When the Rolling Stones released their last album, Hackney Diamonds, at intimate Manhattan rock club Racket NYC last October, it was a celebrity-studded affair (with a surprise duet from Lady Gaga) in a 650-seat venue. On Thursday night (May 23) at New Jersey's giant MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, the Stones brought their Hackney Diamonds tour to the tri-state area and performed to an 80,000-seat stadium. And while the star-to-citizen ratio was understandably lower than at that album release party seven months earlier, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood seemed more relaxed, happier and more comfortable playing a two-hour set for tens of thousands than a seven -Song for the lucky and the chosen.
Jagger was on his Shattered tour debut, such as 'Angry' and shouted on the harp for 'Miss You'. Richards, as usual, found his guitar groove and stuck to it, occasionally cracking a smile or laughing with his bandmates. and Wood, the new guy after 48 years, looked a little in awe as he sized up the sea of people dancing (with varying degrees of flexibility) and singing along.
While introducing the band, Jagger hailed Wood as “the Botticelli of the Bronx, the Monet of Manhattan, the Basquiat of Brooklyn” – none of which applies to a guitarist born in Middlesex, England, but Wood showed his artistic talent during a fervent solo spotlight on “You Can't Always Get What You Want” (a song title that probably had a deeper resonance for those hidden in the nosebleeds).
Before launching into the setlist's fan-voted song, “Wild Horses,” Jagger told the crowd, “There's a much bigger vote that's going to happen in November.” Later in the night, he couldn't resist a jab at a former president. “I was a little worried about the weather — I thought we were going to get a little Stormy Daniels,” she said wryly, referring to the grown-up star involved in the criminal silence trial against Trump.
Also on the menu for stage banter: The Tick Tock Diner in Clifton, NJ Back in 2019, Jagger was on the same stage for the band's No Filter Tour and called out the aforementioned diner, telling the crowd that he grabbed a Taylor disco ham fries – and sloppy joe to go” at the local hot spot. On Thursday night, we picked up the sequel. “Last time [we played here] I mentioned that I went to this restaurant called the Tick Tock Diner. So on the way to the show, I stopped there and found out they got a new sandwich — and it's called Mick Jagger. I've never had an af–king sandwich with my name on it before, so I'm very, very proud. And me and Keith and Ronnie are going to eat it after the show.”
The Glimmer Twins are still shining in their 80s, but who knows if and when England's longest-running hitmakers will return for a tour of this magnitude. At the very least, their tour of Hackney Diamonds (and the Tick Tock Diner) gives fans something savory and hearty to celebrate the living legends.
