Heading into their No Filter tour of Europe this year, The Rolling Stones promised the presumptive crowds a set that was dotted with “a couple of unexpected tracks each night, and randomly selected surprises.” Even then, at the kickoff show yesterday in Hamburg, Germany, it’s probably safe to expect that the thousands who showed up couldn’t have expected the band to hit them with something as obscure as this.
For the first time in 44 years, the Stones performed the first track, “Dancing With Mr. D” from their 1973 album Goat’s Head Soup live. Coincidentally, the last time they performed that particular song was on a tour of Europe on October 19, 1973 in Berlin, shortly after that album came out. The deep cuts didn’t end their however.
Recently, the Stones have been running this gimmick allowing fans to vote for one cut to make it into the show out of a choice of three different selections — They did this at at a show I caught a few years back on their Zip Code tour and played “Heartbreak (Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo), and yes, it was awesome — and for that the opener in Hamburg, the lucky winner was “Under My Thumb,” which they hadn’t played in well over a decade. They also gave “Play With Fire” it’s first live airing since February 23, 1990.
Needless to say, if the kickoff show is any indication, fans of some of the Stones most obscure cuts are in for a major treat this Fall.
