Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!

Today in Rolling Stones history: February 16

*Click for DAILY ROLLING STONES CHRONOLOGY 1962-present

February 16 traces a fascinating arc through Rolling Stones history, revealing how one date can mirror the band’s constant evolution. From sweaty early club gigs in London to globe-spanning stadium shows, this day captures the Stones in motion—touring relentlessly, reshaping the business of rock, crossing paths with fellow legends, and stirring controversy wherever they landed. It’s a snapshot of contrasts: raw beginnings and corporate power plays, backstage mischief and massive setlists, creative collisions and cultural impact. Seen together, these February 16 moments tell a bigger story—not just of longevity, but of a band that never stopped rewriting its own mythology.

February 16, 1963: Ealing Jazz Club, London, England

Feb. 16, 1964: Guildhall, Portsmouth, England (2 shows)

February 16, 1965: Badminton Hall, Singapore (2 shows)

February 16, 1966: The Stones arrive at Kingsford Smith Airport, Mascot, Australia for their second Australian tour followed by a press conference before.
Keith, about touring in Australia: “In Australia there was an amazing number of birds (girls). In Melbourne, too, in that weird motel, all glass. Bill on the phone to the hall porter, ‘Send me up that one in the pink’. Nine in one day he had, no kidding, he just sat all day long in his bedroom looking out the window, and he’s right in with the hall porter. No, not that one, the one with the blond hair, not THAT horror. Used to tell him off for sending up uglies. It was in Melbourne we kept calling up the blind DJ and asking for songs like I’m Beginning to See the Light“

February 16, 1973: Release of Yoko Ono’s double LP Approximately Infinite Universe, a bold and deeply personal statement that marked her full embrace of raw rock songwriting. Among its many intimate moments, the album features a notable guest appearance by Mick Jagger, who contributes guitar on the reflective track Is Winter Here To Stay. His subtle presence adds an extra layer of texture rather than star power, blending naturally into Ono’s stark, emotionally charged soundscape. The collaboration stands as a small but intriguing crossover between the Rolling Stones’ frontman and Ono’s fiercely independent artistic world, capturing a brief moment where parallel creative paths quietly intersected.

February 16, 1977: The Rolling Stones sign a four-album recording deal—valued at a then-staggering $14 million—with WEA in North America and EMI in the rest of the world. The agreement confirmed the band’s unmatched commercial power in the mid-1970s, giving them unprecedented financial terms and artistic leverage. More than just a lucrative contract, the deal signaled the Stones’ transition into a new phase of global dominance, where their status as rock’s ultimate survivors was matched by their ability to control how, where, and on what terms their music reached the world.

Feb. 16, 1990: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
Start Me Up/Bitch/Sad Sad Sad/Harlem Shuffle/Tumbling Dice/Miss You/ Ruby Tuesday/Angie/Rock And A Hard Place/Mixed Emotions/Honky Tonk Women/Midnight Rambler/You Can’t Always Get What You Want/Can’t Be Seen/Happy/Paint It Black/2000 Light Years From Home/Sympathy For The Devil/Gimme Shelter/Band introduction/It’s Only Rock’n Roll/Brown Sugar/ Satisfaction/Jumpin’ Jack Flash

February 16, 1991: Ronnie joins Bob Dylan onstage at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England long George Harrison and surprises him with flowers. The gesture broke the usual rock-star cool with a flash of playful camaraderie, capturing the easy friendship linking three giants of the era. It was a small, unscripted moment that said a lot about the tight, overlapping circles of 1970s rock royalty.

Feb. 16, 1992: Mick arrives in Tokyo from England to promote his new film Freejack, but the trip takes an unexpected turn almost immediately. Upon landing, he is detained at customs at Tokyo airport due to his 1969 drug conviction, a decades-old charge that still triggered strict Japanese entry rules. The incident caused delays and media buzz, momentarily overshadowing the movie promotion and highlighting how Mick’s turbulent past could still echo years later—especially in countries with zero-tolerance drug policies.

February 16, 1993: Ronnie Wood and Bill Wyman—stepping in for the absent Ronnie Lane—take part in a rare Faces reunion at The Brit Awards ceremony in Alexandra Palace, London. The band storms through two classics, Stay With Me and Sweet Little Rock’n Roller delivering a brief but electrifying reminder of their ragged, swaggering glory. Though short, the performance carried a strong sense of nostalgia and celebration, uniting past and present Stones and Faces energy in front of a high-profile audience, and proving that the old chemistry still sparked when the moment called for it.

February 16, 1995: Estadio River Plate, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Not Fade Away/Tumbling Dice/You Got Me Rocking/It’s All Over Now/Live With Me/Sparks Will Fly/ Satisfaction/Out Of Tears/Angie/Rock And A Hard Place/Midnight Rambler/I Go Wild/Miss You/Band introduction/Honky Tonk Women/Before They Make Me Run/Slipping Away/Sympathy For The Devil/ Monkey Man/Street Fighting Man/Start Me Up/It’s Only Rock’n Roll/Brown Sugar/Jumpin’ Jack Flash

Feb. 16, 2003: The Stones hold a press conference in Sydney, Australia, officially announcing and promoting the Licks Australasian Tour. Facing an eager international press, the band outlines plans for the regional leg of the tour while reaffirming their enduring global appeal. The event underscored the Stones’ commitment to taking their live show to every corner of the world, setting the tone for a tour designed to celebrate their vast catalog and reinforce their status as one of rock’s most reliable—a

February 16, 2016: Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay
Start Me Up/It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll/Tumbling Dice/Out Of Control/She’s So Cold/Wild Horses/Paint It Black/ Honky Tonk Women/Band introduction/Slipping Away/Can’t Be Seen/Midnight Rambler/Miss You/Gimme Shelter/Brown Sugar/Sympathy For The Devil/Jumpin’ Jack Flash/You Can’t Always Get What You Want*/ Satisfaction
*With special guests Coro Rapsodia De Uruguay choir

Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!

COPYRIGHT © ROLLING STONES DATA
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS WEBSITE IS COPYRIGHT OF ROLLING STONES DATA. ALL CONTENT BY MARCELO SONAGLIONI.
ALL SETLISTS AND TICKET STUBS TAKEN FROM THE COMPLETE WORKS OF THE ROLLING STONES. 
WHEN USING INFORMATION FROM ROLLING STONES DATA (ONLINE OR PRINTED) PLEASE REFER TO ITS SOURCE DETAILING THE WEBSITE NAME. THANK YOU.