarely performed pieces. Tumbling Dice sat comfortably among crowd favorites, while songs like Sad Sad Sad and Living in a Ghost Town displayed a willingness to refresh the catalog. One or two archival tracks from their early catalog appeared again—Out of Time from Aftermath (1966) among them—adding a historical texture to the night.
The audience’s response swelled during the guitar dialogue between Richards and Woods during Beasts of Burden, a moment that underscored the trio’s physical endurance and the band’s enduring chemistry. Jagger moved with a light, almost dancing step, his presence a constant and reassuring anchor for the audience. When Richards and Woods traded riffs, the atmosphere took on a triumphant air. The crowd shouted for hits like Honky Tonk Women and Miss You, and the peak moment arrived with a thunderous rendition of Midnight Rambler. Jagger’s praise for Madrid was loud and clear: “Damn Madrid, you are the best people!”
As the night progressed, it was clear some staples would be missed, such as Angie or Brown Sugar. The decision not to perform these songs is often tied to concerns about misinterpretation or controversy in different markets—even when songs remain beloved. Yet the band kept the energy high with a relentless final stretch featuring Paint It Black, Sympathy for the Devil, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, and Gimme Shelter. The cadence of the encore left fans with a sense of awe and a reminder that the Rolling Stones can still command a stadium with a living history that continues to unfold.