The Rolling Stones w/ Gary Clark Jr. at NRG Stadium, Houston TX (2024-04-28)

The diamonds are still shining bright! –
The Rolling Stones are back on the road with a brand-new tour performing in 16 cities across North America through mid-July.

We've got boots on the ground for the opening night of their North American Tour at the huge NRG Stadium in Houston, TX, where they were joined by Texas native Gary Clark Jr as opening support.

The new album is Hackney Diamonds (via Polydor/Geffen Records) released last October produced by Andrew Watt and Don Was. It features twelve tracks that fit nicely into the Stones vast musical canon – everything from the up-tempo opening track, "Angry" (which they played live) to ballads like "Dreamy Skies".

Showing they can still be "street fighting men," the album's title takes its name from the slang term of the shattered glass that occurs when a burglar smashes a car or shop window to gain access, in the dodgy Hackney neighborhood of East London.

Guests on the record include Paul McCartney, Elton John, Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder… but don't hold your breath expecting them to appear live, though you never know….

The Tour is sponsored by AARP (so strangely true, we couldn't make that up!) and features membership-eligible members Mick Jagger (80-years-old) vocals, harmonica, rhythm guitar, percussion, keyboards, bass guitar; Keith Richards (80-years-old) rhythm and lead guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion, backing and lead vocals; Ronnie Wood (76-years-old) lead and rhythm guitars, bass, backing vocals, pedal steel guitar.

Drummer Charlie Watts passed away in August 2021. Backing touring musicians include Darryl Jones (bass) Steve Jordan (drums); Chuck Leavell (keys); Bernard Fowler, Matt Clifford, Tim Ries, Karl Denson, and Chanelle Haynes.

Opening acts will rotate depending on the city/date with these announced so far: Joe Bonamassa (May 15 in Seattle), Lawrence (May 26 in NJ) Tyler Childers (June 3 in Orlando), KALEO (June 11 in Philadelphia) and Lainey Wilson (June 30 in Chicago).

On this night, blues-rock guitar man Clark was an ideal choice for this Lone Star state crowd, bringing with him an expanded Texas-size band of five musicians and three vocalists that entertained an already mostly full stadium, for fhe evening's first forty-five minutes.

Jagger, still in fine form, announced prior to "Gimme Shelter", "We first came to Texas in 1964– that was my first rodeo" and we liked when he remarked, "Shut up already, damn" just before conducting the crowd on the "ooh-oohs" of "Miss You" – perhaps a subtle nod to Prince's "Housequake."