The Rolling Stones gathered on Monday night (December 6th) at London’s Ronnie Scott’s club to pay tribute to late-drummer Charlie Watts. Watts died of cancer this past August 24th at age 80. The Sun reported Mick Jagger was accompanied by girlfriend Melanie Hamrick, Keith Richards with wife Patti Hansen, and Ron Wood with wife Sally. Former-bassist Bill Wyman was in attendance — but did not perform. Current Stones drummer — and longtime Charlie Watts friend — Steve Jordan also played.
Jager, Richards, and Wood played a pair of tunes — “Shame Shame Shame” — which was included on the band’s recent expanded edition of Tattoo You — and “Down The Road Apiece,” which the Stones recorded in 1965 for their second album.
Former-Squeeze keyboardist Jools Holland served as the evening’s MC and headed up the house band — which included performances by Stones vocalist Bernard Fowler, former singer Lisa Fischer, and the Stones’ touring sax player Tim Ries.
DID YOU KNOW???
- 35 years ago, the Rolling Stones honored one of their own with a similar club date to Monday’s gig.
- On February 23rd, 1986, the band — with special guests Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Bad Company‘s Simon Kirke, and Jeff Beck — played a memorial for Stones co-founder and keyboardist Ian Stewart.
- The show was the only live performance the Stones played between 1982 and 1989.