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Today in Rolling Stones history: January 21

*Click for DAILY ROLLING STONES CHRONOLOGY 1962-present

January 21 is one of those dates that keeps popping up in Rolling Stones history like a familiar riff you can’t shake. Across decades, continents, and wildly different settings, the band — and its members — somehow managed to leave their mark on this single day. From airport press conferences greeted by hysteria, to onstage clashes with rock ’n’ roll pioneers, to legendary tours kicking off in distant corners of the globe, and even formal nights honoring musical royalty, January 21 captures the Stones in motion. Loud, unpredictable, influential, and unmistakably themselves, these moments form a miniature timeline of how the Rolling Stones kept rewriting their own legend, year after year.

January 21, 1963: Flamingo Jazz Club, London, England (with Ricky Fenson on bass and Carlo Little on drums)

Jan, 21, 1964: Granada Theatre, Aylesbury, England (2 shows, without Brian)

January 21, 1965: After arriving in Australia for their first-ever tour Down Under, the Stones faced the media at a press conference held at Kingsford Smith Airport in Mascot, just outside Sydney. Fresh off the long flight and already surrounded by chaos, the band were greeted by screaming fans, flashing cameras, and the kind of hysteria that confirmed Beatlemania had officially gone global — Stones-style. The moment marked their explosive introduction to Australian audiences and set the tone for a tour that would be loud, controversial, and wildly successful.

January 21, 1972: This took place during Chuck Berry’s appearance at the Hollywood Palladium, at a time when he was enjoying renewed chart success with what would become his last hit, My Ding-a-Ling. Berry was slotted as the middle act, sandwiched between Focus and the headliners, Black Oak Arkansas, who had personally invited him to join the bill. As was typical when booking Berry, he arrived with only his guitar, leaving the host act or venue responsible for supplying a backing band and equipment. Black Oak Arkansas frontman Jim ‘Dandy’ Mangrum later recalled realizing that the Rolling Stones were in Los Angeles recording a new album and considering whether they might back Berry for the set.

Berry later insisted he didn’t recognize Keith Richards or realize who was playing alongside him, ending up in booting him off for playing too loud. Yet photographs exist showing Berry angrily gesturing at Richards, who was wearing a Rolling Stones lips logo shirt and matching jacket patch. In the end, Richards quietly exited the stage without protest, and Berry completed his performance without further disruption.

January 21, 1973: Honolulu International Center, Honolulu, HI, USA (first show of the Australasian Tour, aka Winter Tour)
Brown Sugar/Bitch/Rocks Off/Gimme Shelter/It’s All Over Now/Happy/Tumbling Dice/Sweet Virginia/ Band introduction/Dead Flowers/You Can’t Always Get What You Want/All Down The Line/Midnight Rambler/Live With Me/Rip This Joint/Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Street Fighting Man

January 21, 1987: Keith Richards inducts Aretha Franklin at the 2nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Awards, held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, paying tribute to the undisputed Queen of Soul with heartfelt admiration and deep respect. Speaking not just as a fellow artist but as a lifelong fan, Richards highlighted Aretha’s unmatched voice, authority, and influence across generations and genres. Later in the evening, he joined an all-star final jam that turned the ceremony into a true celebration of rock and soul history. Sharing the stage with legends such as Chuck Berry, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Fogerty, B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Roy Orbison, Sting and Daryl Hall, Richards took part in a once-in-a-lifetime performance that brought together the architects of modern popular music, closing the night in electrifying fashion.

Jan, 21, 1989: Ronnie Wood takes part in the Young Republicans inauguration party at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., an event that notably featured U.S. President George Bush and drew an unlikely but impressive mix of political power and musical royalty. Far from a typical rock setting, Ronnie shared the stage with a lineup steeped in blues and soul history, including Bo Diddley, Koko Taylor, Willie Dixon, Percy Sledge and Steve Cropper, among others. The gathering underscored how deeply rooted American roots music had become in the country’s cultural fabric, transcending politics and generations. For Ronnie, it was another example of his lifelong devotion to the blues and its pioneers, happily jamming alongside his heroes in a setting few would have expected, blending Washington formality with raw, timeless sound.

Jan, 21, 1998: Pepsi Centennial Tent, Waikoloa Village, Kona, Hawaii, USA (private gig)
Satisfaction/Let’s Spend The Night Together/Gimme Shelter/Saint Of Me/ I Just Want To Make Love To You/Out Of Control/Miss You/Band introduction/Wanna Hold You/Little Queenie/Like A Rolling Stone/ Sympathy For The Devil/Tumbling Dice/Honky Tonk Women/Start Me Up/ Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Brown Sugar

January 21, 2003: United Center, Chicago, IL, USA
You Got Me Rocking/Street Fighting Man/If You Can’t Rock Me/Don’t Stop/Live With Me/Wild Horses/ Sweet Virginia/Rocks Off/Tumbling Dice/Band introduction/Slipping Away/Before They Make Me Run/ Gimme Shelter/Start Me Up/Can’t You Hear Me Knocking/Honky Tonk Women/Satisfaction/It’s Only Rock’n Roll/Midnight Rambler/Brown Sugar/Jumpin’ Jack Flash

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