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By 1975 The Rolling Stones had mastered the art of making every concert feel unpredictable—but sometimes they didn’t have to do all the work themselves. Every so often, another superstar wandered into the spotlight and turned an already memorable night into something fans would talk about for decades. The Fort Collins stop on the Tour of the Americas is one of those rare occasions. Between the band’s swagger, the electric atmosphere, and an unexpected appearance by Elton John, the evening became far more than just another date on a busy tour schedule. Apparently, one rock giant simply wasn’t enough for Colorado that night.
July 20, 1975: Hughes Stadium, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, with special guest Elton John during ten songs of the show (Rolling Stones’ Tour of the Americas ’75) Honky Tonk Women/All Down The Line/If You Can’t Rock Me-Get Off Of My Cloud/Star Star/Gimme Shelter/Ain’t Too Proud To Beg/You Gotta Move/You Can’t Always Get What You Want/Happy/Tumbling Dice/It’s Only Rock’n Roll/Band introduction /Fingerprint File/Wild Horses/That’s Life/Outta Space/Brown Sugar/Midnight Rambler/Rip This Joint/Street Fighting Man/ Jumpin’ Jack Flash Read: Rolling Stones: July 20, 1975 Hughes Stadium(from North Forty News)
The Rolling Stones’ 1975 Tour: Rock ‘n’ Roll on the Move
In 1975, The Rolling Stones embarked on their Tour of the Americas ’75, initially planned to electrify audiences across North and South America. Yet, due to currency swings and security concerns, the trek was limited to the U.S. and Canada. This marked the first tour featuring new guitarist Ronnie Wood, who replaced Mick Taylor. Interestingly, the tour didn’t promote any new album — kicking off more than seven months after their last release, It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll. The buzz began with a dramatic May 1 announcement: the band played Brown Sugar atop a moving flatbed truck cruising down New York’s 5th Avenue, only to vanish into waiting limousines before a planned press conference.
Spanning 46 shows across 27 cities from June to August, the tour’s Fort Collins, Colorado stop on July 20 became a legendary rock moment. The band’s second visit to the city drew 40,000 fans to Hughes Stadium, with Charlie Daniels opening. Traffic backed up for miles, and tailgaters camped nearby, turning local drive-ins into party zones. Fans were so eager that many stormed the stadium at dawn—eleven hours before showtime—to claim the best seats.
Chaos and Legend at Hughes Stadium
The night’s highlight? Elton John unexpectedly joining the Stones onstage during Honky Tonk Women wearing a Dodgers windbreaker and cowboy hat. Mick Jagger cheekily introduced him as “Reg from Watford.” Elton stayed through ten songs, much to the frustration of band members like Keith Richards and keyboardists Billy Preston and Ian Stewart, who found his aimless playing disruptive. Audience members even booed, and the Stones struggled to get him off the stage. Post-show, they declined his helicopter invite for a barbecue.
The weekend’s energy wasn’t all fun — a 19-year-old soldier drowned after diving off a cliff nearby, and the massive crowd destroyed the stadium turf following days of rain. This concert was one of only three ever held at Hughes Stadium, which faced noise complaints leading to a 1978 injunction capping volume — effectively ending major shows there. That Fort Collins night remains etched in rock history: wild, messy, unforgettable.
When Rocketman Met the Rolling Stones in Fort Collins: Elton’s Wild Colorado Jam Gone Too Far
Based on a passage from Elton’s autobiography Rocketman, events spiraled, somewhat beyond control.
“Cocaine gave me too much confidence for my own good. If I hadn’t been coked out of my head when the Rolling Stones turned up in Colorado and asked me to come onstage with them, I might have just performed ‘Honky Tonk Women,’ waved to the crowd and made my exit. Instead, I decided it was going so well, I’d stay on and jam along to the rest of their set, without first taking the precaution of asking the Stones if they wanted an auxiliary keyboard player.”
“For a while, I thought Keith Richards kept staring at me because he was awestruck by the brilliance of my improvised contributions to their oeuvre. After a few songs, it finally penetrated my brain that the expression on his face wasn’t really suggestive of profound musical appreciation. I quickly scuttled off, noting as I went that Keith was still staring at me in a manner that suggested we’d be discussing this later, and decided it might be best if I didn’t hang around for the after-show party.”
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