The Rolling Stones made their long-awaited appearance at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Thursday—five years to the day after they were originally scheduled to headline the event—and while there frontman Mick Jagger had some choice words for Louisiana governor Jeff Landry.

During the Stones’ sold-out show at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Jagger made sure to make the crowd of upwards of 50,000 people feel welcome. Following a performance of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, Mick remarked that the band and its community is a fairly inclusive crowd, and he specifically welcomed Landry who was among the audience, “Even if he wants to take us back to the Stone Ages.”

Though Mick did not go into specifics, Landry has drawn criticism throughout his political career for a range of strict conservative policies. In 2022 he told anyone who disagrees with Louisiana’s restrictive abortion ban to move to another state, and in 2016, while he was the state attorney general, he attempted (unsuccessfully) to block a provision in state contracts protecting gay and lesbian employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Landry used his own platform to fire back a response at the 80-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, saying “The only person who might remember the Stone Age is Mick Jagger.”

Jagger also gave a much warmer welcome during The Stones’ set to the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas, for a sit-in on “Time Is On My Side”. The onstage collaboration was a full-circle moment, as it was the band’s version of Thomas’ classic song that became The Rolling Stones’ first Top Ten hit in the United States back in 1964. Mick and Irma split the vocals as a duet for the band’s first performance of the song since July 25th, 1982, per Setlist.fm.

Check out a video of the sit-in along with photos of the long-awaited Rolling Stones show at New Orleans Jazz Fest courtesy of photographer Ron Valle.

The Rolling Stones, Irma Thomas — “Time Is On My Side” (Norman Meade) — 5/2/24

[Video: Ande Rasmussen]