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!
The Rolling Stones live in Lexington 1981
December 11, 1981: Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY, USA Under My Thumb/When The Whip Comes Down/Let’s Spend The Night Together/Shattered/Neighbours/ Black Limousine/Just My Imagination/ Twenty Flight Rock/Going To A Go Go/Let Me Go/Time Is On My Side/Beast Of Burden/Waiting On A Friend/Let It Bleed/You Can’t Always Get What You Want/Band introduction/Little T & A/Tumbling Dice/She’s So Cold/Hang Fire/Miss You/Honky Tonk Women/Brown Sugar/Start Me Up/Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Satisfaction *All photos from the Michael Conen page
When the Stones Returned: Lexington’s Big Redemption Show
By the time the Stones rolled back into Kentucky, fans still remembered the band’s previous visit to Rupp Arena in 1978—a night that never quite lived up to its promise. Jagger’s voice was worn out from weeks on the road, the band wasn’t locking together as tightly as usual, and the show faded into memory as one of those “you had to be there, but maybe it wasn’t their best” performances. So when whispers began circulating that a new run of shows was being planned, excitement kicked in fast. Rumors turned into solid hints, and suddenly the only mission that mattered was rounding up enough friends to form a proper ticket-hunting squad and get in line early enough to grab something close to the stage.
Most diehard fans were convinced the Stones would return to Lexington—historically the tougher city for scoring prime seats—and that prediction turned out to be right. Many ended up in the concourse sections, angled to the side of the stage, but still close enough to feel the volume shaking the walls once the band came on. And this time, the payoff was real: the performance easily eclipsed the uneven energy of ’78. Even for those who loved the rawer material of the earlier tour, the difference in tightness, delivery, and overall atmosphere was undeniable.
+Plenty of fans came armed with cameras, hoping to document the night. The shots taken in Louisville were solid—nothing groundbreaking, but strong enough to make fellow concertgoers happy when they later saw themselves or the band frozen in mid-blast of lights and sound. But Lexington was where the real photographic magic happened. And it wasn’t by accident.
The ticket-selling system in Lexington used a smoother, more controlled lottery method. That meant fewer chances to snag floor seats, pushing many fans into more distant sections. Still, once inside with gear in hand, the strategy began: scan the section, watch the aisles, plot the angles, and wait. For a long stretch before the show—and even partway through the opening act—the seats beside certain fans stayed completely empty. Row after row filled up, but those spots stayed mysteriously open.
Then, just as the opener wound down, a couple finally appeared—each wearing backstage passes pinned right to their jackets. The kind of passes that made everyone around them raise an eyebrow. Their presence hinted at possibilities: maybe better vantage points, maybe movement to lower levels, maybe a stroke of luck waiting to happen. And with the Stones about to hit the stage, that kind of energy—anticipation mixed with opportunity—was exactly the spark that made the Lexington show stand out.
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!
