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The Rolling Stones have always treated Chicago less like a tour stop and more like a second home borrowed from the blues gods themselves. Now, this time the band wasn’t simply celebrating fifty years — they were casually reminding everyone why most rock bands age while the Stones somehow become louder. With guest appearances from Taj Mahal and a powerful choir-backed You Can’t Always Get What You Want, the night balanced swagger, soul, and spectacle perfectly. Not bad for a band critics have been unsuccessfully retiring since the Nixon administration.
May 28, 2013: United Center, Chicago, Ilinois, USA (50 & Counting… tour, North American leg) Get Off Of My Cloud/It’s Only Rock’n Roll/Paint It Black/Gimme Shelter/Wild Horses/Rocks Off/Emotional Rescue/Six Days On The Road/Doom And Gloom/One More Shot/Honky Tonk Women/Band introduction/You Got The Silver/Before They Make Me Run/Midnight Rambler/Miss You/Start Me Up/Tumbling Dice/Brown Sugar/Sympathy For The Devil/You Can’t Always Get What You Want/Jumping Jack Flash/Satisfaction *With special guests Taj Mahal on Six Days On The Road and the Roosevelt University Conservatory Chorus on You Can’t Always Get What You Want *Some of the photos taken from the IORR site
The Rolling Stones Rock Chicago’s United Center
On May 28, 2013,The Rolling Stones rolled into Chicago’s United Center for the 50 & Counting tour and somehow managed to make five decades of rock ‘n’ roll chaos look ridiculously easy. While most bands can barely survive a reunion tour without arguing over catering, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood attacked the stage like they still had something to prove. The packed arena exploded as the band tore through their heavyweights mixing swagger, grit, and enough energy to embarrass artists half their age. By the end, Chicago didn’t just witness a nostalgia act — it watched The Rolling Stones casually remind everyone why they still define stadium rock.
Special Guests Add Soul and Harmony
What really pushed the Chicago show into memorable territory were two guest appearances that felt far more inspired than the usual “look who walked on stage” moment stadium tours love to advertise. Blues icon Taj Mahal brought grit and genuine swagger to a blazing take on Six Days on the Road, reminding everyone where the Stones learned half their attitude in the first place. Later the Roosevelt University Conservatory Chorus transformed You Can’t Always Get What You Want into something massive and almost cinematic, filling the arena with rich harmonies that somehow made the song sound even bigger than it already is. The collaborations added soul, depth, and a strong connection to Chicago’s legendary music culture — a scene the Stones have admired since the early days. By the final applause, the band once again proved nostalgia alone doesn’t keep arenas shaking for fifty years.
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