HOUSTON (AP) — Time marches on and all good things come to an end, but don’t tell that to the Rolling Stones.
What many consider the best rock ‘n’ roll band in the world showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon as they kicked off their latest tour Sunday night at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
The Stones have been touring for more than 60 years. Its leader Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards are 80 years old, and guitarist Ronnie Wood is not far behind at 76. Their tour is sponsored in part by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), an American organization without nonprofit, which addresses the needs and interests of people over 50 years of age.
But during their vibrant two-hour show, the Stones had the energy of a band touring for the first time.
“It’s great to be back in the Lone Star State,” Jagger told a packed stadium filled with longtime fans, many wearing faded T-shirts from previous tours.
Jagger strutted up and down the stage with seemingly limitless energy while Richards and Wood played guitar riffs familiar and beloved by fans. Jagger often led the audience to chant along to songs.
“The energy level is high and it’s always high with them. The age doesn’t show,” Dale Skjerseth, the Stones’ production director, said Friday before the concert.
The Stones went on tour to support the release of their latest album, “Hackney Diamonds,” the band’s first album of original music since 2005.
Houston is the first stop on his tour of 16 cities in the United States and Canada. Other cities are New Orleans, Philadelphia and Vancouver. The tour concludes July 17 in Santa Clara, California.
At Sunday’s concert, the Stones performed several songs from the new album, including the lead single “Angry.” They also performed classics like “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Honky Tonk Women” and “Start Me Up.”
After performing “Beast of Burden,” Jagger said the public in Houston had voted to include it on the set list.
“You can’t go wrong with that (song),” a man in the audience was heard yelling.
The Stones also included some unexpected choices, such as “Rocks Off,” from their 1972 double album “Exile on Main St.” and “Out of Time,” a 1966 song that Jagger said during the concert the band had never performed in the United States.
Following the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021, the Stones now consist of the core trio of Jagger, Richards and Wood. On Sunday, they were backed by several musicians, including two keyboardists, a new drummer, backing vocalists and a brass section.
While the stage was surrounded by a large collection of video screens that projected images throughout the show, the main focus of the concert was the band and their songs.
Ahead of Sunday’s concert, Jagger spent time Friday touring NASA’s Johnson Space Center in suburban Houston, and posted photos on his Instagram account of him with astronauts inside Mission Control.
“I had an amazing trip to the space center,” Jagger said.
When asked if the band might be thinking about calling it quits, Skjerseth said he doubts that will happen.
“This is not the end. They are very excited,” he said.
