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Rolling Stones press conference at Juilliard School Of Music 2005
The Rolling Stones have always treated “normal” like a polite suggestion, and their 2005 Juilliard School appearance proved it once again. Instead of quietly announcing the A Bigger Bang Tour in some boring hotel ballroom, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts turned one of America’s most prestigious music schools into a full-blown rock’n’roll circus. Somehow the mix of classical surroundings and swaggering Stones attitude worked perfectly, like gatecrashing a black-tie dinner with a Gibson guitar and zero apologies. The performance also showed a band refusing to lean on nostalgia alone, still sounding hungry, sarcastic, loud, and fully aware that few groups their age could casually hijack New York City before lunchtime and still make it look effortless.
May 10, 2005: The Stones turn New York City’s prestigious Juilliard School of Music into their own rock’n’roll playground, performing Start Me Up, Oh No Not You AgainandBrown Sugar in front of a packed crowd of media and invited guests. The appearance wasn’t just a random promo stop either — it served as the official launch event for the band’s massive 2005-2006 world tour, later known as the A Bigger Bang Tour. Seeing the Stones blasting gritty rock songs inside one of America’s most respected classical music institutions felt both bizarre and perfectly fitting at the same time. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts looked completely at ease, proving once again that wherever the Stones go, they somehow manage to turn the place into their own stage.
Mick: “This is one of the earliest concerts we’ve been to in a while, actually. We’re calling it the cornflakes concert. We don’t announce it as our last tour. We never think about it – we take each tour as it comes… I think that’s a trap to try and get people to buy your tickets and say, Well, I’ll never see them again… We’re having a great time recording. We are very upbeat about the tour… There’s a lot of other fantastic bands and a lot of old rubbish out there, and we hope it’s going to be a wonderful summer of rock & roll and we’re going to be right in there.”
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More about The Rolling Stones press conference at Juilliard School Of Music 2005
In a move as unexpected as it was electrifying The Rolling Stones turned a routine press conference into a midday mini-concert, shaking up the stately surroundings of Manhattan’s Juilliard School of Music. Held just behind the grand halls of Lincoln Center, the event marked their first live performance at a press announcement since their iconic 1975 flatbed truck stunt barreling down Fifth Avenue. This time, there were no moving vehicles—just pure, unfiltered rock in the heart of New York.
Classic Vibes and New Fire
With a setlist that fused the familiar and the fresh, the Stones ignited the plaza with Start Me Up, Brown Sugar and the debut of Oh No Not You Again. The new track landed like a lost classic, full of swagger and grit. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards grinned like mischievous old outlaws, trading glances while Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood drove the pulse with pounding rhythms. Water fountains danced to the beat as a crowd of a few hundred—many of them skipping school or work—stood awestruck, blissfully “shattered” by the spectacle.
Wit, Wealth, and What’s Next
After the music faded, the press barrage began. A BBC reporter inquired about their financial projections. Richards, ever the pirate, quipped, “Millionsssssss,” adding, “You can have the money!” When questioned about tax exile rumors, he fired back, “What do you expect, he’s from the Boring Broadcast System.” In between jabs, Jagger teased the nearly completed new album: “It’s very direct… simple but wide-ranging, with hard-hitting ideas and a few sensitive touches.” Richards summed it up with typical brevity and bite: “It kicks some ass.”
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