The death of The Rolling Stones’ legendary drummer Charlie Watts was a difficult blow for the band, their fans, and those close to the musician. Although he already wasn’t slated to head out on tour with the band on their upcoming tour due to health concerns, it still makes the band’s latest stint on the road a very bittersweet one. Perhaps it’s for the best, then, that the band got to try their luck at performing without him during an unofficial private gig tonight.
According to Variety the show was thrown by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and was just a small concert held at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. During the set, Mick addressed the fact that it was the band’s first performance in close to sixty years without Charlie keeping time for them. “This is the first show of our 2021 tour, this is it, this is the tryout,” he began. “I must say though, at this point it’s a bit of a poignant night for us: This is our first tour in 59 years that we’ve done without our lovely Charlie Watts. And we all miss Charlie so much.” From there, the band went on to dedicate the entire show to their fallen friend and bandmate. Check out Mick’s speech below.
— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) September 21, 2021
The Stones tour officially kicks off on September 26 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
