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When The Rolling Stones came back to London in 2007, there was a familiar question hanging over the O2 Arena: could they really keep this thing going? Apparently, nobody had bothered telling Mick Jagger. At 64, he attacked the stage with the energy of someone who had just discovered rock ’n’ roll, while Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood kept the guitars coming. The August 21 show was more than another date on the A Bigger Bang tour—it felt like a homecoming, with London getting a close-up reminder of what the Stones could still do. And if retirement was supposedly approaching, nobody seemed to notice.
August 21, 2007: O2 Arena, London, England (A Bigger Bang Tour, European leg) Start Me Up/You Got Me Rocking/Rough Justice/Rocks Off/Let It Bleed/Beast Of Burden/Can’t You Hear Me Knocking/I’ll Go Crazy/Tumbling Dice/Band introduction/You Got The Silver/Wanna Hold You/It’s Only Rock’n Roll/Respectable/ Satisfaction/ Honky Tonk Women/Sympathy For The Devil/Paint It Black/ Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Brown Sugar All photos from IORR
The Homecoming of Rock’s Eternal Survivors
Two years, countless cities, and half a billion dollars later, The Stones rolled back into London for three nights at the O2 Arena, carrying with them the weight of rumor, myth, and a combined age of 253 years at the time. Some whispered these shows might be their swan song—but fans had heard that story before. From the moment a maroon-caped Mick tore into Start Me Up, fists punching the air like a man possessed, the idea of retirement felt laughable. At 64, he looked like he might burn out in minutes, but two hours later he was still charging across the stage as Brown Sugar closed the night in a storm of streamers. Yes, the venues have shrunk from the million-strong crowd of Rio de Janeiro to a comparatively intimate 20,000, but what they’ve lost in size, they more than make up for in spirit.
Setlists, Smoke, and Satisfaction
The show was packed with vintage gems—All Down the Line,Midnight Rambler andShine a Light, cheekily sharing a name with Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Stones documentary. Keith Richards took over briefly with a couple of less-than-stellar numbers, while Ronnie Wood earned Jagger’s ribbing as “the Marlboro Man of Middlesex” despite staying smoke-free while Richards defiantly lit up.
What followed was a masterclass in stamina. The rolling stage carried the band deep into the crowd for a string of greatest hits, including Jumpin’ Jack Flash and a ferociousPaint It Black that stood as the night’s peak. Even the notoriously tough London crowd couldn’t hold back their roar. Jagger, clearly moved, teased the audience about their future: “We’ll definitely continue till Sunday.” For all the talk of farewells, it was hard to believe these rock survivors were anywhere near done. “A bigger bang” or not, the Stones refuse to fade quietly.
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