The Rolling Stones kickstart 60th anniversary European Tour in Madrid
New Delhi: Popular band the Rolling Stones kicked off a European tour marking their 60th anniversary as a band. The tour began in Madrid, Spain without the presence of late drummer Charlie Watts.
Watts joined the band in 1963 and passed away last year aged 80. Drummer Steve Jordan joined them for the tour. The anniversary tour is titled SIXTY.
Around 53,000 fans welcomed the original band members including Mick Jagger, 78, and guitarists Keith Richards, 78, and Ronnie Wood, 75, at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid.
Videos of Watts were displayed on the screen and the band members paid tribute to the late drummer before beginning with the event.
“This is our first European tour without Charlie, we miss him a lot,” Jagger said in Spanish before dedicating song Sad, sad, sad to a moved audience.
The band played Gimme Shelter as a statement against the war between Ukraine and Russia with footages of destroyed Ukrainian cities and a Ukrainian flag was displayed on the screens.
The two-hour long show concluded with the crowd cheering for more. The British band will cover ten countries as part of the 14-show tour.
The Stones will perform in Munich on Sunday before performing in Liverpool, Amsterdam, Bern, Milan, London, Brussels, Vienna, Paris, and Stockholm this month.
(Avya Mathur)
