The Rolling Stones returned to touring Sunday (Sept. 26) with a performance at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.
Charlie Watts was a major presence at the show even before the Stones took the stage. Images and videos of the recently deceased drummer played on the arena’s massive big screens, backed the sounds of powerful percussion. This served as an introduction to the night’s concert, with the crowd cheering Watts loudly as the band came out to begin their set.
The legendary rockers began with “Street Fighting Man,” one of the many classic tracks from their 1968 LP Beggars Banquet. Next up was “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It),” the lead single from the Stones’ 1974 LP It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll.
Watch Footage of the Charlie Watts Intro at the Rolling Stones’ St. Louis Concert
At this point, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood stepped to the front of the stage, with Jagger acknowledging it was “really quite emotional seeing those pictures of Charlie up on screen.” The frontman went on to thank the crowd and fans everywhere for their support. “This is our first-ever tour we’ve ever done without him,” the singer continued. “We’ll miss Charlie so much, on and off the stage.”
The band then dedicated their next song, “Tumbling Dice,” to Watts.
Watch Mick Jagger’s Speech and ‘Tumbling Dice’
Further highlights from the performance included “Under My Thumb,” “Wild Horses,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Start Me Up” and “Honky Tonk Woman.” As is customary for Rolling Stones shows, Richards took on lead vocal duties for a pair of tunes, “Little T&A” and “Slipping Away.”
The band closed their initial set with “Paint it Black,” followed by “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” They’d return for an encore which included “Gimme Shelter” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
The full set list from the Rolling Stones’ St. Louis concert can be found below, along with an image gallery from the show.
Though this was the band’s first official tour date of 2021, it was not their first live performance of the year. As a warm-up gig, the Stones played a private show at Gillette Stadium for New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and an assembly of his friends and family. At that performance, the band honored Watts with a toast, saluting their departed drummer.
“This is our first tour in 59 years that we’ve done without our lovely Charlie Watts,” Jagger declared at the Gillette Stadium show. “We all miss Charlie so much, we miss him as a band, we miss him as friends, on and off the stage.”
Watch the Rolling Stones Perform ‘Street Fighting Man’ in St. Louis
Rolling Stones, St. Louis, Sept. 26, 2021
1. “Street Fighting Man”
2. “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)”
3. “Tumbling Dice”
4. “Under My Thumb”
5. “19th Nervous Breakdown”
6. “Wild Horses”
7. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
8. “Living in a Ghost Town”
9. “Start Me Up”
10. “Honky Tonk Women”
11. “Little T&A”
12. “Slipping Away”
13. “Miss You”
14. “Midnight Rambler”
15. “Paint it Black”
16. “Sympathy for the Devil”
17. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
18. “Gimme Shelter”
19. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
Rolling Stones Return to Touring
The Rolling Stones returned to touring with a performance in St. Louis on September 26, 2021.