The Rolling Stones made a special onstage dedication to Charlie Watts last night during their first live show since the death of their longtime drummer.
“I must say though at this point it’s a bit of a poignant night for us,” singer Mick Jagger told the audience at a private event hosted at Massachusetts’ Gillette Stadium by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. “This is our first tour in 59 years that we’ve done without our lovely Charlie Watts. We all miss Charlie so much, we miss him as a band, we miss him as friends, on and off the stage.
“And we’ve got so many memories of Charlie, and I’m sure that some of you that have seen us before have got memories of Charlie as well. And I hope you will remember him like we do. So we’d like to dedicate this show to Charlie!”
You can see video of Jagger’s speech below.
“Charlie we’re praying for you, man …. and playing for you!” guitarist Ronnie Wood added before he, Jagger and Keith Richards led the crowd in a toast to Watts.
Watts died of an unspecified cause at age 80 last month, a few weeks after it was announced that his recovery from a recent medical procedure would likely keep him from joining the Stones on their upcoming North America tour.
Drummer, songwriter and producer Steve Jordan, who has worked closely with Richards throughout the guitarist’s solo career, filled in for Watts last night and will do so throughout the Stones’ upcoming tour.
They formally relaunch the No Filter tour, which was postponed because of the pandemic, on Sept. 26 in St. Louis. Shows will run through a Nov. 20 date in Austin.
The Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts Year by Year: Photos 1962-2020
We collected dozens of pictures of the drummer below for Charlie Watts Year by Year: Photos 1963-2020.