The Rolling Stones Officially Begin Tour Without Charlie Watts

The Rolling Stones officially started their first tour in 58 years without drummer Charlie Watts by performing a concert last night at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. Watts died on August 24 at age 80. The Stones tapped Steve Jordan to play drums on the tour.

Sunday’s concert in St. Louis followed a private performance by The Rolling Stones at an event hosted last week by Robert Kraft at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The setlist last night carried over “19th Nervous Breakdown,” which was busted out at the private gig, and the 2020 single “Living In A Ghost Town,” which debuted at the previous show.

Prior to the band starting Sunday’s show, a tribute to Watts was shown on the massive video screens flanking the stage. Following the tribute, the band emerged and kicked into “Street Fighting Man.” After the subsequent “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (but I Like It),” frontman Mick Jagger addressed the audience, with guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood by his side, and further paid tribute to Watts, dedicating the tour to their late bandmate.

“Wild Horses” was chosen as the fan-requested song and Richards was given his usual fronting duties on “Happy” and “Slipping Away.” The main set ended with a string of classic Stones hits, “Miss You,” “Midnight Rambler,” “Paint It Black,” “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”

Sunday’s encore started with “Gimme Shelter” and ended with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Watch audience-shot video from Sunday’s Stones concert in St. Louis below: