Since The Rolling Stones formed in London in 1962, they’ve created a vast catalog that’s tough to whittle down into a setlist.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood are currently out on their Hackney Diamonds Tour and like most legacy acts, trying to balance new material with old hits.
The Rolling Stones released Hackney Diamonds, their 24th studio album, last year. It’s their first album following drummer Charlie Watts’ death in 2021, leaving only Jagger and Richards as original members.
Though some deep cuts are bound to be excluded, the omitted songs on the list below may surprise you.
“Ruby Tuesday” from Between the Buttons (1967)
An early hit for The Rolling Stones, “Ruby Tuesday” is a baroque pop love song with lyrics written by Richards. Jagger and Richards are revisiting their early years this tour by including “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “She’s a Rainbow,” giving fans their allotment of psychedelia. But “Ruby Tuesday” and its tender chorus will be missed.
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still, I’m going to miss you
“Rip This Joint” from Exile on Main St. (1972)
The Rolling Stones haven’t played “Rip This Joint” since 2003 but there’s no shortage of ferocious blues in their catalog. It’s also one of the Stones’ quickest tempos and its speed may have something to do with the song’s bench status for the past two decades. You can bump the tempo to “Rocks Off” and give the audience its dose of Exile’s bar band blues.
Mama says yes, Papa says no
Make up your mind ’cause I gotta go
I’m gonna raise hell at the Union Hall
Drive myself right over the wall
“Angie” from Goats Head Soup (1973)
When you want to rip this joint, the acoustic ballads are the first to go. Though it is surprising to leave “Angie” from the set. In 1973, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is still one of the band’s most streamed songs. Nicky Hopkins’ piano part is as crucial to the recording as Richards and Mick Taylor’s dual acoustic guitars, and it’s worth reconsidering with Chuck Leavell’s presence on stage.
With no loving in our souls
And no money in our coats
You can’t say we’re satisfied
But Angie, I still love you, baby
Everywhere I look, I see your eyes
There ain’t a woman that comes close to you
Come on, baby, dry your eyes
“Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” from Sticky Fingers (1971)
If you’re going to edit a set, removing a seven-minute jam is a good place to start. The Rolling Stones last played “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” in 2022 to celebrate their 60th anniversary. However, recent YouTube clips reveal the band performing “B–ch” on the current tour if you yearn to have your Sticky Fingers blues unhinged Stones-style.
Y’all got cocaine eyes
Yeah, you got speed-freak jive
“Street Fighting Man” from Beggars Banquet (1968)
According to setlist.fm, “Street Fighting Man” is the 13th most-played song of the Stones’ career. It’s one of Richards’ most iconic guitar riffs but not everyone was immediately enthused about the song. U.S. radio stations were wary to spin “Street Fighting Man” fearing it would spark more anti-war protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Jagger responded by saying, “The last time they banned one of our records in America, it sold a million.”
Everywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy
’Cause summer’s here and the time is right
For fighting in the street, boy
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Most Popular
Comments / 0