Cuba: Rolling Stones rock Havana with landmark gig

[Surya Gayatri]

Last edited Sat Mar 26, 2016, 10:27 AM - Edit history (3)

Source: BBC News

The Rolling Stones have rocked Havana, playing to tens of thousands in the Cuban capital, where most foreign rock music was banned for several decades.

Many of those at the free concert were lifelong fans who for years had to keep quiet about their love of the Stones and other groups.

Mick Jagger welcomed fans in Spanish before opening the performance with the 1968 hit Jumpin' Jack Flash.

The concert comes days after a historic visit by US President Barack Obama.

ETA: More great pics...











Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35901988

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'Time changes everything'



The band ripped through 18 songs in two hours, including Satisfaction and Sympathy for the Devil.

Many fans, who came from various parts of Cuba and other countries, described the concert as a historic moment.

"After today I can die," Joaquin Ortiz, a 62-year-old night watchman, told the Associated Press. "This is like my last wish, seeing the Rolling Stones."



The Set List

Jumpin' Jack Flash

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)

Tumbling Dice

Out of Control

All Down the Line

Angie

Paint It Black

Honky Tonk Women

You Got the Silver

Before They Make Me Run

Midnight Rambler

Miss You

Gimme Shelter

Start Me Up

Sympathy for the Devil

Brown Sugar

Encores: You Can't Always Get What You Want. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction



_________________________________

There are reports that Pope Francis asked the band to cancel or postpone the concert because it happened to fall on Good Friday.

The band is reported to have answered that they didn't want to upset the Pope, but that they had a contract to play, and they were going to honor it.

GOOD FOR MICK AND THE GANG!

Their concert tours must take a hell of a toll on these septuagenarians. Glad they're still up and running, but wonder when they'll decide to hang up the guitars.

[Jnclr89]

1. How does this improve my life?

I voted 4/8 years ago. I'm starting to get pissed off by this shit.

[Surya Gayatri]

2. Can we take it that you are not a Stones fan?

Don't see the connection between your voting record and a ground-breaking Rolling Stones concert in Cuba...

But, perhaps I'm missing something?

[Sunlei]

6. internet neurosis caused by years of political propaganda spams in face

There is no cure

[Surya Gayatri]

7. Hopeless case, indeed! LOL!

[Cooley Hurd]

3. How does it impede you life?

[alfredo]

14. Should everything be done for your benefit?

If your post was sarcasm, please ignore my reply.

[brush]

21. Huh? What are you pissed about?

[Bad Dog]

23. Why should a British rock band give a monkeys?

I bloody don't.

[Sunlei]

4. I missed a free concert by the Stones!!

One of my older clients went to Cuba over the past week, covered the span of Obama there and the free concert.

I mentioned, Obama will be there and a free Rolling Stones concert. She's a republican who dislikes rock & roll & seemed annoyed Air Force One will be seen at the airport.

[Surya Gayatri]

8. Her loss...Rock 'n Roll creates the best diplomacy in the world.

Melomania is international and even universal.

[Old Vet]

5. Son of a Bitch Iam Jealous'''''''''''''''

Bet it was a all hands on deck kick ass

[Surya Gayatri]

9. Would've loved to see all of those post-revolution Cubans

gettin' down. Kick-ass for sure.

[Sunlei]

10. found a 6 minute youtube from cell phones.

Stones had to use their stage sound system, but looks like people a good time!

[Surya Gayatri]

12. Great! I looked for a clip but couldn't find one.

[Gman]

46. Makes me wonder

Just what kind of world we'll leave for Keith Richards.

[winstars]

11. 500,000 Cubans loved it, screaming and yelling. I saw it with my own eyes last night!!!

[Surya Gayatri]

13. Were you actually there in person? Lucky you!

(500,000 seems a bit on the high side, no?)

[Bad Dog]

25. I wasn't there.

And I've never seen the Rolling Stones live. I have however, seen Mick Jagger's brother Chris play a set at a pub in Somerton. Not really the same.

[Surya Gayatri]

26. I've never had the luck to see them live, either. They've been to Paris

on several of their revival tours, but could never get reasonably-priced tickets.

The boyz are beginning to look a little worse for the wear, but I'm glad to see them still doing their thing. Incredible energy for septugenarians.


(Left to right) Ronnie Wood, 68, Mick Jagger, 72, Charlie Watts, 74 and Keith Richards, 72 were on fine form for the people of Cuba

[Bad Dog]

28. Chris looked better.

But his music was a bit more pedestrian.

[Surya Gayatri]

29. Tough to be in the shade of such a famous brother...

[Bad Dog]

33. I suppose it must.

I did meet one guy who wanted to tell me all about his good mate Chris, he was loosely connected to the band. Actually the first time I met him I was asking directions for somewhere, and he told me all about his good mate Chris then.

There were people there who just wanted to see what he looked like.

They didn't seem that bothered about security though. I'm a total stranger yet I know the name of the very tiny village he lives in, and I wasn't even asking.

[Surya Gayatri]

34. I'll bet Mick doesn't handle security that way...

[Bad Dog]

38. Although he probably has as many people wanting to talk about their good mate Mick.

I was in a shop in Glastonbury asking directions for a village, which will remain nameless, he piped in saying that was where his good mate Chris Jagger lived, Mick Jagger's brother. I could have been anyone, I might even have been looking for said village because I wanted to kidnap Mick Jagger's brother.

Some people like to impress a bit too much.

[Surya Gayatri]

39. Bragging rights, I guess. Human nature.

[Bad Dog]

43. I suppose I'm just as bad.

Boasting about how I was once given directions by a bloke who claimed to be very good mates with Mick Jagger's brother Chris.

[Archae]

40. What medical school did they get the cadavers from?

[Surya Gayatri]

41. You, baaad!

[christx30]

49. I hope I look that good when I'm 72. n/t

[Surya Gayatri]

51. By the deeply etched skin, you can tell they've lived hard...

lots of smoking, drinking and drug-doing.

But inside, they're obviously still hale and hardy, if they can jump around on stage singing and playing, in front of 500,000 people for 2 hours straight.

Who cares what they look like, as long as they keep on keeping on?

[christx30]

52. Heck yeah. 100% agreement.

They seem to still have a ton of energy on stage, judging by the pictures on the OP. I would love to hear them live, just once in my life. Sympathy for the Devil and Paint it Black are two of my favorite songs.

[Surya Gayatri]

53. "Brown Sugar" is mine.

[christx30]

56. But if you need to get some moss gathered,

these are the most unreliable people to call.

(Pardon the joke)

[Surya Gayatri]

57. .../...

for bad pun...

[Spirochete]

60. Yep, they're getting old

Charlie Watts actually looks pretty good, though, and Ronnie Wood's not looking too bad, considering the life he's led. Keith's looked like Dorian Grey's picture for a long time.

[awoke_in_2003]

63. I saw them in Cleveland Muni stadium

a year or two before I moved to TX in 92. It was a good show, and I am not a big Stones fan.

[Bad Dog]

64. I'm sure it was a good show.

Nobody can fault their showmanship.

[winstars]

35. Yes, I was and 500,000 is on the low side...

[Surya Gayatri]

36. Amazing and marvellous...

[winstars]

37. It was. lots of cameras, possible documentary???

[FLPanhandle]

15. What I always found funny was the universal distrust of rock and roll back then

Starting in the 1950's many westerners thought rock and roll was some communist inspired plot to destroy the morals of young people.

Ironically, communist governments thought the exact same thing but blamed westerners for it.

The communists of the 50's-70's were quite determined to keep their citizens from listening to western rock bands.

[Surya Gayatri]

17. I recall being formally forbidden, on pain of corporal punishment, to tune

the family radio to the only Rock & Roll station broadcasting out of that den of iniquity, Omaha NE.

I was literally told it was the work of the devil, immoral, and "sex-crazed".

As for trying to buy a 45-rpm record on the sly? Forget about it.

I was never able to have my own record collection until I high-tailed it out of there when I was 23.

[FLPanhandle]

19. Ouch.

23 years old before getting your own record collection. wow.

I had friends who were only allowed to listen to country stations because rock was "the devil's music".

[Surya Gayatri]

20. I had to sneak over to the neighbors' to listen to Bill Haley

Chuck Berry and Elvis. A whole other world! LOL!

[thucythucy]

59. PBS ran a documentary a few years back

on how the Beatles helped bring down the Soviet Union. Young people in the Soviet Union in the '60s decided "decadent" western rock and roll was far more exciting than joining the various Communist youth groups (Young Pioneers, etc.) and there was a thriving bootleg market for smuggled in Beatles records. Dubs were made using exposed X-ray film as vinyl. There was even an urban myth about how the Beatles once secretly visited the Soviet Union, hence "Back in the USSR." A whole slew of underground rock bands formed, secret fan clubs, people listening to foreign radio (which the government tried to jam).

The KGB took this all so seriously they actually sent in an agent to be an "undercover hippy" to infiltrate the Beatles entourage while they were in India studying meditation. Evidently the guy stood out a mile--everyone knew he was the heat from somewhere.

And then in the '70s the Nixon administration hounded John Lennon, trying to get him kicked out of the country as being a subversive.

Hilarious, how threatened older people were by good old fashioned rock and roll.

[raccoon]

16. that free concert was a genius PR move for the Stones. nt

[Surya Gayatri]

18. A whole new market just waiting to be tapped. Those boyz are

anything but stupid! LOL!

[DesertRat]

22. How awesome!

I love the Stones!

[Surya Gayatri]

24. A legend in their time...

[Gman]

27. We should all be kicking ass like this in our 70's

Maybe these guys will still be doing it in their 80's. Who knows? And you damn sure can't say with any certainty that 80 year old Rolling Stones won't still be the greatest rock and roll band in the world.

[Surya Gayatri]

30. As a 70-year-old myself, I'm in awe at their boundless energy.

This:

"...you damn sure can't say with any certainty that 80 year old Rolling Stones won't still be the greatest rock and roll band in the world."

They obviously love what they do, so I say: "Carry on chaps!" LOL!

[yallerdawg]

31. Rock 'n' Roll will never die!

Between the Glimmer Twins and the Castro Brothers, what witnesses to history!

I know - it's only rock 'n' roll - but I like it!

[Surya Gayatri]

32. So do I!

[RATM435]

42. Did the cuban government not approve this one.

Rolling stones - under my thumb

[Equinox Moon]

44. Looks like a BERNIE Rally

if it was in the US.

[Surya Gayatri]

54. More like Obama's inaugurations--500,000+ people.

[Equinox Moon]

62. Indeed!

[kwassa]

45. I saw them in 1978 for $10 a ticket ....

Time is on their side.

[Phentex]

47. It was fun to see all of the people enjoying themselves...

truly historical and a pleasure to see.

[Surya Gayatri]

48. Leaves a warm feeling...

[rockfordfile]

50. Never really cared much for the Rolling Stones

Like I said before I prefer the Doors.

This was still good thing to happen.

[Hoyt]

55. Good for Cuba.

[sandpan]

58. I saw them a three years ago in San Jose

Best concert ever! The Stones know how to make the place rock!

[Judi Lynn]

61. The Rolling Stones play to thousands in Cuba in historic concert – in pictures

The Rolling Stones play to thousands in Cuba in historic concert – in pictures


The free concert by one of the planet’s richest bands is expected to attract more than 200,000 diehard fans and curious spectators to a field outside the Ciudad Deportiva de la Habana baseball stadium for an event that may go on record as the biggest concert ever seen on the island

Watch: Rolling Stones kick off first ever show in Cuba with Jumpin’ Jack Flash – video

Mark Wohlwender
Friday 25 March 2016 23.06 EDT

http://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2016/mar/26/rolling-stones-cuba-free-concert-pictures