The legendary band from London is set to perform a free concert in Havana on March 25, a first for any major international rock band in the communist Caribbean state.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts arrived in Havana on March 22, promising a “historic” performance on Friday.
“We are so excited to be coming to play for you. We’ve performed in many incredible places, but this concert in Havana is going to be a historic event for us. We hope it will be for you too. Thank you for welcoming us to your beautiful country,” the band said in a short promotional clip posted on the government-owned cubainformacion.tv website.
At least 500,000 people are expected to flock to Havana’s Cuidad Deportiva sports complex to witness rock n’ roll’s most enduring statesmen strut their stuff in an open-air concert.
Setlist is expected to include some of The Stones’ most popular hits: “Paint It Black,” “Sympathy For The Devil,” “Brown Sugar,” “Wild Horses,” “Jumping Jack Flash,” “Start Me Up” and “( I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
“Always exploring new horizons and true pioneers of rock, the Stones, who have toured every corner of the globe, will bring their high octane performance and incredible music catalogue to the Caribbean for the first time ever,” said an article on the band’s website.
The Cuban gig is the Rolling Stones’ last stop on their South American tour that included performances in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Mexico.
The concert, a surprise addition to the tour, was supposed to be held on March 20 but the group cancelled the date to give way to Obama’s historic trip to Cuba.
Obama made the visit 15 months after the U.S. and Cuba signed an agreement to resume normal ties. He was the first American president to visit the tiny Caribbean country in almost a century.
