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July 11, 1982, should have belonged to the World Cup final—but The Rolling Stones had other plans. Hours before Italy kicked off against West Germany, thousands packed Turin’s Stadio Comunale for an afternoon of roaring guitars, flying flags, and Start Me Up blasting through the stadium. Strange timing? Absolutely. Brilliant? Mostly. With football fever gripping the nation and the band returning to Italy after 12 years away, the concert unfolded under unusual circumstances that gave it a character unlike any other stop on the 1982 European Tour. Sometimes rock history refuses to wait for the final whistle.
July 11, 1982:Stadio Comunale, Torino, Italy(The Rolling Stones European Tour ’82) 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/You Can’t Always Get What You Want/Band introduction/Angie/Tumbling Dice/ She’s So Cold/Hang Fire/Miss You/Honky Tonk Women/Brown Sugar/Start Me Up/Jumpin’ Jack Flash/ Satisfaction
Rock and Rivalry: The Rolling Stones and the World Cup
July 11, 1982 was a day of split emotions for Italians. That evening, the entire nation was tuned in for the World Cup final between Italy and Germany. But earlier that day, in Turin’s Stadio Comunale, something equally electrifying was happening—The Rolling Stones were back in Italy after a 12-year absence. While Milanese fans grumbled about the concert not being held in their city, thousands made the trip hoping to catch both the rock spectacle and the match without losing their minds.
The Stones took the stage in the afternoon, but the performance felt off. Jagger was on fire, leaping and dancing like a man possessed—especially with an Italian flag draped over his shoulders. He even called the correct World Cup result in Italian. But the rest of the band seemed distant, distracted, like their minds were already at kickoff. The energy just wasn’t what it used to be.
The Rolling Stones in Turin: Setlist Surprises and Bittersweet Vibes
Despite the subdued vibe, the setlist had plenty to offer. From bluesy gems like Black Limousine andTwenty Flight Rock to staples like ShatteredorYou Can’t Always Get What You Want, and the crowd-pleasing Angie just for Italy, the show was still packed with hits. The predictable finale—Brown Sugar, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Start Me UpandSatisfaction—capped the afternoon with a bang, fireworks and all.
Still, something felt like it was fading. As a fan who first saw them on his 13th birthday in 1970, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the magic was slipping. The next night’s shows in Naples and at the Teatro Comunale were tighter, more relaxed. It would take another seven years and the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tour for the Stones to truly reignite the spark—and, amazingly, it still burns in 2006.
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