Saturday night’s One World: At Home Together benefit show featured a variety of musical guests, including Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Sam Smith, and countless others, but one of the most unique performances came from The Rolling Stones.
Organized by the World Health Organization and Global Citizen, the Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Fallon-hosted event took place over 8 hours. After a short statement by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in the show’s final hour, the broadcast cut to The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger in the top left corner of a four-box screen.
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“Everyone ready?” Mick asked the three black boxes that read “Keith [Richards] Cam”, “Ronnie [Wood] Cam”, and “Charlie [Watts] Cam”, before strumming the chords for “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, off the band’s 1969 album, Let It Bleed. As Jagger sang the first verse the rest of the band members’ cameras turned on, one by one, starting first with Richards, then Wood, and finally Watts after the song makes it past the initial chorus.
As Watts’ camera turned on he was seen sitting behind a makeshift “drumkit” of boxes, donning teal headphones and banging along to the tune. At first, it sounded like he might actually be playing those boxes, much like a busker outside of a stadium or in the subway, but as the camera zooms out slightly, it became clear that he wasn’t hitting any cymbals at all. The rock ‘n’ roll veteran was shredding the air drums much like every aspiring drummer has done as a child (or adult). Throughout the song, Richards provided some backing vocals before Wood took a ripping solo on his Fender Stratocaster at the behest of Jagger. Watch the entire performance, clocking in at 5:37, below.
The Rolling Stones – “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – One World: Together At Home
[Video: Global Citizen]
The Stones were set to kick off the 2020 No Filter North American spring tour this May 8th in San Diego, CA, however, due to the ongoing health crisis regarding COVID-19, the band recently postponed all dates. Head to The Rolling Stones’ website for the latest tour information and check out Live For Live Music‘s concert cancellation tracker for daily updates on shows around the country.