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At some point stadium shows are supposed to mellow out—age, logistics, common sense, all that boring stuff. The Rolling Stones never got the memo. When Start Me Up hit Twickenham in 2018, it didn’t feel like a band revisiting old material, but like a group mildly offended that anyone expected them to slow down. Mick Jagger treated the massive London crowd less like spectators and more like reluctant participants in a decades-long experiment in endurance. Keith Richards, meanwhile, looked perfectly comfortable proving that riffs don’t retire. It was loud, slightly chaotic, and oddly reassuring in the way only The Rolling Stones can manage.
June 19, 2018: Twickenham Stadium, London, England (No Filter Tour, European leg) Street Fighting Man/It’s Only Rock’n Roll/Tumbling Dice/Paint It Black/Ride ‘Em On Down/Bitch/Beast Of Burden/You Can’t Always Get What You Want/Honky Tonk Women/Band introduction/You Got The Silver/ Before They Make Me Run/Sympathy For The Devil/Miss You/Midnight Rambler/Start Me Up/Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Brown Sugar/Gimme Shelter/Satisfaction Note: With special guest James Bay (vocals) on Beast Of Burden All photos from IORR
Eel Pie Island: The Hidden Birthplace of The Rolling Stones’ Spirit
Just a short stroll from Twickenham Stadium lies Eel Pie Island, a tiny eyot in the Thames that played a giant role in shaping The Rolling Stones. Alongside the Crawdaddy in Richmond, this legendary spot was the cradle of the 1960s rock explosion. Mick Jagger himself gave a nod to both venues during their Twickenham gig, and writer George Melly famously said, “You could see sex rising from Eel Pie like steam from a kettle.” That steam powered the spirit of liberation and rebellion that fueled the Sixties and ultimately the global cultural revolution. More than five decades later, that same fiery energy pulsed through Twickenham Stadium as The Stones closed their No Filter UK tour with a fierce, raw, and passionate final show.
The No Filter Tour: Ragged Glory and Timeless Rock ‘n’ Roll Magic
Starting a month earlier at London Stadium and hitting cities like Coventry, Manchester and Edinburgh the Stones gave 70,000 fans at each show a masterclass in rock endurance and energy. From the explosive opener Street Fighting Man to the frenetic 11-minute encore of Satisfaction, the band teetered on the edge of chaos but always pulled together with that trademark push-and-pull dynamic. Highlights included James Bay joining on Beast of Burden, and Keith Richards’ subtle jazz-inflected riffs that added a fresh twist without missing a beat. Ronnie Wood shredded with fiery solos on Midnight Rambler, while Jagger’s beaming smile captured the pure joy of performing. After 55 years, it’s nothing short of a miracle this band still brings songs to life with such raw passion — and when words fail, the music says it all.
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